St. Olav is in its fifth week after the introduction of the Health Platform. When the hospital decided to introduce the new record system, management assumed that the hospital would return to normal operation after four weeks. They are not. The problems in the system are big: Referrals and epicrises do not get where they are supposed to. The system makes it difficult to handle medicine. The system creates cumbersome work for doctors, secretaries and employees in several departments. Critical errors for those who work with radiology examinations. Several new errors than the Health Platform is able to solve These are some of the consequences it has at the hospital: – Every day at work I fear that I will do or not do something so that patients get hurt or, in the worst case, die. Monica Engstrøm says so. She is trustee for the senior doctors at the surgical department at the hospital. Fearing death Engstrøm has recently sent a letter to the board of Helse Midt and St. Olav. There she expresses a deep concern regarding the safety of the patients, after the Health Platform was introduced. – I am afraid every single day, says Engstrøm. “I am over 50 years old, and have been a doctor for half of my life. I like to think of myself as an experienced, safe and caring doctor. I have been until now. Now the security is gone”, wrote the shop steward to the management. She believes patients can die if problems with the Health Platform lead to patients not receiving treatment when they should. Challenges with medication handling are also a concern: – If the patient receives the wrong dose of medication, it is dangerous, she says. Monica Engstrøm is trustee for the senior doctors at the surgical department at St. Olav. Photo: Morten Andersen / news Many worries And Engstrøm is far from alone in being worried. In a survey carried out by the medical associations themselves, it is clear that a large majority feel that the Health Platform poses challenges for efficiency, patient safety, waiting times and quality. 819 employees at St. Olav’s hospital, mainly doctors, have responded to the survey, and here are some of the findings: Of the 540 senior managers who have responded, 297 are “to a great extent” concerned that the transition to the Health Platform means that they make mistakes in patient care Most of the respondents believe that patient safety is threatened 264 of the senior doctors think it will take longer than six months before their unit is back in full activity 350 senior doctors answer that they experience becoming a worse doctor with the Health Platform 353 of the senior doctors do not think that the record system will be a good work tool in the long term Altogether there are 239 senior doctors who, after the introduction, are actively looking for a new job, are considering changing jobs or are considering retiring earlier than planned Require reversal Engstrøm believes that the hospital’s focus on error correction is a failed strategy, which will only lead to patient injuries, increased costs and exhausted employees. The only right thing is to stop the introduction and go back to the old Doculive system, according to the trustee. – It is entirely possible to go back. It is said that it is old-fashioned, but it really is Epic’s system too, says the trustee. – You are a senior doctor among many. Do you know if you have broad support for such a demand? – I have broad support from those I trust. I have discussed a lot with doctors throughout the house and I have the benefit of meeting someone who is satisfied and feels safe after the introduction, says Engstrøm. Engstrøm is very concerned about patient safety after introduction. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news – You want to return to the old system, but the management has said that it is not possible. What makes you think it is possible to go back to the old system? – The system is there. We have six hospitals in the region, the other five use the old systems and they work. There is no reason to believe that we cannot return to it, she says. Helse Midt-Norge does not wish to be interviewed on Wednesday. Tor Harald Haukås is communications director at Helse-Midt. He wrote to news that the board will receive a status report from St. Olav on Thursday. They are therefore waiting to comment on the matter. news has also sent questions to the Health Platform related to error correction and a date for when critical errors will be rectified. They will not be interviewed. Chairman Helge Garåsen says the Health platform can respond on Thursday, after a joint meeting with St. Olav’s hospital. Afraid of exhausted employees The hospital administration maps the biggest risks to the operation every month. In December, high absenteeism due to tired employees is assessed as a major risk. “Four weeks after the introduction, a sense of fatigue is now registered in the organization as one feels that it takes too long to correct errors and improve workflows,” the board papers state. Vivi Bakkeheim, trade union representative in the doctors’ association, says the burden on the employees is very high after the introduction. Violations of the working time rules are large. – There is a lot of use of overtime and breaches of safety rules, much more than I have seen before. – When things are not resolved, it is very frustrating for staff and worrying for patient safety, says Bakkeheim. Vivi Bakkeheim is a corporate trustee in the medical association. Ho is victory employees experience a great burden. Photo: Private – There are large deviations in working hours, and an unpredictable situation that contributes to enormous strain and health risks, says Jarosch-von Schweder, group trustee for the Academics in Central Norway. news has not been successful in getting an interview with the management at St. Olav’s hospital.
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Board of trustees at St. Olav’s hospital demands the hospital returns to Doculive – news Trøndelag
