Parallel Session 10 - Achieving Nursing Excellence through a Multidimensional Approach

Chan V (1), Kong S (1), Chan S (2)
(1) Nursing Services Department, Hospital Authority Head Office, (2) Department of Medicine & Geriatric, Ruttonjee & Tang Siu Kin Hospitals 


Introduction 
In 2023, the Hospital Authority Head Office’s Nursing Services Department (HAHO NSD), in collaboration with nursing teams across seven clusters, launched the “Nurturing Our Young Generation” (NOYG) Campaign. This initiative builds on insights from past staff surveys and engagement activities, such as the 2018 NOYG Symposium. 


Objectives
The campaign celebrates the young nurses’ contributions within the Hospital Authority, aiming to boost their professional and personal development. It also encourages dialogue and understanding among nurses of varying ages, fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.


Methodologies
The inaugural series, themed “Walk and Grow Together”, concluded successfully in September 2023. It featured a tapestry of vivid and engaging activities designed to resonate with the core message. Highlights included sharing sessions by nurses in different stages and the Staff Oasis Team; an award ceremony for inspiring touching stories, best preceptor, and best preceptee; interactive games on dealing with clinical dilemmas to deliver positive messages; and a drama named “凡星” presented in a loving and energetic atmosphere as a heartening closure of the event, reinforcing a message that every nurse has the potential to shine in the healthcare galaxy.


Results
The campaign was met with enthusiasm and positive feedback, with over 3,500 votes cast for the award ceremony by HA nursing staff. The event drew more than 750 nurses from all clusters and guests from various training institutions who joined in person or through webinars. Based on 395 returned evaluations, the event scored 5.21 out of 6, reflecting the shared sentiment of success.


Conclusions
We are energized by this response and eagerly anticipate the next NOYG series, tentatively scheduled for August 2024. With each NOYG activity, we reinforce our commitment to supporting and empowering the invaluable members of our healthcare family.

Arranging clinical placements (CP) for nursing students is one of the crucial tasks undertaken by the Nursing Services Department in Hospital Authority (HA). It is essential for students to fulfill the Nursing Council's requirements for clinical placement before their registration or enrollment. As the largest healthcare provider in Hong Kong, HA has consistently strived to provide an adequate number of clinical placement opportunities within its capacity. However, with the increasing number of students, the demand for CP has exceeded 500,000 days, posing challenges for the coordination in cluster, head office, and educational institution personnel, in managing this high volume of requests.
Previously, the manual allocation of CP followed a two-step approach that involved significant manual work. However, this approach proved to be inefficient and ineffective. To address these issues, an electronic platform called the Clinical Placement Management System (CPMS) was developed. This system automatically allocates CP places based on requests received from educational institutions. The implementation of this system has streamlined the allocation process, enhanced transparency in allocation across different clusters and institutions, and increased the success rate of allocation. Moreover, it has significantly reduced the time required for allocation.
The CPMS also serves as a data capture tool, allowing the collection of allocation data and relevant information for future use. This feature ensures that valuable information is retained and can be utilized for analysis and improvement purposes.
By implementing the CPMS, the Nursing Services Department has effectively addressed the challenges associated with allocating CP places to nursing students. The system's automation and streamlined process have improved efficiency, transparency, and the success rate of allocation. Furthermore, the data captured by the system provides valuable insights for future planning and optimization of clinical placements within the Hospital Authority.

Nursing informatics is a specialized field which combines different sources of science including nursing, information and computer science to manage, communicate and integrate the data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in our daily nursing care and practice. It plays a crucial role for enhancing healthcare delivery, improving patient outcomes, and supporting nursing research and education.


During the early stages of developing nursing informatics systems in the Hospital Authority, the focus was primarily on digitizing paper records. This conversion allowed healthcare professionals to access and document patient information electronically through tools such as the electronic Patient Assessment Form (ePAF), Patient Care Plans, and other nursing care documentation. This transition from paper-based records to electronic systems laid the foundation for improved data accessibility and reduced manual documentation errors.


Moving forward, the emphasis will shift towards digitalization, interoperability and data visualization. Efforts will be directed towards facilitating seamless data exchange between different healthcare information systems, minimizing information silos, and promoting collaboration among healthcare providers from various disciplines. These advancements will significantly enhance frontline staff workflow and enhance patient care.


To address these challenges, Hospital Authority Nursing Service Department has implemented various initiatives in collaboration with hospitals across different clusters. The aim is to promote the integration of nursing informatics, standardize practices, and enhance interoperability. These initiatives are designed to facilitate the smooth flow of information across healthcare settings, ensuring continuity of care and supporting evidence-based decision-making.


In conclusion, the development of a nursing informatics system that comprehensively covers the patient journey, with seamless data exchange and data visualization, will be the core of future advancements. This will optimize communication, collaboration, and decision-making in healthcare, ultimately leading to improved healthcare delivery, enhanced patient outcomes, and further advancement in nursing practice.