Page 215 - Hospital Authority Convention 2018

Service Enhancement Presentations

F7.1 Committed and Happy Staff 13:15 Room 421

How to Help Our Supporting Staff to Cope with Stress in Their Workplace and Overcome Their Difficulties
Chu KF, Ho SF, Chan KL, Tong KO, Leung PY, Tsang KF, Chan CY, Wong MC
Department of Clinical Oncology, Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong
Introduction HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2018
Between 2008 and 2016, there were 8,387 deaths recorded in Cancer Palliative Ward in the New Territories West Cluster.
Research found that working with grief and bereavement can put staff in touch with their own losses and heighten mutual
empathy and identification. Patient Care Assistants (PCAs) are the life-blood of hospitals providing assistance to patients’
daily activities such as bathing, feeding and toileting. Owning to the length and intensity of their interactions with dying
patients and relatives who were highly emotional and stressful, PCAs could suffer from chronic work-related stress. As a
result, absenteeism and turnover rates would increase.

Objectives
(1) To develop competencies of Patient Care Assistants in taking care of dying patients and their families; (2) to create a caring
culture and enhance their motivation; and (3) to reduce absenteeism and turnover rates.

Methodology
Actions were taken at three different levels: primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary strategy changed conditions,
secondary strategy managed stress and the tertiary strategy handled problems. Strategies at the primary level directly
addressed the primary causes of stress in the workplace. 24 formal workshops were conducted covering workplace violence,
suicidal ideation, communication with emotional relatives, symptom management, handling difficult patients and so on. They
aimed at enhancing the skills and competencies of PCAs in facing daily challenges. PCAs were encouraged to take part in
decision-making process to solve problems. Regular information sharing sessions consisting of a conversation between
peers were held to gather suggestions and create a supportive culture. The secondary strategy aimed to reduce and
relieve stress. A toolkit was designed for PCAs by a multidisciplinary team. PCAs could learn meditation, loving-kindness-
breathing, contemplation, acupressure, massage, Baduanjin Qigong and so on. PCAs could develop their own resources for
mental health. The tertiary strategy aimed at treatment and rehabilitation. This is a long-term personalised help to staff with
difficulties in work. Individual interventions were provided by support group and companionship. Each PCA was supported
by a designated APN who offered counseling services and facilitated their return to work if incidents occurred.

Results
According to the Staff Rostering System (SRS), the average number of sick leave days recorded per PCA per year in 2013 and
2016 were 15.94 days and 5.95 days respectively. The turnover rate in 2013 and 2016 were 17.1% and 9.5% respectively. Zero
turnover was recorded in 2017. Lowering the absenteeism and turnover rates really helped to create positive externalities. Tuesday, 8 May 2018

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