This is revealed in a survey conducted by the Norwegian Medical Association among the doctors at the hospital. – The results are quite disappointing actually. There are a lot of desperate people who are having a hard time at work, says Marit Sundset. She is a senior physician and shop steward in the Norwegian Medical Association. In addition, she is a project trustee in the introduction team for the Health Platform at the hospital. A total of 725 doctors responded to the latest survey. That’s close to half the medical staff at St. Olav. Half of the doctors answer that they are considering quitting, either because they want to change jobs or retire earlier than planned. 10 percent respond that they are actively looking for a new job. – We are worried about the employees at the hospital who are really struggling in a difficult situation, says Sundset. – They are busier than before, they are largely insecure about whether they are making mistakes. They are very concerned about patient safety and they have a feeling that things are not getting better either. It was Adresseavisen that mentioned the case first. Urgent for a solution Sundset says it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, because it takes so long before the employees feel that things are changing. – When we have asked “How is it now in March compared to January?” then they say they don’t notice any improvement, she says. Almost 60 per cent of the doctors say that it is not useful to report errors they come across in the medical records system. Mari Sundset is a senior physician and project representative for the implementation team for the Health Platform at St. Olav’s hospital. Photo: Bent Lindsetmo / news – It seems that it takes an incredible amount of time before we get a better solution, and the survey also shows that. It is urgent to get a better work tool than what we have today, because people are really tired and stressed in the current situation, she says. Sundset says that the background for the survey is to see how the employees work in the system and to what extent they are satisfied with their everyday working life. She adds that the shop stewards are worried about the employees at the hospital. Can’t afford to lose so many employees – That’s approx. 70 doctors who are looking for a job. Can the hospital afford it? – No, they definitely don’t have that. There are recruitment difficulties in the first place, and I am afraid that St. Olav will lose out there. Because of all the negativity surrounding the introduction of the Health Platform, people may want to apply to hospitals other than St. Olav’s, says Sundset. – And there are many small centers of excellence that cannot bear to lose a single employee, she adds. Managing director at St. Olav, Grethe Aasved is not surprised by the results of the survey. Grethe Aasved says she recognizes herself well in what is described in the survey. Photo: Morten Waagø / news – I recognize very well the way they experience being at work. The loyalty they have to the patients, the fact that they feel they are working hard and don’t have a tool that is safe enough. Nevertheless, she wants to clarify that things are getting better in some areas. – We see that patient safety is improving and that there are fewer unwanted incidents. So I am most worried about the employees, because they cannot continue to work the way they are doing now. In the survey, 40 per cent answered that they had had health problems related to work pressure in the last two months. Aasved also makes no secret of the fact that it has been challenging to stay in the job. – It is a very demanding situation to be in, also for me personally. She adds: – It’s not all I’m angry about, but they should be confident that I’m doing everything I can to make them feel better. But I am very worried about the employees. Do secretarial work The survey also reveals that there is an increasing number of doctors who do work that was previously done by secretaries. – I think 77 percent answered that they do secretarial work to a greater extent than before, says Sundset. She says that the secretaries’ work routines have also become more complicated. – The secretaries are there enough, but the fact that they have not had control over the logistics, waiting lists, how communication in and out of the hospital takes place means that everyone works much less efficiently than before. Both union representatives and the managing director at St. Olav are concerned about the employees. Photo: Morten Waagø / news She adds that it is very labor-intensive to have to double-check that the patients’ information gets through. Sundset also says that the professional development is put aside because the health platform and the introduction require all the focus. – Not least it goes beyond the assistant doctors who are in a training course and indicate that they are being delayed due to the introduction of the Health Platform. Aasved is worried about the further recruitment to St. Olav. – I haven’t heard much about those who want to quit, but I am worried about the recruitment of doctors to apply to St. Olav. – When it comes to the solution, the highest priority must be to get control of the communication around the patients. That the employees know that the information they provide gets to where it is going, that you can be confident of that. Then we have to have control over waiting lists and missed deadlines. That is my first priority.
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70 doctors are actively looking for a new job at St. Olav’s hospital after the introduction of the Health Platform – news Trøndelag
