Nation-Wide Dissemination of a Digital Checklist to Improve Work Environment in the Eldercare Sector in Denmark.

Pernille Kold Munch,Marie Birk Jørgensen,Helene Højberg,Charlotte Diana Nørregaard Rasmussen

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.502106

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the dissemination of a digital checklist for improving implementation of work environment initiatives in the Danish eldercare sector. We evaluated the impact of the checklist using the RE-AIM framework. Initiated in 2016, researchers and relevant stakeholders were responsible for disseminating the checklist to all workplaces in the eldercare sector in Denmark through a national campaign. The checklist guided the user to define an action plan to implement, and the checklist covered 11 implementation concept points that should be addressed to reach full implementation of the action in focus. One year after the launch of the campaign almost all municipalities in Denmark had visited the website hosting the checklist (96%), 17% of individual workers within the eldercare responding to a union survey was reached, 4% (n = 199) of all eligible eldercare workplaces in Denmark and 8% of all nursing homes had adopted the checklist. Of the workplaces that used the checklist, 46% typed an action in the checklist. There were 13% of the first time users that used the checklist twice and 29% of the actions were revised (maintenance) after working with the implementation. Finally, the workplaces that had used the checklist showed a higher prioritization of work environment compared to workplaces not using the checklist both at baseline and at follow up. In conclusion, this study employing various strategies, including a 1-year national campaign to disseminate a checklist shows potential to impact implementation of work environment initiatives in the Danish eldercare sector. While dissemination is satisfactory and likely to increase further with time, more efforts is needed to ensure maintenance.

Highlights

Many countries are facing shortage of healthcare workers, and the trends are forecasted to continue [1]
A major limitation is the emphasis on efficacy and effectiveness of the initiatives, with little attention paid to the overall public health impact, which takes into account the dissemination potential of the initiative—the extent to which the initiative can be delivered to a large number of people and sustained over time
55,000 people were subscribed to receive the newsletters by the different partner organizations where the checklist was promoted and more than 500 people participated in oral presentations or training sessions

Summary

Introduction

Many countries are facing shortage of healthcare workers, and the trends are forecasted to continue [1]. The demographic changes in the Western World mean that there will be more elderly people with need for care. There is a great need for healthcare workers being healthy and fit to care for the elderly. Both the physical and psychosocial work environment is important factors for maintaining a healthy and fit workforce [2]. Several initiatives have been introduced in Denmark to improve the work environment among eldercare workers. A major limitation is the emphasis on efficacy and effectiveness of the initiatives, with little attention paid to the overall public health impact, which takes into account the dissemination potential of the initiative—the extent to which the initiative can be delivered to a large number of people and sustained over time

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion