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ObjectiveIt has been recognised that the Covid -19 pandemic positively accelerated digital adoption (Greenway et al., 2021;Issa, 2020). However, rapid deployments of technology do not often assess and understand patient safety risks;resulting in harm, which have ethical and legal considerations (HEE, 2019). The NHS has received caution of the potential risks of the use of new digital solutions during the pandemic (Hutchings, 2020). To nurture digital health safety, clinical safety risk management practice is worthy of study. Further, identifying factors that support the promising adoption and implementation of safety guidelines will develop maturity of the professional practice.MethodsConducted for a Master’s Dissertation in Digital Health Leadership with The Institute of Global Health Innovation Imperial College, this study uses a promising practice model to identify assets of the Australian healthcare system to achieve patient safety when deploying digital health technologies. The question guiding the study is: what are the factors that need to be evaluated to support the scaled adoption and implementation of digital health safety guidelines as a professional practice in Australia? Taking into consideration the socio-technological factors of digital health safety, the research strategy uses a mixed method to generate a creative and innovative study. Qualitative data has been collected from stakeholders including the Australasia Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) members and Certified Health Informatician Australasia (CHIA) Alumni via surveys, interviews and focus group. This will be analysed alongside data mined from existing documents and artifacts to understand trends, implications and what is grounded in national policy and strategy. It is expected data mining of resources will provide further insights into the maturity digital health safety practices.ResultsThe promising practice investigation is related to the larger problem of the adoption of safety standards to ensure innovative new ways of working do not compromise patient safety. The presentation will share results from the international literature review and early insights of the first phase of data analysis. Evidence from the literature has exposed the current healthcare information technology safety practice challenges. There were few studies that focused on the factors influencing the adoption of digital health safety standards. However, the review surfaced six key areas that need to be understood to improve safety practice and culture, which will be summarised in the presentation. A comparison of safety frameworks from England and Australia will be presented. In addition, a review of the unique assets of the Australian healthcare system will be provided. Finally, a maturity model to guide the professional practice to assist organisations determining their status in adopting digital health safety into governance, policy, process, culture, and other facets of operations will be shared (Rowlands, Zelcer & Williams, 2017).ConclusionAs a science, measuring the impact digital health and patient safety remains rudimentary (Singh & Sittig, 2016). The health science community recognises digital health safety is challenging and international efforts are being made to understand the socio-technical dynamics to ensure patient safety (Sittig et al., 2020). Given the national focus ‘to embed digital clinical safety across health and care’ (NHS X, 2021, p. 25), it is timely to look beyond to source exemplar organisations and best practice to participate in research (Gandhi et al., 2016). In contrast to the approach taken by the NHS Digital to mandate digital clinical safety standards, in Australia the Patient Safety Electronic Health (E-Health) Professional Practice Guidelines empowers organisations to establish ‘best fit’ with their strategic and operating context. This study is framed alongside the NHS Digital Clinical Safety Strategy and searches for evidence of a promising practice related to the Australian healthcare system and patient safety cult re. This presentation will be beneficial for Digital Clinical Safety Officers and Chief Clinical Information Officers developing a clinical safety risk management process, investing in team building, recourses, and capability.
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Purpose>The world is witnessing enormous changes due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic. One of the unkind changes is the increased downsizing and layoffs, which has led to a situation of job insecurity. Moreover, due to the unavailability of a cure for the pandemic, the businesses have started their operations with added safety measures that demand a high level of employee safety behavior. But how job insecurity and safety voice may stay in one sheath is an area that requires attention. Hence, this study investigates the impact of job insecurity on employees' safety voice behavior in a COVID-19 outbreak, through serial mediation mechanisms of organizational support and trust.Design/methodology/approach>Data has been collected through a structured questionnaire from the sample (N = 213) of employees of service organizations.Findings>Findings of the study reveal that job insecurity is not directly linked with safety voice behavior, and therefore full mediation through perceived organizational support and trust is supported is proved.Originality/value>This study covers the investigation of job insecurity, during pandemic COVID-19, and its effects on safety voice. It also explains the mechanism between the variables of interest through perceived organizational support and trust in the organization. The study is a timely contribution to the existing literature and offers both theoretical and managerial implications.
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This research was conducted within the framework of a research project aimed at detecting patterns of plate waste and developing recommendations for improving catering in seven schools in Rezekne city (Latvia) by a combination of observation, physical weighing, semi-structured interview approaches and statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA). We identified plate waste (including wasted beverages), which remains after the lunch of schoolchildren in grades 1–7, examining a total of 7064 lunch samples. The originality of the research is due to the fact that a unified menu was designed for the field study, which ensured the same field study conditions in all the schools. The results of the research revealed that the average weight of plate waste per schoolchild reached 178 g, and the total weight of plate waste accounted for 28.75% of the total weight of food served. No significant differences in plate waste weight between various age groups and grades of schoolchildren were found, which was also confirmed by a one-way ANOVA test. An analysis of plate waste by food category showed that beverages accounted for the largest share of total plate waste (42.24%), followed by staple food (28.38%) and meat (11.77%). An analysis of plate waste shares of food served (%) by food category revealed a similar situation: the largest share of food served was made up of beverages (37.56%), followed by staple food (36.48%) and meat (28.77%). An analysis of the monetary value of food waste showed that the average cost of plate waste (excluding beverage) per schoolchild was EUR 0.236, which represented 16.6% of the national and municipal funding of EUR 1.42 per portion. Given the research results, the authors have concluded that in order to reduce the amount of plate waste generated by Rezekne city schools, school menus should be based not only on the requirements prescribed by relevant legal acts but also on cooking processes that meet the requirements of modern consumers (learners), e.g., by following trends in cooking practices in society to make the learners interested in consuming school food.
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Purpose>The new normal introduced by COVID-19 has ushered in new safety regulations that are required to be implemented by all organisations, including the construction industry. The implementation of the COVID-19 regulations, like any health and safety regulation, is not without hindrances. Consequently, this study aims to explore factors hindering the implementation of COVID-19 safety regulations at construction sites in Ghana.Design/methodology/approach>The study adopted a qualitative research method using an open-ended questionnaire as a data collection instrument. The set of questionnaires were distributed by means of purposive and snowball sampling methods. The collected data were analysed by means of the thematic analysis technique.Findings>It became evident that several factors militate against implementing COVID-19 safety regulations at construction sites. Cost of implementing COVID-19 safety measures, lack of compliance and ignorance were identified as the most hindering factors, whereas superstition, lack of personal protective equipment supply and theft of COVID-19 materials were reported by fewer respondents.Research limitations/implications>The set of questionnaires were limited to small construction firms who were operating on site within the Central, Western and Greater Accra regions of Ghana during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the findings may be applicable to firms outside these regions because most of the small construction firms in the country share similar characteristics.Practical implications>The recommendations proffered could help construction organisations devise strategies to overcome the barriers that hamper the implementation of COVID-19 safety regulations on site. Moreover, the findings could inform policymakers on what is required to enforce compliance on site.Originality/value>COVID 19 is still new, and as a result, the body of knowledge is at the infancy stage. This article contributes to advancing the body of knowledge in the area of COVID-19 implementation challenges on construction sites.
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Purpose>This paper aims to investigate construction site workers’ compliance with various coronavirus (Covid-19) protocols while working on construction sites.Design/methodology/approach>This survey was conducted at the end of the imposed lockdown following Nigeria’s upsurge of the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey research method was adopted for the study using a structured questionnaire administered to 246 construction site workers under strict Covid-19 preventive measures. The data was complemented through personal observations of the study site activities. The results were analysed using frequency tables and a factor analytical approach.Findings>The preventive measures in place on construction sites can be classified into personal protective measures, good etiquette/manners, contact precautions and prompt actions. Although the workers claimed to be aware of the Covid-19 pandemic, their disposition towards the preventive measures on construction sites is worrisome. Hence, their level of compliance with the protocols could mitigate the spread of the virus.Originality/value>This paper fulfils an identified gap to study the need to promote public health by mitigating the global pandemic’s spread in areas where social distancing cannot be easily observed.
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The food and beverages industry is being shaped by a growing global population. In today's world, transnational companies have manufacturing operations that are spread across the world. It is, thus, not surprising that food supply chains and food manufacturing processes have become increasingly complex. Food-grade lubricants are utilized throughout the food processing supply chain. In mature countries, they have been used in food packaging and bottling plants for quite some time. In Europe, it is increasingly required that the machinery and equipment utilized in food manufacturing plants be deemed safe for food contact. Lubricants in the food processing industry were first formally regulated in the 1970s. The US Department of Agriculture approved lubricants used in meat and poultry plants on the basis of guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration in keeping with the Code of Federal Regulation.
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The foodservice industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and it contributes to the development of the Vietnamese economy. However, with the appearance of COVID-19, this industry has been affected. The purpose of this study is twofold, to find out if there is a difference in customer behaviour before and during COVID-19, and to determine the most important factor that customers consider before and during their visit to a restaurant. To reach this aim, a quantitative method is conducted together with a snowball, and volunteer sampling method in which 117 people have participated from different age groups. The study found out that layout /design has the biggest influence on customer satisfaction and cleanliness is the factor that guests care about the most when choosing a restaurant to dine out. Additionally, safety regulations affect customer experience and their decision on restaurant selection. Moreover, delivery service is proved to continuously develop after the quarantine starts. Thus, restaurant managers are recommended to pay more attention to the cleanliness and safety regulations of the outlets during COVID-19. Regarding delivery companies, they should have competitive prices to attract more users.