HWE Tools
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has partnered with a number of health care organizations to develop a range of practical tools and resources to help foster healthy and safe work environments in Ontario.
Safety, Stress and Burnout
Online Health and Wellness Resource for Physicians and other Health Care Workers
To address stressful health care workplaces, the Faculty of Wellness at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine has developed an e-curriculum program for physicians to encourage physicians whose health or wellness is at risk to recognize and address the factors in their worklives that lead to stress and burnout. Physicians use the site anonymously and learn about a range of strategies and resources that can provide them with support.
Building on the success of the e-resource for physicians, the team created an interdisciplinary workplace health module that includes such topics as the meaning and context of workplace health, interdisciplinary professionalism, collegiality and sustainability. The program also contains information on interdisciplinary codes of conduct and standards of behaviour, and sector-specific strategies to promote healthy work environments.
Risk Assessment Tool for Home and Community Care
A hazard risk assessment tool was developed for the community care sector by the Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare, now called the Public Services Health and Safety Association. This tool can be used by workers in the field to assess and solve safety issues, including potential workplace violence.
Download a copy of the risk assessment tool.
Occupational Health and Safety Management System
A Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) has been developed by the Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare, now called the Public Services Health & Safety Association. The HSMS is a comprehensive tool designed to build a culture of safety. It links working conditions and employee, patient/client and public safety analysis to quality outcomes.
In 2008, the HSMS was introduced in six Ontario health care organizations:
- The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto)
- The Ottawa Hospital
- North Bay General Hospital
- West Park Healthcare Centre (Toronto)
- Norfolk General Hospital (Simcoe)
- Post-Inn Village Long-Term Care Home (Oakville)
This system was subsequently introduced to 12 additional sites, including hospitals, long-term care facilities and home care organizations.
If you would like to implement this system in your organization, contact a Public Services Health and Services Association consultant.
Workplace Violence Prevention
Workplace Violence Prevention DVD
This made-in-Ontario DVD on workplace violence in the health care sector was developed and produced by the Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare, now called Public Services Health and Safety Association, with input from safety experts and stakeholders from across the province in 2008. The DVD has been updated to include legislation on workplace violence prevention in 2010. This DVD is the only one of its kind that is aimed at the health sector and is widely used by health care organizations.
Purchase the DVD.
Communication and Safety Device for Physicians, Nurses, Unit Clerks and Security Personnel
A new multi-purpose communications device that provides nurses and other health professionals with the capacity to instantly contact security was piloted with 300 staff at the Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH). Testing results demonstrated the devices reduced security response times to emergency codes by 75 per cent. The voice-activated and hands-free devices are lightweight, slightly larger than a typical pager and can be easily clipped to a pocket or worn on a lanyard allowing users to initiate two-way voice communication without having to remember or key in a telephone number.
The success of the first stage led to an expansion of this project to include all 2,000 employees of the hospital by April 2009. TEGH plans to integrate the device with patients’ call bells, to improve patient safety and quality of care.
Read more.
Workplace Violence Prevention Best Practice Guideline
The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario has created an evidence-informed Best Practice Guideline (BPG) addressing violence in the wokplace. The BPG provides evidence-informed individual, system and organizational recommendations to recognize, prevent and effectively intervene in workplace violence, thereby fostering healthy work environments and supporting positive outcomes for patients/clients, organizations and systems.
Preventing and Managing Violence in the Workplace Best Practice Guideline
was developed by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO).
Respect in the Workplace
Respect, Equality, Accountability, Leadership (REAL) Code of Behaviour Toolkit:
Kingston General Hospital’s Be "REAL" Code of Behaviour program, which promotes respect between colleagues in the workplace, was enhanced through the development of an online learning component to make it more accessible to front line staff and a manager’s toolkit giving managers greater support and accountability for the adoption of its principles.
Download the toolkit.
Healthy Conversations Program
To foster respectful and healthy conversations, the Champlain Community Care Access Centre and its service providers established champions within each participating organization, hosted workshops for staff, and had ongoing communication through lunch ‘n learn sessions, cheat sheets, newsletters, etc.
Learn more about the program.
Managing Disruptive Physician Behaviour in the Professional Environment
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) has developed a guidebook for managing disruptive physician behaviour in response to the growing body of literature that raised concerns about the behaviour of health care professionals, physicians in particular, and the impact of behaviour on patient outcomes.
The publication guide offers tools for those who work in educational and health care delivery settings. The tools are meant to be adapted to suit the particular setting in which they are applied.
While the guidebook primarily focuses on physicians, it could be adapted to apply to all members of the health care team. Likewise, while it specifically mentions conventions and regulations in Ontario, it could be used, with some amendments, in other jurisdictions.
Download the Guidebook for Managing Disruptive Physician Behaviour.