District Health Centres (DHC) have been established across Hong Kong to provide primary healthcare services to the public. If you have ever met the nurses at DHC, you may have noticed that they have a comprehensive understanding of your health condition. This can be attributed to the synergies of collaboration between eHealth and DHC, helping citizens to better manage their health. In this issue of eHealth News, we have invited Mr Lai Siu Kee, the nursing manager of Tuen Mun DHC, and Mr Ling Yin Kwan, one of the members, to share their experiences with us.
【New Healthy Lifestyle】
eHealth Supports District Health Centres in
Assessing Health Risks and Promoting Healthy Lifestyle among Citizens
eHealth Supports District Health Centres in
Assessing Health Risks and Promoting Healthy Lifestyle among Citizens
eHealth Facilitates Continuous Monitoring by Healthcare Professionals for Early Detection of Disease Risk by Citizens
With DHC and DHC Expresses commenced operation across 18 districts in the territory, citizens can now register as members to gain access to DHC facilities and participate in various activities, in order to firmly grasp their health. All network healthcare service providers of DHC have joined eHealth, allowing authorised healthcare professionals to access and upload members' health records to eHealth upon obtaining members’ consents.
Mr Lai believes that eHealth assists him to assess health risks for the members. “I always accompany with the members to regularly examine and review their health data, such as the blood pressure and blood glucose measured by themselves, recent investigation reports, etc., in eHealth. It allows members to understand their health risks, as well as increase their level of involvement and participation, with a view to motivating them to improve their physical conditions.
After understanding their expectations on health management, we work together to formulate more concrete health goals and feasible improvement measures. From time to time, members take initiative to share their latest health data with me and inquire about their health status. I would take this opportunity to encourage them to continue their efforts. I also keep in touch with members through instant messaging apps to constantly monitor their progresses on health.”
He cited an example of how eHealth enabled him to promptly identify a member’s risk of chronic disease. For instance, when a member was diagnosed as staging in pre-diabetes from the blood test reports, he could immediately remind the member to adjust his/her lifestyle and arrange suitable classes related to exercise or healthy diet, in order to raise his/her awareness of self-health management, then gradually lower the blood glucose level and prevent from evolving into diabetes.
Leverage on eHealth to Establish Personal and Privacy-Protected Electronic Health Records
Mr Ling, a DHC member who has joined eHealth since 2017 and witnessed its continuous improvements over the years. He finds the 醫健通eHealth Mobile App (the App) particularly useful. At the age of 68, Mr Ling suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes that he needs to have regular medical follow-ups. He used to self-record his blood pressure and blood glucose levels in everyday life. He considers that the App’s interface is concise and easy to use. When he learnt about the launch of the "Health Management" function in the App, he immediately started using it to record his blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
“In the past, I record them on a paper notebook and always feels that it is inconvenient. After switching to record in the App, I can show the data I recorded every day to my doctor who praises for my diligence.”
In addition, Mr Ling frequently uses the App’s "Health Programme" and "Appointments" functions which enable him to easily check the remaining balance of his Elderly Health Care Voucher and view his medical appointments. Mr Lai noted that other members also often use the "Appointments" function and its reminder feature, "Some elder members tend to forget the dates of their medical appointments. I will remind them to regularly check the records on the App to avoid missing the appointments."
Mr Ling has also noticed that when a healthcare professional accesses his records on eHealth, he will immediately receive an SMS notification. He appreciates that eHealth attaches paramount importance to privacy and therefore boosted his confidence in using the App . “The system even clearly informs me which doctor or healthcare professional in which hospital or centre is accessing eHealth to understand my condition, safeguarding my privacy,” Mr Ling highlighted.
Expectation on Additional Reminder Functions for Regular Health Check-Ups and Follow-Ups
Moving forward, Mr Ling hopes that under the future development of eHealth, users can access more reports from various health screening programmes through the App, facilitating citizens to promptly receive the screening results and seek medical advice early. On the other hand, Mr Lai wishes that the relevant authority will utilise eHealth to further educate the public on the appropriate screening programmes for different stages of life. Moreover, he suggests the implementation of reminder features to prompt citizens to undergo health check-ups at appropriate times, so as to prevent potential health issues and enjoy a healthy future throughout all life stages.
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