Authors (including presenting author) :
Tsai MK, Wei CY, Ko YM, Lo BY, Lam YF
Affiliation :
Department of Medicine, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
As COVID-19 is still surging at the point of writing, modernized education delivery is replacing fact-to-face seminars to avoid social gatherings and therefore disease spreading. As one of the most stressed clinical departments in the pandemic, online webinars with Zoom are conducted in Department of Medicine, PYNEH.
Objectives :
1. To enhance quality and safety through provision of clinical update
2. To fill up Department-specific training gaps, especially for junior nursing staff
3. To promote continuous online learning as face-to-face training scale shrinks
Methodology :
The topic and speaker of the Zoom webinar were arranged as per prioritized learning needs for Department nursing staff. Each session lasted for 0.5-1 hour to fulfill CNE requirement. Participants with HA email registering Zoom account might join either at home or in hospital premises, such as pantry, ward meeting room...etc. (with fulfillment to infection control precautions as advised by CICO).
Department Education Committee members would act as the main support cast to facilitate the local advertisement, communication and logistics of the program. IT Department would arrange Zoom meeting official slots and perform off-site troubleshooting when necessary. Multi-media Unit and Department clerk provided on-site audio and visual support. Nursing Services Department assisted on adhesion to Hospital Authority webinar guidelines and CNE points application. Ward manager/ Unit in-charge nominated and facilitated active participation and feedback of ward staff.
In 2021 February, a webinar with the topic “Nursing management on hyperkalemia” was conducted by Departmental Education Committee members. It aimed to focus on the alertness to signs and symptoms, nurse initiated observation, and correlated medical treatment for clinical risk of hyperkalemia. In March, a webinar with the topic “To defend from Multidrug-resistant Organisms” was conducted by Department Infection Control delegates to promote counter-strategies against the threat of surging hospital-acquired infections. The classes averaged 44 attendants.
Result & Outcome :
An online 6-point Likert scale questionnaire was set up for evaluation. Participants can access the questionnaire through QR code. To conclude, participants were enthusiastic about online training. The overall satisfaction rate was 97.6%. The webinar sessions were recorded and put on Department website for further dissemination.
As the Ancient Greeks would say, this crisis should not be wasted, while turning it into an opportunity to expedite the change and future planning. A plan to expand the service of Zoom-based webinars is planned to start from 1Q 2022. Further modernization on education delivery would be considered according to feedback.
