Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Enhancing Partnership with Patients and Community (Projects initiated to engage patients / carers / community to improve efficiency / quality of care)
Authors (including presenting author) :
V TANG(1), F HUI(1), C TSANG(1), N LUI(1), WH LI(1), LH CHUNG, SC LEE(1), A CHAN(1), E TOA(1), YC CHAN(1), H LEE(1), T YUEN(1), LP TANG(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Community Nursing Service, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
The Hospital Authority (HA) mobile application (apps) ‘HA Go’ is an all-in-one mobile platform designed to improve patient experience in the overall healthcare journey. It connects patients beyond hospital care and empower them to manage their own health. With HA Go, we can check appointments made in HA hospitals or clinics, pay HA bills and drug charges, book appointment for general outpatient services and new case of specialist outpatient services, view medication and perform rehabilitation exercise following prescriptions. Record the health data and access health information. However, most HA patients are the elderly that they are difficult in well use the apps. In this connection, Oi Man Community Nursing Centre of Kowloon Hospital Community Nursing Service developed the “HA Go Learning Class” in teaching the elderly to use the apps in disease management.
Objectives :
“HA Go Learning Classes” are specially tailored for the elderly to help with disease management. Through slow-paced and happy learning, the elderly will become more familiar with technology and willing to participate in their own health management in a convenient way.
Methodology :
- Completed the HA Go installation on the mobile phones of CNC elderly members for 437 elderly out of 712 active members during July 2023 – November 2023. CNC total around 1100 registered members. - Found some elderly had difficulty getting familiar with using the apps under normal instruction. - Developed HA Go Learning Class through small-group learning and a happy and slow-paced learning approach. - In the learning class, the focus is on viewing current medical and investigation appointments, recording daily health data (such as blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar), booking GOPC, uploading referral letters for specialist appointments, and getting health information from HA Go Prescribed Library and Smart Patient.
Result & Outcome :
- A total of 4 identical HA Go Learning classes were held between July 2023 and November 2023. Subsequent classes will be continued for the elderly. - A total of 21 elders participated in the classes. - Ongoing the HAGo usage will be monitored by CNC nurses. - Through HAGo, elderly can show their health record to doctors during the consultation, in addition, they know how to make an appointment with GOPC if they get sick. - The pleasant experience inspired seniors to take advantage of the technology and get health information from Smart Patient. As a result, they put more effort into managing chronic conditions, e.g. If they notice their blood pressure or blood sugar is less stable, they seek help from the CNC nurses or GOPC. - As the elderly is actively participating in the disease management, so far no 90 days A&E admission of those elderly (21 elders participated in the classes) during this period.
To conclude, HA Go is a comprehensive application that allows patients to not only conveniently handle appointments and billing, but also assess health and disease information. It is worth promoting HAGo to all aging groups and let the elderly staying health in community.
