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Onboarding and Training New Employees to Prevent Linen Loss
Healthcare linen loss is a massive problem costing the industry upwards of $800 million annually. And your employees can either be part of this problem or be proactive leaders in the solution. The difference lies in their training, particularly during the onboarding phase. There are many ways that linen loss occurs. These should be individually addressed as part of employee training to create a working culture that fights against linen loss. Here are some options you can introduce to your training and onboarding processes to prevent linen loss:
Policies Against Linen Hoarding
One of the most common reasons for linen loss and inventory inconsistencies is hoarding. While this is not ‘theft’ per se and does not remove linens out of your facility, it is still problematic. But this is not always malicious in intent. More often than not, personnel resort to linen hoarding for fear of shortage. Linen availability issues can also lead to hoarding which, in turn, can create shortages in other areas of your facility. To prevent linen loss, create a clear-cut policy against hoarding. For example, you can create a single source of linens where every linen collected is logged into a system. This helps linen managers easily track the whereabouts of linens, speed up the inventory process, and prevent hoarding.
Make Linen Loss Awareness a Major Part of Onboarding
Your employees can only help with something they are aware of. That is why linen loss awareness should be part of new employee training. This should include the facts on the extensiveness of the problem and how it affects your facility. More importantly, it should also include details on how linen loss occurs. Knowing how and where the losses happen is going to allow employees to be proactive in their prevention.
Train on Proper Linen Disposal and Labeling
One of the biggest culprits for linen loss is improper disposal, particularly with contaminated linens. There is far too much confusion regarding the handling of soiled linens and whether or not they can be laundered. Unfortunately, this leads to premature disposal of linens that could have been viable for reuse. That is why proper disposal and training on linen labeling should be an essential part of onboarding. This will help ensure that your linens reach the natural end of their life cycle and thus prevent unnecessary losses.
Individual Inventory Management and Training for Accountability
Accountability is one of the most crucial elements in training your new employees against linen loss. This will help them become more watchful of the linens in their jurisdiction. This will essentially add more eyes tracking down the whereabouts of each linen item. And this will, hopefully, help prevent linen theft committed by patients.
Prevent Linen Loss with CleanCare
Linen loss prevention is an uphill, daily battle for any healthcare facility. No matter how big or small your facility is, this issue lurks about, waiting for the first sign of complacence and the first mistake. Reinforce your facility’s protection today. Contact CleanCare for help in your healthcare linen management needs by filling out this form.
