Authors (including presenting author) :
Ng TW(1), Yeung HF(1), Chan YM(2), Lui SF(1), Aboo GH(3), Lau CW(3)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Psychiatry, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
(2) Administrative Services Division, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
(3) Quality and Safety Office, Hong Kong East Cluster (HKEC)
Introduction :
The COVID-19 pandemic is a piece of important piece of medical history. The public are interested in knowing more about our work and need to have better understanding of the disease. COVID-19 is now a long-standing battle requiring Health Care Workers (HCWs) to maintain good mental health and team morale, but because of social distancing and infection control measures, new team building and communication methods became necessary. Therefore, the idea of publication of a book on COVID-19 for the general public evolved.
Objectives :
To gather volunteer staff to publish a book to record the history of HCWs’ battle against COVID-19 in Hong Kong.
To share COVID-19 stories of staff and patients/relatives, research papers and artworks in the book to enhance public understanding.
To enhance team-building, boost team moral and communications through encouraging emotional expressions to minimize stress and burnout of HCWs
Methodology :
In Feb 2020, an Editorial Board Committee comprising 17 editors, 168 authors and 2 consultants was set up under the HKEC ‘Building Excellent Teamwork Towards Extraordinary Results’ (B.E.T.T.E.R.) Creative Arts Group. Members were all staff engaged on a voluntary basis to become book editors, authors and artists. We established a creativity platform for the expression of thoughts and feelings via stories, articles, photos and art pieces. The Board coordinated systematic review, supervision, liaison and communication during the process of editing. After the official publication in December 2020, an online questionnaire was disseminated to readers via various communication channels to collect their feedback and opinions.
Result & Outcome :
A book titled《COVID-19 抗疫之路：香港醫護的心路歷程》 (The battle against COVID-19 : A Journey of the Heart of Hong Kong Health Care Workers) was published in Dec 2020. Among 103 sets of questionnaires received during the period from 1 Jan 2021 to 25 Dec 2021, 98% were inspired by the stories and art pieces, 89% agreed that they acquired knowledge from the sharing of COVID-19 research articles, and 99% expressed that the publication boosted team morale and they felt being supported during harsh time. The book was shelved in major bookshops throughout Hong Kong, 42 public libraries and was nominated for the ‘14th Hong Kong Book Prize’. The Editorial Board was invited to share publication experience in a radio programme and acknowledged by the Publisher for an autograph session in the Hong Kong Book Fair 2021. We have successfully published a book to record a piece of COVID-19 history, and achieved good team building and communication, with resultant boost in staff morale and wide public education.
