Authors (including presenting author) :
Leung KH, Chan BY, Lai, FS, Yip KY, Leung SH, Li YC
Affiliation :
Family Medicine and General Out-patient Clinic, Kowloon Central Cluster
Introduction :
In order to promote better occupational safety and health (OSH) awareness and develop the prevention of occupational hazards in GOPC, an innovative OSH platform – create a speak out culture (SOC) in which focusing on OSH concern has been conducted in GOPC since 2018. These reflect their underestimating the importance of OSH in workplace. By creating the SOC among colleagues, it is hopefully that through their exchanging of ideas, sharing of past experience, a better understanding and concern for OSH would be improved, eventually thus preventing staff from unnecessary occupational hazards. Different individuals should have different views and experiences, speaking out of their own thoughts would help keeping an open mind set and accepting comments from other people. This would also effectively promoting active listening of an individual. Open and free discussions would also help compromising a best solution or work flow.
Objectives :
1, Set up 3 OSH safety programs and completed in 2019/20. 2, Mutual respect, acceptance and friendly attitudes would be reflected through their communications. 3, Relationships and better understanding between staff and management team would be improved. 4, Clinical workflows and services are smooth and with positive outcomes. 5, Numbers of occupational hazards would be minimized. Frankly speaking, developing speak out culture among the traditional in-build conservative mindset population group is not an easy task to breakthrough. After years of effort and programs, we can see the some obvious positive changes and which was much appreciated.
Methodology :
Conducting Visual Acuity test is one of the major services in GOPC (around 1800 – 3500 cases per year). A Visual Acuity (VA) test is an eye exam that checks how well you see the details of a letter or symbol from a specific distance. However, the ordinary VA test method in the clinics induced one occupational health problem; it would cause potential neck sprain injury. Moreover, an incident of patient fall was reported during VA test in year 2019. After receiving comments and feedback from the front line staff, the management team discussed the feasibility and benefits to launch the new VA machines. We decided to order VA machines and start using in 3 GOPCs in trials (Hung Hom Clinic, Lee Kee Memorial Dispensary & East Kowloon General Out-patient Clinic), the outcomes and feedback from the users, Patient Care Assistant (PCA), were very positive and encouraging. I. 3 GOPCs 100% (PCA) feedback user friendly II. Patient safety – no fall incidence reported III. Operation with remote control for eye level, the chart is automatically adjusted to the height of customer’s eye IV. Prevention of staff neck sprain injury IV. The remote control has a large LCD monitor that shows the operator the chart being presented.
Result & Outcome :
In order to establish this speak out culture effectively, it is believed that creating a mutual trust relationship and sense of being recognized for staff to speak out actively are crucial. Positive comments and appreciations or even take their opinions into action are necessary to make staff feels being respected and valued. This would help creating a positive experience or memory to encourage their voicing out. Creating a culture that people are free to speak-out, managements would be able to gather wider scope of views and from different angles, these would definitely compromised up with the best and most comprehensive solution in the shortest period of time. Staff would also be inspired and achieved higher job satisfaction, especially when they see their ideas are taking into practices. A speak out culture is thus very important for us.
