Abstract: Tejativaddhana, Phudit; Suriyawongpaisal, Wichukorn; Kasemsup, Vijj; Suksaroj, Thunwadee Thailand has effectively responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with effective focus on primary healthcare and multi-sectoral collaboration with effective and open communication of powerful health messages. This article reviewed the central role of village health volunteers and their significant contribution to the disease control. The lessons from recent experiences need to be further evaluated to consolidate the lessons learned in anticipation of meeting continuing and future challenges.
Abstract: Garcia, Laurence Lascuna; Castillo, Joana Mariz; Bejoc, Jillian; Redula, Ernyl Henry; Lapa, Ma. Mayla Imelda; Palompon, Daisy This study aims to discover the sociocultural factors affecting the disease dispersion pattern of the COVID-19 in the Philippines. This is an ecological study where the unit of observation is the cases of COVID-19 in the country. The cases compared was defined in various ways to create an explanation of the dispersion pattern of COVID-19 in the country. Data was taken from the official reports of the Philippine Department of Health as of March 13, 2020, on the 52 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country. Data gathered from the reports were age, sex, existing diseases, acquisition (local or international), proximity to carrier and health status. Results revealed that older male Filipinos are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 with prognosis defined by certain culturally-related diseases. The dispersion of the disease in the country is further compounded by the sociocultural context the Filipinos are in.
Abstract: Pham, Ngoc Cindy; Li, Yuanqing; Schapsis, Claudio; Hossain, Tofazzal; Pham, Huan Henry; Fischer, Dov; Yang, Jun The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic emerged in Wuhan, China, spread nationwide and then onto many other countries between December 2019 and early 2020. The implementation of strict quarantine measures in Vietnam has kept a large number of people in isolation and has eventually put the disease under control. Social and physical distancing turned to be an efficient way of slowing the spread of disease and stopping chains of transmission of COVID-19 as well as preventing new ones from appearing (World Health Organization, 2020). Analyzing the World Health Organization (WHO) data, we could see a clear difference in the reported numbers between Vietnam, a developing country, and the USA, one of the leading developed countries in the western hemisphere. We tried to address the question if there are factors that helped local governments to implement helpful rules. We argue that Eastern Asian cultural traits played a role in reducing the spread of COVID-19. We recommend to take this commentary paper, and further research those cultural factors that positively affected the slowdown of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam.
Abstract: Nankervis, Richard; Alexander, Heather; Briggs, David; Turner, Catherine; Martin, Amanda; Baillie, John; Rigby, Kevin The Covid-19 pandemic is still current but has been particularly well addressed, so far, in the Australian context. This article presents an analysis of management practice to describe the experience of one Primary Health Network (PHN) and its approach and response to the pandemic within its geographical region in accordance with Federal government directives. The PHN is a large geographic area that includes the Central Coast, just north of the Sydney basin, the Newcastle and Hunter Valley region and the Northwest/New England region that extends from Tamworth to the Queensland Border. < br/>< br/> The article describes the PHN function within its primary healthcare role (PHC) in respect to responding to national initiatives to address and reduce the impact Of the Covid-19 event. The article recounts the Federal Governments directive described through the 'National Cabinet' and the Federal Health Department and the PHN response to those directives and initiatives. The article also recounts the actual cases of Covid-19 over the period of the epidemic. < br/>< br/> The article describes the governance, leadership, and management initiatives. The article then describes the PHN approach to evaluation of its approach from the perspective of general practice and other PHC providers as well as providing perspectives from governance, management, and staff. The evaluation process identified significant impacts on providers and strong support for the continuation of telehealth measures. There were positive responses to the PHN activity and as a strong sense of trusted information, ongoing education, and general engagement.
Abstract: Lloyd, Sheree; Walker, Sue M; Goswami, Ani Global health systems are under immense pressure with the exponential growth and spread of COVID-19. Public health and health system responses to the pandemic have relied on health information reporting, visualisation, and projections of incidence, morbidity, and mortality. This commentary aims to explore how health information has been used to inform the public, manage risk, understand capacity, prepare the health system and to plan public health strategy. We also aim to share the health information challenges and our insights to inform future debate and strategic investment. This paper will be relevant to health service and health information managers wanting to understand vulnerabilities and focus for future health information initiatives.
Abstract: Pham, Ngoc Cindy; Shi, Juehui Richard Objective: This paper aims to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the mental distress of the Vietnamese students in the USA. We explore different root causes of mental distress among international students who are away from their home country, their loved ones, and being isolated from school and community due to this outbreak. < br/>< br/> Design: In-depth interviews were conducted to probe the reasons for mental stress during the pandemic and the narrative textual analysis was subsequently performed to analyze the results. This research includes the interviews of 20 Vietnamese students in the USA during the COVID-19 era. < br/>< br/> Results: The textual analysis showed that the mental distress of these Vietnamese students were caused by limited access to on-campus facilities and activities, limited access to public services including grocery shopping, transportations, clinics, the possibility of being infected, isolated living condition due to the lockdown order, and inability to go back to the home country when wanted. < br/>< br/> Conclusions: We found that both physical attributes (e.g., living condition, internet difficulty, overwhelmed healthcare system, restricted traveling, lack of personal interaction, limited access to public services) and psychological factors (e.g., anxiety of unfamiliar teaching modality, fear of viral infection, uncertain career aspects, cultural barrier and prejudice) directly led to the mental distress of these students. Moreover, other factors such as turbulent future job markets and potential racism toward Asians in relation with "Chinese virus" may cause the mental distress of these students.
Abstract: Fong, Ben YF; Law, Vincent TS The coronavirus pandemic has been affecting many countries in the world over the past six months. Nowhere sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Precautionary measures, lockdown, as well as control of crowd gathering and movement have been implemented by all governments, with the sacrifice of economic activities. It is interesting to review how things were happening in North America where the United States has been hard hit by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), scoring over two million confirmed cases and about 120 thousand deaths at the top of the list of the world. Canada ranked eighteenth with about 100 thousand cases and just about 8 thousand deaths. Both the cases and deaths per capita are lower in Canada, which shares the same border and similar culture with the United States. Seattle and Vancouver have some of the highest incomes and educational levels in both countries. These two West coast cities are only 200 kilometres apart and are near the U.S.-Canada border. They are selected for this review to study the different approaches in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract: Pham, Ngoc; Li, Yuanqing; Hossain, Tofazzal; Schapsis, Claudio; Pham, Huan Henry; Minor, Michael Objective: Mental health is a significant topic, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is higher prevalence, there is less attention, to mental health problems among Asian college students, so the authors decided to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of mental health services and help-seeking behaviors in Vietnamese universities. By conducting this study, the authors hoped to contribute to current literature on the factors that contribute to professional mental health help-seeking behavior of college students in Vietnam and to suggest strategies to reduce possible barriers that prevent them from looking for professional medical help. < br/>< br/> Design: For this cross-sectional research, we first conducted a pilot study to test the reliability and validity of our measurements. We then made necessary adjustments and distributed the final questionnaires to a university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Collected data was analyzed through exploratory factor analysis. < br/>< br/> Results: Results indicate that between psychological openness and help-seeking propensity, in our model, help-seeking propensity more significantly explains students' help-seeking behavioral intentions than the other two. < br/>< br/> Conclusions: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examined predictors of professional mental health-seeking behavior among college students in Vietnam. Our findings indicated that help-seeking propensity significantly influences Vietnamese students' intention to obtain professional healthcare. Through this study, we suggested some guidance to the school administrators on the factors that encourage students to seek professional mental care.
Abstract: Gupta, Rajesh; Trivedi, Smita Heterogeneity in number of deaths in different countries during the ongoing nCOVID crisis challenged us to look for determinants of pandemic death toll across the world. Using the past two decades data of pandemic deaths in the world, this study considered if engagement in international trade, health care expenditure and population density have any impact on the pandemic death toll. Using linear regression model controlled for types of disease, we not only found trade significantly impacting death toll, but also surprisingly found positive correlation between share of healthcare expenditure in GDP and fatalities in pandemics. Our findings suggest that policy intervention is required for mitigating health impacts of trade and 'tweaking' the health expenditure towards pandemic prevention.
Abstract: Das, Debashree; Datta, Avik; Kumar, Patanjal COVID 19 pandemic is the worst crisis that mankind has seen since World War-II. It has exposed glaring loopholes in the healthcare system and led to a global health crisis. In absence of any specific treatment or vaccine, countries began to enforce strict lockdown measures leading to a complete shutdown of economic activities. The purpose of this study is to identify key exit strategies that can be implemented to mitigate the impacts of COVID 19. Identification and categorisation of parameters have been achieved using multi criterion decision making techniques of Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and Cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification MICMAC analysis. < br/>< br/> The study highlights a classification of key strategies based on their driving power and dependence which may enable Government to strengthen the disease surveillance system and effectively reduce the impact of the disease. The findings of the study suggest that Environmental Sustainability and Human Well-being; Online Awareness and Capacity Building Programme; Graded Surveillance- Targeted Restrictions and Stricter norms for Inter-State Mobility; and Harmonization between Centre, State and Local Authorities are the most important strategies that needs to be factored in while planning for the post lockdown economic recovery. With countries eager to resume economic activities, the strategies identified in our study can assist the governments and policymakers across the world in devising their exit plans while giving due consideration to each of the strategies to counter the disruptions brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Abstract: Bana, Perihan Eren In this study, it is aimed to describe the increased psychological risk factors for healthcare professionals who perform their duties with great devotion during the epidemic process. This article, was prepared by making use of the studies in the literature, aimed to examine the factors that prepare healthcare professionals to address increased stress and burnout during the epidemic process. It describes the factors that cause burnout and depersonalization among healthcare workers in the process of providing health services, that increased in the epidemic process and perhaps, gain new dimensions. Risk factors faced by emergency personnel are always present in daily operations but can increase in the epidemic process. In this context, the importance of increasing the psychological resilience of healthcare professionals and providing them with psycho-social support is emphasised as is the importance of maintaining quality in health care. It is considered that the provision of mental health professionals who will provide continuous support for healthcare professionals in the institution should be among the mandatory occupational health and safety measures.
Abstract: Malik, Nishtha; Sharma, Aditi Health indeed is Wealth. The Corona Virus Pandemic has impacted the best health-care systems world-wide; even as the world grapples with the massive loss of human life causing pain to millions. The Pandemic is no more just a medical health challenge; it has thrown up spiritual and emotional challenges as it is affecting our belief system. < br/>< br/> "Prevention is Better than Cure is the mantra". Since there is no allopathic medicine solution available; people are adopting various measures like social distancing and personal sanitization. There is an urgent need to assist the individuals to take all the preventive measures possible to boost their immunity, improve the respiratory system, and lessen the anxiety, stress, and depression. It can be difficult to not feel anxiety and sometimes panic over the coronavirus outbreak, with the onslaught of updates on news and social media. < br/>< br/> Yoga has emerged as the perfect tool that an individual can follow to establish physical, mental, and spiritual balance to develop robust health and combat physical and emotional challenges. Yoga offers another path, a fresh perspective with which to deal with events that are beyond our control. The different asanas of yoga can help us to prevent COVID-19 by boosting our immune system and managing the stress that one is going through in this time of uncertainty. < br/>< br/> This study tries to specifically evaluate the impact of the preventive measures undertaken through Yoga practice. 126 respondents from different states of India were requested to perform yoga daily for 30 days. Significant changes were observed and are mentioned in detail.
Abstract: Pandey, Jyotsna; Chakraborty, Shohini; Chakraborty, Imon; Ghosal, Pratik; Singh, Neelam; Majumdar, Sukanta Background: Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic can be referred to as a life-threatening war where every country is fighting with an invisible untold enemy. Realizing the disease severity and managing the prevention is crucial in current situations. Hence, it is time to follow the lockdown protocol until the situation improves worldwide. < br/>< br/> Method: We have searched all the possible validated resources such as WHO, governmental data-sharing portal, news media, blogs, and existing empirical studies. We identified the significant inputs from social media platforms provided by healthcare entrepreneurs, clinicians, and interrelated different domain experts. Here we qualitatively narrated an in-depth understanding of the phenomena and proposed a few steps to deal with the mental burden in developing country context. < br/>< br/> Result: There must be some effective strategy to reduce the mental burden and availability of the health consultancy services continuously to deal with such vulnerable situations. Telehealth is one such solution in a developed country where the healthcare system is well equipped to offer such services. < br/>< br/> Conclusions: Here, we have presented a few proposed steps that can be adapted/practiced dealing with a similar situation in developing and densely populated nation like India. This approach may help to deal with such emergencies and challenges for healthcare management in lockdown conditions.
Abstract: Fung, Roderick CH; Fong, Ben YF Service-learning is a useful learning activity for students to understand and analyse the health and social conditions of elderly recipients. It offers a practical environment for the study of ageing. Students make the service-learning meaningful, by combining the course idea and concepts in the activity during service. Students enhance learning experience by finding an appropriate health suggestion to the elderly while investigating the health conditions of the elderly. Students enrich additional vision by designing effective activities for the elderly and explaining the course idea to the elderly. The elderly provide opinion in the activity and inspire students to have a better management for further life and service-learning. In this study, an experience of service learning in elderly home is described. It covers several themes: (a) preparation of service learning, (b) analysis of designed activities, (c) reflection on this service-learning, (d) comparison of in-class learning and service-learning.
Abstract: Ho, Cheryl CW; Ng, Tommy KC Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme is a financial support provided by the government to the elderly for having more choices in selecting private primary health care services. It has been launched for more than ten years (including pilot scheme). The success of the voucher depends on its effectiveness so that Hong Kong elderly can benefit from it. The aim of this article is to analyse whether the voucher scheme has achieved its goals and what improvement can be made. The scheme is successful in encouraging the elderly to use private primary care, considering that the participation rate of the scheme is high, and elderly could use private health care services to supplement public health care services. Yet, the amount of the subsidy is insufficient to support the needs of the elderly and the providers of the voucher are not enough for Hong Kong elderly. Also, it is found that private health care services give the old generation an impression of expensiveness and unreliable even with the support of the Health Care Voucher. To improve the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme and solve the problems, the government should increase the amount of the voucher, set standards for regular monitoring, cooperate with private health care providers and invite more providers. Ultimately, the elderly would enjoy greater flexibility in choosing medical services in meeting their needs and the scheme can effectively achieve its purpose.
Abstract: Yee, Hilary HL; Fong, Ben YF; Ng, Tommy KC; Chow, Billie SM Background: A new compulsory service-learning subject was introduced in the Practices of Health Promotion module of Bachelor of Science in Applied Sciences (Health Studies), run by the School of Professional Education and Executive Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It aims to develop students' ability to apply learned principles and concepts of health behaviour from lectures into a community setting, by completing elderly site services arranged at four selected elderly centres.
Methods: 36 students were enrolled in the subject. An analytical framework was developed based on specific themes, sub-categories and categories. Data extracted from students' reflective journals were put into qualitative analysis software, Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) Miner 5 of Provalis Prosuite for analysis.
Results: 5 themes and 24 categories were created based on the data analysed from students' reflective journals. The three highest frequency themes are 'Skills learned' (170 text units, 32.6% of total), 'Challenges' (140 text units, 26.8% of total), and 'Elders characteristics' (135 text units, 25.9% of total).
Conclusions: Communication, teamwork and organising activities to the elderly are the most cited skills learned by students. They have also identified elders' personality and characteristic when communicating with them. Although there were challenges when interacting with the recipients and centres, students have overcome most of them and have learned better ways to communicate with elders and reacted quickly by changing the content of designed activities provided to elders.
Abstract: Tavitiyaman, Pimtong; Saiprasert, Wanlanai Objectives: Advanced medical treatments and service quality for Hong Kong residents are well regarded. However, numerous senior residents continue to explore alternative medical treatments and wellbeing activities outside the region. The research objectives of this study are 1) to assess the perception of senior tourists of the medical quality attributes of medical tourism destinations and 2) to compare the different perceptions of tourists of medical service attributes, wellbeing and behavioural intention towards medical tourism destinations.
Design: The questionnaire instrument was written in English and Chinese based on the literature review. The target population was senior residents with experience in seeking medical treatments and services abroad, specifically, outside Hong Kong. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit senior respondents to answer the questionnaire. Data collection was from July to October 2019 in residential areas and senior citizen neighbourhood centres in Hong Kong.
Results: Results show that among the 74 respondents, only 42% have overseas medical experiences. The countries involved are Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, China, the United States, Malaysia and Thailand. The senior residents have a more positive perception of medical quality (e.g. appointment procedure, short waiting time and physician reliability) and wellbeing (e.g. response to needs and social wellbeing) in overseas medical destinations compared with Hong Kong. However, no mean difference is observed in behavioural intention between Hong Kong and overseas medical destinations from the perspective of the senior respondents.
Conclusions: Hong Kong senior residents may consider travelling overseas to seek medical treatments and wellbeing activities. Senior residents tend to travel to nearby countries for cosmetic/plastic surgery, eye surgery/Lasik and dental surgery. Moreover, senior residents perceive the communication skills of physicians and staff overseas in answering enquiries on medical procedures whilst receiving medical treatment as high quality compared with Hong Kong.
Abstract: Ng, Tommy KC; Yim, Noel TS To reduce the burden of the ageing population, time banking can be one of the possible approaches in the community to maximise social capital. Time banking aims to exchange one's time to serve others and the time of service can be saved as credit so as to swap for services when necessary. It can create a virtuous cycle for providing and receiving services. Several positive outcomes to service providers and recipients of time banking are identified in this review paper. Nevertheless, there is a lack of practical adoption of time banking in Hong Kong. To analyse the challenges of the adoption of time banking in Hong Kong, the current practices of time banking in Hong Kong will be evaluated. To promote time banking in Hong Kong, governmental, technical and educational support are recommended.
Abstract: Lau, Yui Yip; Tang, YM; Chan, Ivy; Ng, Adolf KY; Leung, Alan Population projections for Hong Kong suggest that the city will accommodate 8.22 million people in 2043. One in every three people are expected to be older than 65 in 2066. The long-held Chinese traditions for burial of deceased with reverence and honour, coupled with the chronic land shortage have presented an excessive demand for cemetery space. Niches are seldom recycled, and the inadequate supply of new columbarium niche requires the family of the deceased to consider an alternative way for keeping cremated ashes. To ease the demand, "green burial" has been launched and promoted by the HKSAR government through different print and social media. Currently, scattering of cremains in Gardens of Remembrance or at sea are the two common ways to perform green burial. The public acceptance of green burial is still questionable and is under-researched.
This study is going to deploy innovative technology, virtual reality (VR) to increase physical and psychological fidelity in highly resembled scenarios for the people. On one hand, VR gives immeasurable value to people when they are enabled to navigate different circumstances (physical fidelity) before considering the use of green burial. On the other hand, VR enables the people to engage in different mental processes (psychological fidelity) replicated from an array of cognitive reaction and sentiments with the choice of green burial. In order to optimize the configuration of the VR settings, we will conduct a face-to-face, semi-structured and in-depth interview with different practitioners. In the study, we explore: (1) To what extent the enhancement of physical fidelity of innovative technologies debunk public's misconception of green burial' (2) To what extent the enhancement of psychological fidelity of innovative technologies debunk public's misconception of green burial' (3) To what extent the simulated experience derived from innovation technologies change the public acceptance of green burial'
Abstract: Lau, Cynthia SY; Yee, Hilary HL; Ng, Tommy KC; Fong, Ben YF Green Burial is a burial method which uses biodegradable materials to entomb the dead body instead of cremating by using embalmed liquid. It aims to let the body return to the nature naturally. With an ageing population, there is an increase of demand on columbarium and niches in Hong Kong, and green burial has been introduced as a more sustainable option to bury the deceased. The current paper has summarised the official documents regarding the green burial programme proposed by the Hong Kong government. The reason why people do not prefer green burial may be due to the Chinese traditional belief and the lack of education. Methods of delivery of message and social media coverage are issues leading to people not being encouraged to use green burial. United States and Singapore develop improved approaches in performing green burial. The effect in promoting green burial services is evaluated in this study and recommendations on improving the way of promotion are proposed.
Abstract: Yee, Hilary HL; Fong, Ben YF; Ng, Tommy KC Palliative care service is a growing trend for patients with terminal illnesses. The purpose of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for the patients and their family by providing comprehensive care such as symptoms control, pain relief and counselling support. More and more people prefer to spend the final stage of their life in a comfortable environment with adequate care. However, Hong Kong is only ranked 22 in 2015 Quality of Death Index, and hence enhancement of palliative care service is much needed. This review paper aims to evaluate the current resources and development of palliative care service in Hong Kong and suggest improvement of the service. This study reveals that the system in Hong Kong lacks a comprehensive policy, thus limiting organisations to provide the service to small-scale operations and resulting in fragmentation of the co-operation between the public and private sectors. Factors such as professional training, community engagement, culture and financial issues are affecting the development and adequacy of palliative care service.
Abstract: Gholipour, Zeinab; Farahani, Mahmood Mahmoodi Majd Abadi; Riahi, Leila; Hajinabi, Kamran Objective: Active ageing constitutes one of the guiding perspectives on policies, but the factors influencing ageing have not received considerable attention. The present study aimed to identify the factors affecting active ageing management in Iran.
Design: Drawing on quantitative data gathered through a questionnaire filled out by 287 participants and an interview with 20 experts.
Main Outcome Measures: The instrument was a questionnaire based on the five-point Likert scale. Questions with CVR > 0.49 and with CVI > 0.7 were accepted. To assess the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was (0.92) used. The adequacy of the sample size was estimated at 0.952, based on the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS Ver 22. An exploratory factor analysis was used to explore and evaluate the dimensions of the model through a mathematical approach. Also, confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to verify the model, using AMOS 24 software.
Results: Eight factors were identified as effective factors in active ageing management in Iran, which include: Organizational structure (0/83), services (0/80), control (0/74), financing (0/72), government grants (0/71), policy making (0/68), selected area to focus (0/65), members (0/63). Organizational structure and member components had the most and least significant effects.
Conclusions: Establishing a High Council with the presence of the President's representative, allocating a specific budget for the elderly, determining the responsibilities of the government and the related organizations, determining the responsibility and providing suitable services can lead to the effective management of active ageing.
Abstract: Lam, Carina YH; Ng, Tommy KC; Yee, Hilary HL Medical incidents in public hospitals in Hong Kong have persisted for years. The operating theatres are one of the places where medical accidents occur, especially affecting service quality. The surgical team is a substantial cause of medical incidents, possibly because of human mistakes, environmental, equipment, and system failures. Not all surgery departments will implement uniform working styles. The Hospital Authority may set a management plan to unify practice and to identity the problems faced. Therefore, the government and Hospital Authority should focus on human resources, especially in terms of professional training and retention of staff. After all, surgery is a task of teamwork.
Abstract: Kwong, Catherine KY; Fong, Ben YF Medicine maladministration can result in various side effects to patients, including serious complications, extended medical care, incapacity and death. In Hong Kong public hospitals, the pattern of medication error consists of prescribing error usually made by physicians, dispensing error resulting from pharmacists and dispensers, drug administration error caused by nurses and patient-care workers and technology-related error associated with technology used in the drug administration process. Medication Administration Record (MAR) and ward stock are the usual inpatient medication system within the Hospital Authority public hospitals before the development of the electronic system, while the Inpatient Medication Order Entry (IPMOE) functions to provide real-time accessibility in patients' medication profiles by different professions and health units. However, several factors are related with medication errors. For instance, the ambiguous handwriting orders in the MAR prescribed by physicians affect the transcription by pharmacists and the administration procedures in ward by nurses. Administering medicines in ward stock before pharmacists vetting increase the chance of making errors. Poor interface issues between users and system, and the computer over-reliance also contributed to technology-related errors. In order to reduce the occurrence of medication incidents, implementation of Automated Pharmacy Distribution Systems helps moving towards a closed loop medication management system. Modifying technologies in barcode assisted medication administration and enhancing the IPMOE with a pop-up message could help intercepting drug administration errors to patients. The elimination of the potential risks arising from the prescribing, dispensing and drug administration processes brings the achievement of medication safety in Hong Kong public hospitals.
Abstract: Yip, Shirley Wai Ying; Chong, Gary Chung Hong In Hong Kong, arthritis is the third leading chronic disorder among the older people. It could create a huge amount of burden on the health care system if patients cannot achieve good diseases control and have recurrent flare up of diseases. To maintain stable control and minimize acute flare up, medication adherence is essential. Studies revealed that drug education has the highest evidence in improving medication adherence. Pharmacists who are expert in drugs can provide counseling to arthritis patients, improving their drug adherence and disease activities. As a result, research evaluating the effectiveness of pharmacist counseling service on improving arthritis patients' medication adherence and disease activities in Hong Kong has been initiated in a specialist out-patient clinic of a local acute hospital.
This research aims to improve patient medication adherence and enhance medication safety. A validated Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR-19) is used to measure the medication adherence. From the preliminary data, over 90% of the recruited subjects are non-adherence at baseline and thus, detailed drug counseling is necessary.
During the first visit, pharmacists will provide a 20 minutes drug counseling service to the referred patients. This includes discussion on drug administration schedule, importance of drug adherence, side effects management and pain management. Besides, pharmacists also have different roles in other aspects such as drug information and procurement. Pharmacists would assist in providing evidence-based information and recommendations to physicians and nurses for drug-related enquiries. These attempts to improve therapeutic outcomes and minimize medication errors, enhance medication safety and reduce hospitalization. Design of the multidisciplinary care model and results of this study would provide a reference for the future development of clinical pharmacist service in rheumatology.
Abstract: Lai, Zoe FY; Kaur, Sukhpreet Health is wealth - a famous proverb that almost everyone has heard of but may not have fully understood its essence. Health comes from maintaining cleanliness and hygiene which starts from home and expands to workplaces and public areas. By practicing hygiene in the home and everyday life settings, it will have impact significantly in reducing the global burden of infectious diseases that kills over 17 million people a year. Mainly caused by microorganisms, infections can easily spread by direct and indirect contact. Common infectious diseases include chickenpox, common cold, malaria and pertussis. These diseases tend to have specific symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, fatigue and muscle aches. In institutional settings, such as schools and child-cares settings, information relating hand hygiene is routine. However, the home environment is one of the potential sources of transmission of infectious diseases. This situation, of course, needs to be re-evaluated and the promotion of home hygiene should be encouraged. Positive correlation has been found between home hygiene practices and risk of disease transmission in homes where the first line of defence against infectious diseases is cleaning and disinfecting plus maintaining good hand hygiene. But, the implementation for an effective policy to monitor home hygiene is rather complex due to varying determinants of health. In a nutshell, proper home hygiene and cleaning practices lead to reduced risk of spreading infectious diseases. They should form the key issues in the practice of health promotion in the community and institutions.
Abstract: Wong, Bob Ka Him Objective: Drug-drug interactions and risk of hepatitis B reactivation potentially affect treatment outcomes of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) against hepatitis C. A comprehensive pharmacist screening and counseling service was implemented in a Hong Kong hospital, which aims to optimize the efficacy and safety of DAA therapy while minimizing the risk of drug wastage. The objective of the service review is to explore potential roles of pharmacist in hepatitis C management.
Design: We retrospectively evaluate all cases under service from June 2017 to September 2018.
Main Outcome Measures: Outcomes measured include drug-related problems (DRP) identified, treatment discontinuation and failure rates.
Results: There were 44 cases under provision of service, all completed therapy except 1 died from underlying disease. 25 DRPs, predominantly categorized as drug-drug interactions, were documented. The interactions commonly involved acid-lowering agents. 1 case was noted with inadvertently lengthening of treatment duration. No cases of treatment failure or hepatitis B reactivation were reported.
Conclusion: The safety concerns and high cost of DAA have created a new challenge to healthcare providers. Comprehensive screening and counseling by pharmacists are valuable to ensure safe and effective use of DAA, hence reducing unnecessary drug wastage.
Abstract: de Mesquita, Rafael Carneiro; Edwards, Ian Background: On 2010 Australia launched a personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) later renamed and augmented by the My Health Record Act 2012 Cth. The main goal of the present systematic literature review was to assess if the system has improved Australia's healthcare system according to the objectives stated by the federal government in the My Health Record Act 2012 Cth.
Methods: The methodological approach taken in this study was a Systematic Review based on nine peer-reviewed articles of the last five years using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA).
Results: Despite the MyHR system being available for seven years, there is limited empirical evaluation regarding its progress in achieving the stated goals. The results were segregated in four themes: (1) health information fragmentation, (2) Health information quality and management, (3) adverse medical events and duplication of treatment and (4) coordination of care. Regarding theme 1, it was evidenced that the system could reduce health information fragmentation; however, gaps in the workforce adoption were identified as a problem. About topic 2, improved access to information and possible misinterpretation were found. Theme 3 lacked research and theme 4 presented contradiction in the results.
Conclusion: The My Health Record (MyHR) system is founded on four key objectives. However, there is insufficient evidence that any outcomes have been achieved relating to any of the objectives. Research is required to determine whether the MyHR system helped improve Australia's healthcare system according to the objectives stated in the Act 2012.
Abstract: Abid, Muzna; Butt, Osama Majeed; Aan, Quratul; Bushra, Rashid; Nanthini, Sri Devi Six sigma can enable us to determine the possible solutions to most of the problems which are being faced by the healthcare system of Pakistan. Six sigma is a viable way to make healthcare rapid and proficient. It is already being successfully utilized around the globe in service as well as manufacturing sector. This research is a preliminary study; conducted, in an attempt, to highlight the issues in healthcare like scarcity of medicines, inefficiency of medical staff, insufficient beds and low doctor/patient ratio in hospitals of Pakistan. A proposal is proposed for a viable solution in the form of six-sigma. For this study, six-sigma identify the potential issue by involving all employees of the targeted sectors. Collection of primary data was done from employees at quality departments in hospitals and via survey. The importance of critical success factors in the public and private hospitals of Pakistan was determined by the aforementioned survey. Critical analysis pointed out that most of the employees were unaware of the quality initiatives and six-sigma.
Abstract: Arya, Dinesh For healthcare organisations, a significant governance responsibility is for quality of health care provision. This is an important reason for governance boards to have good understanding of quality management and patient safety systems and processes that guide provision of all aspects of healthcare.
It is also important that there is structure to how governance activities are undertaken. Use of quality management tools and methods can provide that structure and support systematic and consistent governance decision making. Using quality management systems and frameworks should be a pre-requisite for effective governance.
Abstract: Rasi, Sasan Background: Research has demonstrated lower access to healthcare services by immigrant patients in comparison to native people. Cultural and linguistic differences have been considered as main factors that impede this access and as barriers to creating an effective relationship between immigrant patients and health professionals.
Objective: The aim of this study was to better understand and synthesize the available evidence regarding the impact of immigrant patients' language proficiency on access to health care.
Methods: A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies published between January 2000 and January 2019 that examined the impact of language proficiency on access to and use of health services by immigrant patients. Only articles in English were included. Cross-referencing of the identified articles was also performed.
Results: A total of 140 publications was identified through online databases. In all 24 studies were reviewed, and the results were reported using four interrelated themes identified from the articles. These reports consistently showed a clear association between inadequate language ability and underuse of health care services, ineffective communication, and increased use of emergency care by immigrant patients. Identifying factors that can influence access to care, applying immigrant-friendly solutions such as provision of professional interpreters, and encouraging culturally and linguistically sensitive education may improve the quality of care and increase access to care. One study recommended utilisation of communication technologies such as telemedicine to bridge the communication gap and increase accessibility of healthcare services by immigrant patients.
Conclusions: All included studies indicated that language barriers hindered access to healthcare services. The data resulting from this study can update policy and practical solutions for language barriers on access to care by immigrant patients and provide an agenda for further investigations.
Abstract: Pham, Ngoc Cindy; Pham, Huan Henry; Hossain, Tofazzal; Li, Yuanqing Objective: The paper aims to understand how the elderly perceive the healthcare services of their aged care facilities. This paper explores different dimensions of servicescape elements, which ultimately affect the development of healthcare services.
Design: Both naturalistic observations and in-depth interviews were conducted to discover the perceptions servicesape elements.
ResultsL The authors discovered that servicescape elements rely not only on physical, social and socially symbolic dimensions but also on cultural dimensions.
Conclusions: This study uses the elderly home context in City of Harlingen, Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, and finds support to Rosenbaum and Massiah [1]'s multidimensional model and suggests improvements in servicescape elements. We found that factors such as ambience, signage, layout, and socially symbolic structure at the aged care facility, were highly appreciated by the elder residents. Other factors such as privacy, quiet environment, and social interactions among patients via group activities require improvements and further attention. Findings of the study can be generalized in other similar social contexts, particularly in improving Asia Pacific region's healthcare services.
Abstract: Larson, Ronald B Objective: Technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) offer many benefits to health care providers and may raise stakeholder concerns. This study reviews a new technology from another industry, summarizes previous research on medical applications of RFID, and analyses survey responses on RFID applications. The goal is to develop recommendations for evaluating and implementing new technologies.
Design: Marketing and stakeholder theories were used to develop lessons from the case study and prior research. A survey was mailed to adults in four Midwestern states in the US.
Main Outcome Measures: Respondent support ratings for two medical and two non-medical applications of RFID were analysed using principal component analysis and binary logistic regressions. Profiles of those supporting the applications were developed.
Results: The case study highlighted the importance of considering the needs and concerns of all stakeholders. Previous studies suggested that many hospital administrators who examined RFID may not have included some stakeholders. This research found that support for RFID varied across respondents and applications. Anxiety about technology was negatively linked with RFID support. Religiosity also had negative coefficients for some applications.
Conclusions: Administrators considering new technologies need to consider patient privacy needs and stakeholder concerns. Surveying stakeholders and utilizing advisory boards could help administrators tailor their actions to the communities they serve. A few opponents of a technology can limit its adoption. Regular, two-way communications may help health care organizations improve technology decisions and enhance the odds of implementation success.
Abstract: Jean, Gillian; Kruger, Estie; Tennant, Marc Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether job vacancy data for dentists might be used as part of a needs-based index to indicate levels of workforce supply.
Methods: Advertised job vacancies for dentists were collected at monthly intervals between October 2011 and June 2019; compiled into a data base and geo-coded by latitude and longitude. The vacancies were mapped using QGIS software and their geographic locations were observed relative to Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia Plus (ARIA+ 2016) and SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD).
Results: There was a slight decline in the number of advertised job vacancies relative to the population of Australia in the first 18 months of the study. For the remainder of the study period the number of vacancies per million of the population rose steadily. There were differences between ARIA+ regions; but remote and very remote Australia showed very little variation in vacancies across the study period. The percentage of monthly advertised vacancies in IRSD1 (most disadvantaged) areas was much higher (>40%) at the start of the study period but by the end of the study the percentage of vacancies was relatively even across all IRSD groups.
Conclusions: The increase in the number of vacancies per million population since 2013 implies an increase in demand for dentists. The findings do not correlate with industry and government agency reporting of an oversupply. The use of job vacancy data might form part of a needs-based index to inform dental workforce planning.
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