Authors (including presenting author) :
Yau ML(1), Chung YH(1), Lui Priscilla(2), Yuen MH(2), Leung YF(2), Lam Mona(3)
Affiliation :
(1)Orthopaedic & Traumatology/ Gynaecology, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, (2)Orthopaedic & Traumatology, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, (3)Gynaecology, Tseung Kwan O Hospital
Introduction :
Insufficient communication and misunderstandings between staff members are often found to be the culprits of incidents happening in the workplace. This was the case for several instances at the Department of O&T/Gyn in TKOH reported to the Advanced Incidents Reporting System (AIRS). With the intention to build a healthy workplace, a two-part plan including (i) Effective Communication Seminar (ECS) and (ii) Doctor Nurse Reminder (DNR) was proposed to tackle obstacles of poor communication whilst exploring effective communication methods to enhance teamwork, sustain a smooth workflow and better quality services to patients.
Objectives :
(1) To devise an easy-to-use scheme and raise awareness of the importance of effective communication among staff members
(2) To reduce the number of incidents reported to AIRS regarding ineffective communication
(3) To continuously enhance methods of communication through staff feedback
Methodology :
Utilising a top-down design, consent from top management was first obtained. The ECS targeting the O&T/GYN department’s nurses was launched in early April 2019. The DNR was first piloted in October 2018 for 7 months in all three wards of the O&T/GYN department. An F4 board was placed inside each patient’s file for staffs to jot down crucial reminders. A guideline regarding the DNR was distributed to ward representatives to encourage staffs to fully take advantage of this tool.
A bottom-up approach was used to evaluate the DNR scheme in late April. Moreover, feedback was collected via questionnaires answered by the staff, regular meetings with ward representatives and statistics from AIRS for reflecting, improving the scheme and examining if the objective of the scheme was met.
Result & Outcome :
Through quantitative data collection, feedback collected from the ECS Evaluation Form was very positive overall. Regarding the effectiveness of the seminar, all nurses rated agree or strongly agree and expressed that they felt more confident to overcome communication barriers. 95% of attendees also expressed interest in attending future seminars. Feedback from the DNR survey reflected that more than 90% of surveyors utilize the DNR board often or very often, reflecting the staff’s agreement towards the practicality of the tool. Moreover, the statistics of 2018 and 2019 (until June) demonstrates declination from 3 to cases reported to AIRS concerning ineffective communication in the O&T/GYN department. Overall, the main objectives of the project were shown to be effective in tackling obstacles of communication which hindered quality services at TKOH. Establishing the DNR and implementing seminars have shown to encourage staff members to be confident when dealing with communication hurdles. Evidence of improved communication between staff members in the O&T/Gyn department has shown the potential of implementing this scheme to other areas of the hospital. Further enhancement such as digitalization of the scheme can be developed in the future.
