Keywords: Health & Wellbeing; Job-design; Doctors; Clinical Informatics; Task Management
Introduction:
The job-demand-control model is a recognized theory for employee wellbeing. While pagers are a reliable and rapid method of communication in emergencies, they are loud and disruptive to patient care, interpersonal communication and operational efficiency. A novel, digital task-management system will facilitate better inter-professional communication and task efficiency. This primary wellbeing initiative was conceived within the Occupational Health & Wellbeing Department, CUH.
Method:
A competitive funding application was sent to the HSE's National Doctors Training and Planning (NDTP) in November, 2021 for expenses associated with a novel Digital Clinical Task Management System under the pre-defined themes of Developing Doctors, Enhancing the Learning and Work Environments, and Improving Wellbeing of Doctors and their Colleagues. Funding applications were independently reviewed by an expert panel convened by the NDTP Trainer-Lead and scored against defined criteria.
A national survey relating to Clinical Communication and Task-Management among hospital doctors was undertaken by the OH & Wellbeing Department alongside a review of the literature. Presentations from industry providers of Digital Task-Management Systems were also facilitated. The work-design wellbeing benefits of an integrated Digital Task Management system were presented to the Hospitals Wellbeing Committee in January, 2022.
Results:
Funding was awarded by the NDTP for expenses associated with a Digital Clinical Task Manager at CUH. According to the survey, 69 of 71 respondents reported that they use personal mobiles for clinical task communication and only one other hospital in Ireland currently uses a Digital Task Manager. The Wellbeing Committee unanimously supported the formation of a Working Group to assess the feasibility of developing a novel Digital Task-Manager with multiple stakeholder engagement, including IT.
Conclusions:
Occupational Health & Wellbeing Departments are well placed to support primary wellbeing interventions. There is a good case for integrated Digital Clinical Task Management in the healthcare setting, with strong interest across disciplines.
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