MEDIA RELEASE: IWK Survey Raises OPOR Rollout Concerns

Dartmouth – A survey of members working at the IWK Health Centre reflects significant concerns around the implementation of the long-awaited clinical transformation initiative known as One Person One Record (OPOR).

“The shift to a province-wide electronic record system is long overdue, but we must listen to the real concerns that are being raised by frontline workers,” said NSGEU President Sandra Mullen.

In early April – four months after OPOR was implemented at the IWK – the union reached out to members to survey them on how the transition has gone. Data was collected from 260 members over an eight-day period, with a focus on what this experience has been like at the IWK. (Read the report here)

Members were asked to identify which (if any) of the following issues they had experienced or witnessed in the workplace as a result of the OPOR implementation: additional stress for staff, incorrect or missing documentation, medication errors, direct harm to patients, delays in patient care, missed appointments, other, or none of the above. Only five respondents witnessed none of the above. Almost all (250 of 260 respondents) reported additional stress for staff, 224 reported incorrect or missing documentation, 188 said patient care was delayed, and 97 reported missed appointments. There were 83 reports of medication errors and 58 reports of direct harm to patients.

Four months after implementation began, 82.4 per cent of respondents reported they were still experiencing impacts of OPOR on their duties.

The union has had the opportunity to present the survey findings and discuss member concerns with management at IWK and Nova Scotia Health (NSH), who have assured the union that the lessons learned at IWK will be integrated into the planned rollout within the NSH Central Zone on May 9th.

In addition to several other recommendations, the union has requested the second phase of implementation be delayed until the issues at IWK are resolved.

“Government and the employers must ensure the transition is being done in a way that protects Nova Scotians and the people who are responsible for delivering care,” said Mullen.

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The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union represents over 39,000 workers who provide quality public services Nova Scotians count on every day.

For more information, or to arrange an interview with NSGEU President Sandra Mullen, please contact:

Holly Fraughton, NSGEU Communications Officer,
902-471-1781 (cell)   
hfraughton@nsgeu.ca