Risk of mortality and complications in people with depressive disorder and diabetes mellitus: A 20-year population-based propensity score-matched cohort study.

People with depression have increased premature mortality and elevated prevalence of diabetes-mellitus compared to general population. However, risk of mortality and diabetes-related complications among patients with depression and co-occurring diabetes is under-studied. This population-based propensity score-matched (1:10) cohort study identified 12,175 patients with pre-existing depression and incident-diabetes (depression-diabetes group) and 117,958 patients with incident-diabetes only (diabetes-only group) between 2002 and 2021 in Hong-Kong, using territory-wide medical-record database of public-healthcare services, to investigate whether depression increased the risk of overall mortality, complications and post-complication mortality in people with diabetes.

Comparing remote programming of cochlear implants using two methods: portable laptop and remote hosted site.

Objectives: Compare two remote programming methods as a clinical service for user satisfaction, ease of use, preparation time and accessibility.

Method: Method 1 (Portable Laptop): A 'Programming Kit' including laptop was shipped to cochlear implant users' homes ( = 20). The audiologist at the implant center used remote desktop control of this laptop to adjust subjects' speech processors.

The 5-year outcomes of a health-empowerment program on low-income children's behaviors and quality of life.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the 5-year impact of a Health Empowerment Program (HEP) on mitigating problematic conducts and enhancing the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among children living in poverty.

Methods: A prospective cohort study (N = 239, Intervention group: n = 124, Comparison group: n = 115) was established with participants recruited between July 2013 and March 2016 and followed until November 2021. During the 5-year study period, children and their parents from the intervention group were invited to join a multi-dimensional HEP.

Changes in reasons for visits to primary care after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: An international comparative study by the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID).

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped healthcare delivery worldwide.

Objective: To explore potential changes in the reasons for visits and modality of care in primary care settings through the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective study from 2018-2021.

Changes in primary care visits for respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multinational study by the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID).

Objectives: The majority of patients with respiratory illness are seen in primary care settings. Given COVID-19 is predominantly a respiratory illness, the INTernational ConsoRtium of Primary Care BIg Data Researchers (INTRePID), assessed the pandemic impact on primary care visits for respiratory illnesses.

Design: Definitions for respiratory illness types were agreed on collectively.

Onabotulinum toxin injections for shoulder and chest wall muscle pain in breast cancer survivors: retrospective study - preliminary report.

Objectives: The primary objective of this retrospective review is to describe patient-reported improvement in muscular pain after initial treatment with onabotulinum toxin. A secondary objective was to determine other physiatry (physical medicine & rehabilitation (PM&R)) interventions ordered.

Methods: Preliminary retrospective review of physiatry interventions for 47 patients referred by breast radiation oncology to PM&R at a tertiary referral-based academic cancer centre clinic from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021 for muscular shoulder/chest wall pain.

Effectiveness of a 5-year health empowerment programme on promoting cardiovascular health for adults from low-income families in Hong Kong.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a health empowerment programme (HEP) to enhance cardiovascular health for adults from low-income families.

Methods: A prospective cohort study (N = 219, Intervention group: n = 103, comparison group: n = 116) was conducted with participants recruited from January 2013 to November 2015 and followed up until January 2022. Throughout the study duration, intervention group were invited to participate in the HEP.

Predictors of a Preference for Telemedicine Virtual Visits in Patients Undergoing Cancer Rehabilitation.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the use of virtual visits (telemedicine) at our cancer rehabilitation outpatient clinics from March 2020 to August 2021, when virtual visits became more widely available, and to identify any demographic and clinical variables making patients more likely to favor virtual over in-person visits. There were 3971 outpatient encounters (2020 virtual and 1951 in-person visits from a total of 1638 patients) in our cancer rehabilitation outpatient clinics during this time frame. Significant findings in both the univariate and multivariate analyses were race ( P < 0.

Optimizing the frequency of physician encounters in follow - up care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.

Background: Decisions on the frequency of physician encounters for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have significant impacts on both patients' health outcomes and burden on health systems, whereas definitive intervals for physician encounters are still lacking in most clinical guidelines. This study systematically reviewed the existing evidence evaluating different frequencies of physician encounters among T2DM patients.

Methods: Systematic search of studies evaluating different visit frequencies for follow - up care in T2DM patients was performed in MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, and Cochrane library from database inception to 25 March 2022.

Paediatric shadowing: a student-led initiative to increase medical student interest in paediatric careers.

Introduction: Clinical exposure to paediatrics increases student interest in the specialty. However, the paediatric placement is relatively short and usually falls towards the end of medical school in the UK. A student-led shadowing scheme was developed to provide opportunities for medical students, including those at an early stage, to experience clinical paediatrics.

Global impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on sexual and reproductive health services: An international comparative study on primary care from the INTRePID Consortium.

Objective: To understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) visits.

Design: An ecological study comparing SRH services volume in different countries before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting: Seven countries from the INTernational ConsoRtium of Primary Care BIg Data Researchers (INTRePID) across four continents.

Patient enablement and health-related quality of life for patients with chronic back and knee pain: a cross-sectional study in primary care.

Background: Chronic back and knee pain impairs health- related quality of life (HRQoL) and patient enablement can improve HRQoL.

Aim: To determine whether enablement was a moderator of the effect of chronic back and knee pain on HRQoL.

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional study of Chinese patients with chronic back and knee problems in public primary care clinics in Hong Kong.

Gene mutations as a non-invasive measure of adult cochlear implant performance: Variable outcomes in patients with select TMPRSS3 mutations.

Background: The cochlear implant (CI) has proven to be a successful treatment for patients with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, however outcome variance exists. We sought to evaluate particular mutations discovered in previously established sensory and neural partition genes and compare post-operative CI outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Utilizing a prospective cohort study design, blood samples collected from adult patients with non-syndromic hearing loss undergoing CI were tested for 54 genes of interest with high-throughput sequencing.

Changes in Patterns of Referral for Inpatient Rehabilitation Cancer Patients Due to COVID-19: A Retrospective Study.

There is a paucity of literature on the effect of COVID-19 on hospital processes. We hypothesized that COVID-19 was associated with decreased cancer physiatry referrals in 2020. This is a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients from April to July 2019 and 2020 admitted at an academic quaternary cancer center.

Health-related quality of life in Hong Kong physicians up to 20 years post-graduation: A cross-sectional survey.

Background: Problems with health-related quality of life can affect physicians' ability to work effectively. This study compared the health-related quality of life of Hong Kong physicians to the general population and explored the factors associated with mental and physical health-related quality of life.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2016.

The Impact of a Health Empowerment Program on Self-Care Enablement and Mental Health among Low-Income Families: Evidence from a 5 Year Cohort Study in Hong Kong.

Health empowerment can be an effective way to reduce health inequities. This prospective cohort study evaluated the 5 year impact of a health empowerment program (HEP) on health outcomes among adults from low-income families. The Patient Enablement Instrument version 2 (PEI-2), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), and 12 item Short-Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) were administered at baseline and follow-up for both intervention and comparison groups.

Feasibility and acceptability of electronic EQ-5D-5L for routine measurement of HRQOL in patients with chronic musculoskeletal problems in Hong Kong primary care.

Background: Information on HRQOL can enhance patient diagnosis and management but it is rarely available in routine clinical practice. This mixed-method study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of the electronic EQ-5D-5L measurement of HRQOL in patients with chronic musculoskeletal problems in primary care.

Methods: In three primary care clinics, 665 patients with musculoskeletal problems completed the electronic EQ-5D-5L and Visual Analogue Scale (e-EQ-5D-5L/VAS), and a questionnaire on socio-demographics, perceived ease of use (PEOU), and perceived usefulness (PU) at baseline and two follow-ups.

Who reports insufficient and disturbed sleep? Results from a representative population-based health survey in Hong Kong.

Objectives: To highlight the prevalence of sleep problems and identify associated risk factors among a representative sample recruited from the general population of Hong Kong.

Design, Setting And Participants: Participants included 12 022 individuals (aged 15 or above) who took part in the Population Health Survey 2014/15, a territory-wide survey conducted by the Department of Health of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures: Outcomes were the prevalence of (1) insufficient sleep (<6 hours sleep per day) and (2) any sleep disturbance (difficulty initiating sleep, intermittent awakenings, early awakening) ≥3 times per week in the past 30 days.

Changes in primary care visits arising from the COVID-19 pandemic: an international comparative study by the International Consortium of Primary Care Big Data Researchers (INTRePID).

Introduction: Through the ernational Consotium of rimary Care Bg ata Researchers (), we compared the pandemic impact on the volume of primary care visits and uptake of virtual care in Australia, Canada, China, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, the UK and the USA.

Methods: Visit definitions were agreed on centrally, implemented locally across the various settings in INTRePID countries, and weekly visit counts were shared centrally for analysis. We evaluated the weekly rate of primary care physician visits during 2019 and 2020.

Pain relief with elastic therapeutic taping.

Background And Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) occurs in 19%-85% of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Due to the high symptom burden, specifically pain in the soles of feet, we explore the role of elastic therapeutic (ET) taping for treatment of CIPN.

Case Description: We report two cases of patients with CIPN-induced foot pain while admitted to the hospital.