A study protocol for the policy intervention design and development of the implementation strategies for direct access to physiotherapists in primary care: a sequential mixed-method study using implementation mapping and a Delphi survey.

Background: In many Asian jurisdictions, patients are required to obtain referrals from registered doctors before consulting physiotherapists. In contrast, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have a direct access model for physiotherapists designed across different healthcare settings and under prescribed conditions. While research has demonstrated the benefits of direct access, issues remain on the appropriate policy design for direct access in the context of patient safety and organizational challenges in the implementation.

Lay health coaching intervention for older adults with chronic diseases: study protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Background: A large proportion of older adults suffer from chronic diseases. Health coaching is a promising intervention that enhances individuals' health knowledge and supports changes in health behaviours. Even though health professionals usually conduct health coaching interventions, lay health workers from different backgrounds account for a growing segment of health coaches over the years.

Association of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir with post-acute sequelae and mortality among patients who are immunocompromised with COVID-19 in Hong Kong: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The effect of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir on post-COVID-19 outcomes for individuals who are immunocompromised is understudied. We aimed to examine the association of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir with post-acute sequelae and mortality among patients who are immunocompromised and admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

Methods: We did a retrospective cohort study using territory-wide electronic health records from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority and Hong Kong Department of Health.

COVID-19 vaccination modified the effect of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir on post-acute mortality and rehospitalization: a retrospective cohort study.

While previous research examined coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antiviral-vaccine interactions through exploratory subgroup analysis, none specifically designed for examining this interaction or its impact on post-acute outcomes. This study examined the interaction between nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and complete COVID-19 vaccination on reducing the risk of post-acute outcomes among COVID-19 patients. We followed COVID-19 patients hospitalized between 11 March 2022 and 10 October 2023, until 31 October 2023 in Hong Kong.

Predicting the risk of colorectal cancer among diabetes patients using a random survival forest-guided approach.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide. Diabetes and CRC share many overlapping lifestyle risk factors such as obesity, heavy alcohol use, and diet. This study aims to develop a risk scoring system for CRC prediction among diabetes patients using routine medical records.

Public Preference for Off-Label Use of Drugs for Cancer Treatment and Relative Importance of Associated Adverse Events: A Discrete Choice Experiment and Best-Worst Scaling.

Background And Objective: Patients may get more treatment options with off-label use of drugs while exposed to unknown risks of adverse events. Little is known about the public or demand-side perspective on off-label drug use, which is important to understand how to use off-label treatment and devise financial assistance. This study aimed to quantify public preference for off-label cancer treatment outcomes, process, and costs, and perceived importance of associated adverse events.

Patient experience and satisfaction with shared decision-making: A cross-sectional study among outpatients.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how doctor-patient communication, trust in doctors impacted patients' experience and satisfaction in shared decision-making (SDM).

Methods: This study is based on the data from a cross-sectional survey (n = 12,401) conducted in 27 public specialist outpatient clinics in Hong Kong.

Results: The multivariable regression models revealed that doctors' better communication skills were associated with lower decision-making involvement (odd ratio, 0.

Risk Factors Associated With General and Abdominal Obesity Among South Asian Minorities in Hong Kong.

South Asians have become a sizable ethnic minority in Hong Kong with unique health and social needs often being overlooked. Elevated obesity risk among South Asians has been highlighted in high-income Western settings; however, relevant local evidence is scarce. This cross-sectional study aims to explore the obesity prevalence and related risk factors among South Asians in Hong Kong.

The influence of written medication reminder on patient experience among older adult patients: a repeat cross-sectional study.

Background: Older adult patients are particularly vulnerable to medication-related issues during the discharge process. To enhance medication discharge education and patient experience, a written medication reminder, incorporating crucial medication side effects and warning signs, was implemented in medicine wards. This study aimed to examine the influence of this reminder on patient experience and medication-taking behaviors among older adults in public healthcare settings.

Scoring System for Predicting the Risk of Liver Cancer among Diabetes Patients: A Random Survival Forest-Guided Approach.

Background: Most liver cancer scoring systems focus on patients with preexisting liver diseases such as chronic viral hepatitis or liver cirrhosis. Patients with diabetes are at higher risk of developing liver cancer than the general population. However, liver cancer scoring systems for patients in the absence of liver diseases or those with diabetes remain rare.

Implementing the information system for older adult patients post-discharge self-management: a qualitative study.

Background: Discharging older adult patients from the hospital poses risks due to their vulnerable conditions, complex instructions and limited health literacy. Insufficient information about medication side effects adds to patient concerns. To address this, a post-discharge information summary system was developed.

Outcomes and Hospital Service Use Among Patients With COPD in a Nurse- and Allied Health-Led Clinic.

Importance: Multidisciplinary disease management efforts enable the improvement in lung function among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but there is little evidence of its association with risks of adverse health outcomes and health care service use.

Objective: To examine the association between the use of a nurse- and allied health-led primary care clinic for respiratory patients, namely the Nurse and Allied Health Clinic-Respiratory Care (NAHC-Respiratory), and their risks of mortality and morbidity and health care service use.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This territory-wide, population-based, propensity-matched, retrospective cohort study used data from the electronic health records of all patients who used public health care services in Hong Kong, China, from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019.

Association between asthma and COVID-19 severity during Omicron epidemic: a retrospective cohort study using real-world data.

Background: The available evidence presented inconsistencies and inconclusive findings regarding the associations between co-existing asthma and mortality among COVID-19 patients. The objective of the current study is to investigate the relationship between asthma and severe outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in an infection-naïve population.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study using propensity score matching was conducted.

Population Behavior Changes Underlying Phasic Shifts of SARS-CoV-2 Exposure Settings Across 3 Omicron Epidemic Waves in Hong Kong: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Exposure risk was shown to have affected individual susceptibility and the epidemic spread of COVID-19. The dynamics of risk by and across exposure settings alongside the variations following the implementation of social distancing interventions are understudied.

Objective: This study aims to examine the population's trajectory of exposure risk in different settings and its association with SARS-CoV-2 infection across 3 consecutive Omicron epidemic waves in Hong Kong.

Relationship between parental acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and attitudes towards measles vaccination for children: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to decreased measles vaccination rates globally, exacerbating vaccine hesitancy. This study examines the relationship between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and childhood measles vaccination among parents in Hong Kong.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Hong Kong from March to September 2022.

Caregiver Employees' Mental Well-Being in Hong Kong.

Background: The rapidly aging global population has increased the demand for caregivers. Many caregivers simultaneously engage in paid employment, and the dual role makes the needs of caregiver employees conceivably more remarkable. However, there is a gap in the literature about the specific needs of caregiver employees.

Association between meteorological variations and the superspreading potential of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Background: While many investigations examined the association between environmental covariates and COVID-19 incidence, none have examined their relationship with superspreading, a characteristic describing very few individuals disproportionally infecting a large number of people.

Methods: Contact tracing data of all the laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong from February 16, 2020 to April 30, 2021 were used to form the infection clusters for estimating the time-varying dispersion parameter (k), a measure of superspreading potential. Generalized additive models with identity link function were used to examine the association between negative-log k (larger means higher superspreading potential) and the environmental covariates, adjusted with mobility metrics that account for the effect of social distancing measures.

The Provision and Perceptions of Telemedicine Services Among Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners During COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hong Kong, China.

Telemedicine has been widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other health care professionals, Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs) face practical challenges in providing telemedicine consultations. This study aims to explore CMPs' experience and perceptions of telemedicine service provision before and during the pandemic.

Evaluating the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages tax on overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes in an affluent Asian setting: A willingness-to-pay survey and simulation analysis.

Background: The potential health effects of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been insufficiently examined in Asian contexts. This study aimed to assess the impact of SSB taxation on the prevalence of obesity/overweight and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Hong Kong using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) survey and simulation analysis.

Methods: A random telephone survey was conducted with 1000 adults from May to June 2020.

Applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to investigate factors of implementing alcohol screening and brief intervention among primary care physicians and nurses in Hong Kong, China: an exploratory sequential mixed-method study.

Background: Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) is an evidence-based intervention recommended by the World Health Organization. This study applied the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to understand facilitators and barriers of SBI implementation in primary care settings in Hong Kong, China.

Methods: This was a sequential mixed-method study.

Social Support, Resilience, and Mental Health Among Three High-Risk Groups in Hong Kong: A Mediation Analysis.

Objectives: To compare the prevalence of anxiety/depression, resilience, and social support among nurses, foreign domestic helpers (FDHs), and residents living in subdivided units (SDUs), and to examine their associations in these high-risk groups in Hong Kong during Omicron waves.

Methods: We recruited 1,014 nurses, 621 FDHs, and 651 SDU residents from December 2021 to May 2022 in this cross-sectional survey. The depression, anxiety, social support, and resilience levels were measured by the validated scales.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated profiles and subsequent site-specific risk of obesity-related cancers among Chinese patients with diabetes: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To compare metabolic dysfunction-associated profiles between patients with diabetes who developed different obesity-related site-specific cancers and those who remained free of cancer during follow-up.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Public general outpatient clinics in Hong Kong.