Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Enhancing Partnership with Patients and Community (Projects initiated to engage patients / carers / community to improve efficiency / quality of care)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service III (Projects aiming at quality service to patients and their carers)
Authors (including presenting author) :
KAM KW(1), CHAN WT(1), Chen YS(1), YAM PW(2), MOW HC(2)
Affiliation :
1) Patient Resources Centre, NTWC
2) M&G, TMH
Introduction :
The prevalence of re-admission rate for patients with post-cardiac event warrants our concern. It is noted that around 13% of patients readmitted within 30 days and 35% within a year from a global comparison study. With high re-admission rate, it imposes a significant financial burden on the medical system and reflect limitations in patient centred care during the initial hospitalization. In this regards, to reduce unplanned hospitalization and prevent relapse, there is a growing need to enhance Medical Social Collaboration (MSC) to mobilise community resources to support post-discharged cardiac patients. In this study, we investigated the impact of a multidisciplinary cardiac care program on the health and self-management outcomes of these patients.
Objectives :
The program aims to equip patients with self-care management skill in adopting a healthy lifestyle; and knowledge of community resource in facilitating community re-integration with a view to reduce hospital readmissions and overall health services use.
Methodology :
Patients were recruited from Tuen Mun Hospital and Pok Oi Hospital. Inclusion criteria consisted of (1) coronary artery disease with complete revascularization and (2) valvular heart disease after interventional or surgical treatment. Participants would receive a series of activities collaborated with non-governmental organisations and patient groups. The program includes empowerment talks organized in hybrid mode (with topics on introduction to heart disease, healthy diet, medications, stress management, HA Go, community resources), access to an online self-learning platform managed by NGO, and a rehabilitative exercise program. A “Pre-test” vs. “Post-test’ trial was conducted. Outcome measures were categorized as follows: (1) cardiac health-related knowledge, (2) knowledge of community resources, (3) self-efficacy in health management, and (4) satisfaction of participants.
Result & Outcome :
From Apr 2022 to Dec 2023, a total of 218 eligible patients were enrolled in the study. The results indicated significant improvements in cardiac health-related knowledge, knowledge of community resources, and self-efficacy in health management. Specifically, there was an average increase of 4.1 points (p<0.001, independent t-test) in cardiac health-related knowledge, a 3.4-point increase (p<0.001, paired t-test) in knowledge of community resources, and a 2.8-point increase (p<0.001, independent t-test) in self-efficacy. The findings demonstrate the beneficial impact of the cardiac rehabilitation program in improving individuals' knowledge related to cardiac health, familiarity with community resources, and self-efficacy in managing their own health. Participants also viewed that online self-learning platform was very useful on facilitating their self-care management.
