Kuusiokunnat: Harmonising and developing occupational
health care at the sub-regional level - A description of an HuIA
process
Need for Human Impact Assessment
Within the sub-region of Kuusiokunnat, a single joint municipal
authority for health care was formed in early 2006 by joining the
Alavudenseutu Joint Municipal Board for Health Care and the
Ähtärinjärvi Municipal Board for Public Health. The occupational
health care units within the area therefore set out to harmonise
their practices in autumn 2005. Development needs had previously
been identified during an occupational health-care audit. The HuIA
method was to be applied to one of these development areas, that
is, the definition of the key elements of the quality policy and
mission statement.
The process and participants
The HuIA process was implemented during autumn 2005. After a
common initial HuIA training session, all units had two sessions of
their own, followed by a common concluding session. The process
involved the occupational health care staff from the two joint
municipal authorities and a development consultant from the
Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences.
Separate assessments were carried out in the occupational health
care units of Ähtäri and Alavus and then compared and combined in
order to be able to outline common targets. The draft quality
policy and mission statement will be approved by the occupational
health care management group.
The models examined and their impacts
Alternative ways to organise occupational health care activities
were outlined for the purpose of harmonising them. This was done by
identifying opportunities and threats.
The alternatives considered in Alavus were as follows:
- Preventive occupational health care
- Comprehensive occupational health care providing medical care
with an emphasis on occupational health
- Lack of medical care resources; patients in occupational health
care referred to a public health worker
- Activities based on client needs (assignment-based
activities)
- The present state
The alternatives considered in Ähtäri were as follows:
- Comprehensive occupational health care without
multi-professional co-operation
- Comprehensive occupational health care with multi-professional
co-operation
- Occupational health care with excessive emphasis on medical
care
- Statutory occupational health care only
- The present state
The different alternatives were given pluses (+/++/+++) and
minuses (-/- -/- - -), depending on how well they corresponded to
the key elements of the mission statement and quality policy. The
alternative with the highest score was compared with the present
state, with the need for developing the activities then considered
on that basis. The identification of development needs and the
specification of development targets took place through a
"democratic dialogue" (Loppela 2004). The pluses given at the
preceding stage and the current operational model were compared and
any causes of difference were discussed.
See the
tables
Use and benefits of HuIA
HuIA was used to identify the key elements of the quality policy
and the mission statement. The key elements were then condensed
into a concise mission statement in a few sentences. Further, the
key elements of the quality policy were expressed succinctly.
The table can probably be used together with the mission
statement when offering political decision-makers justifications
for measures needed to develop occupational health care activities.
It can also be modified for use as a self-evaluation tool in
occupation health care.
Further information
Eila Paavola
Senior Public Health Nurse
Kuusiokunnat Joint Municipal Board for Health Care
Kaija Loppela
Lecturer
Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences |