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) :
ko WN (1), Lau WLC(1), Chan YLD(1), Chan YN(1), Chow TC(1), Kwan HY(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, Kowloon Hospital, (2) Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
The HA Go is a one-stop mobile application designed to enhance patient’s experience in their healthcare journey. It facilitates patients to manage healthcare effectively using smartphones. Since the initiation of HA Go in 2019, we have incorporated tele-health into our pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program. By using “Rehab” function of HA Go, occupational therapists (OT) prescribe learning materials and home programs to PR patients, for their access at home on various contents including coordinated breathing practice in activities of daily living (ADL), energy conservation strategies, relaxation skills, operation of home oxygen devices, and Health Qigong training, in addition to hospital-based training. This new rehabilitation model encouraged PR patients’ engagement in home program, and empowering them the confident in managing their respiratory diseases.
Objectives :
1.To assess the utilization rate of OT training prescribed in HA Go among PR patients and the major hindrance;
2.To evaluate the outcomes of incorporating HA Go into conventional PR model.
Methodology :
All patients who received PR training in Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kowloon Hospital in 2023 were included. Patients’ demographics, their registration rate for HA Go, and utilization rate of OT training prescribed on HA Go “Rehab” were collected. All PR patients were invited to complete a user survey at the end of PR training to evaluate their experience by using a 5-point scale and provide feedback.
Result & Outcome :
Fifty-two PR patients were included in the study. Forty-one (79%) of them registered HA Go before or during the PR training. Among them, thirty-four (83%) patients were eligible to access OT training through HA Go “Rehab”. Utilization rate was as high as 97%. Their mean age was 71 (range from 45 – 87). 88% of them were aged 65 or above. Thus age is not a hindrance to digital health, but visual or cognitive impairment leading to inability to operate smartphones and lack of social support are. Positive feedback has been received. Patients found it convenience and easy to use (4.7/5). The training materials and home program helped enhancing their knowledge (4.8/5), gaining confidence to live with the disease (4.7/5) and allowing them to make it a habit in participating home program (4.7/5).
The encouraging results from this new rehabilitation model supports us to further explore incorporation of HA Go into PR. While age is not a limitation to tele-health, effort should be made in providing adequate training to those underprivileged in using HA Go to access respiratory home program so as to expand service coverage, and enhance efficiency and effectiveness of PR.
