Authors (including presenting author) :
WONG KCM(3), So MFT(1), CHAN SYY(2), LEE MK(1), TSANG DSW(3), LO CSL(3), FOK JPC(3), LEUNG, MKW(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Family Medicine (FM), NTEC (2) Hospital Authority Staff Clinic (HASC), PWH (3) Occupational Medicine Care Service (OMCS), NTEC
Introduction :
Happy staff is one of the major visions of Hospital Authority, and staff health is our main concern in HASC. Numbers of attendance in PWH HASC due to musculoskeletal (MSK) problems were 4478 and 4675, contributing to 14.2% and 14.7% of total attendance in 2020 and 2021 respectively. HASC doctors sometimes manage patients with MSK problems with light duty (LD) recommendation. Disability at work has significant impact on our healthcare service. Therefore, enhanced collaboration between the HASC and OMCS is carried out in order to support those difficult cases with MSK problem affecting their work which may require secondary care assessment and disability management (DM).
Objectives :
- To enhance occupational health among the staff working in NTEC
- To provide enhanced support to staff with MSK problems affecting work
- To proactively minimize the chance of sustaining Injury-On-Duty (IOD) among the staff with pre-existing MSK problems
Methodology :
SOHC involved HASC doctors in identifying the missing links in LD recommendation and workplace intervention, which were the service gaps among staff with MSK problems. SOHC targets at NTEC staff attending PWH HASC with non-IOD related MSK problem affecting work, having repeated attendance in HASC for 3 times with sick leave recommended for more than 7 days for the same problem within a month.
SOHC in-charge is a FM specialist who is also a trainee in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. OMCS care managers incorporate the model of DM in SOHC with case management approach by carrying out proactive communication with supervisor to explore potential room for work accommodation, exploring workplace issues that can facilitate functional work of staff and providing onsite assessment with ergonomic advices as workplace intervention.
Result & Outcome :
Consensus among HASC and OMCS has been reached that establishment of SOHC can help staff with MSK problem staying at a level of functional work. HASC doctors commented that SOHC not only benefit targeted patients but also ensure appropriate utilization of HASC services.
SOHC has started in January 2023 on weekly basis, clinic quota will be adjusted according to service need. Outcome measure like duration of LD, IOD incidence, patient and supervisor satisfaction survey will be collected.
