Stop scrambling to find obscure objects.

"There's nothing more frustrating to doctors than when they ask team members for something - an instrument, a drug, a handout - and the employees don't know where it is," says Donna Bauman, CVPM, practice manager at Ottawa Animal Hospital in Holland, Mich. "Of course, one person knows where to find it. But he or she is normally out that day."

The doctor just asked you for the Material Safety Data Sheets. Do you know where they're located? What about the topical eye anaesthetic or eye wash handout? What about replacement bulbs and batteries?

It's every team member's responsibility to know where objects live around the office - no matter if the items are used daily or rarely. To help your team learn the locations of hard-to-find tools, try holding a scavenger hunt. The first step: poll your practice to see what to include on the list.

To avoid this, Bauman compiled a list of hard-to-locate items and held a scavenger hunt.

Here's a sample list from Donna Bauman, to get you started:

• Allergy tests
• Blood collection sets
• Culture plates
• Emergency drug box
• Flashlights
• High-level scissors
• Infusion pump
• Large bloat tube
• Small bloat tube
• Surgical patches
• Tissue adhesive
• Various handouts

When team members found an item, they'd rush to place it on the front desk where they could grab a goody - candy, pen, inexpensive gifts - and then continue playing.

"When all of the items on the list were found, we walked together around the practice and put things back to ensure everyone knew where the items lived - and what they were called and used for."

Bauman says since holding the scavenger hunt, doctors are happier and the patients receive better care because the staff doesn't waste time looking for objects.

Source: Mar 1, 2009 FIRSTLINE