Effectiveness of a home-based peer support programme for Chinese mothers with low breastfeeding self-efficacy to increase the exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding: study protocol of a randomised control trial.

Introduction: Breastfeeding is associated with many health benefits for both women and their newborns. Exclusive breastfeeding has been recommended for at least 6 months to optimise infant growth, development and health. In addition to standard care, community-based peer support is recommended to help mothers improve breastfeeding.

Impact of additional community services provision on dementia caregiver burden: an interrupted time-series analysis of 12-year interRAI assessments in Hong Kong.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of providing additional dementia caregiver support services on caregiver burden.

Design: Interrupted time-series analysis using territory-wide panel data.

Settings: All public-funded district elderly community centres in Hong Kong (HK).

Caregivers' Experience of End-of-Life Stage Elderly Patients: Longitudinal Qualitative Interview.

Objectives: This study seeks to provide an understanding of the changing experiences in caregivers of end-of-life patients in Hong Kong through exploring their caregiving journey.

Methods: Using longitudinal individual qualitative interviews, a total of 14 caregivers of community-dwelling elderly patients receiving end-of-life care were recruited between 2015 and 2016. A series of in-depth interviews and observations were conducted in 14 cases during the end-of-life journey.

Comparing Multimorbidity Patterns Among Discharged Middle-Aged and Older Inpatients Between Hong Kong and Zurich: A Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering Analysis of Routine Hospital Records.

Multimorbidity, defined as the co-occurrence of ≥2 chronic conditions, is clinically diverse. Such complexity hinders the development of integrated/collaborative care for multimorbid patients. In addition, the universality of multimorbidity patterns is unclear given scarce research comparing multimorbidity profiles across populations.

Prevalence and determinants of potentially inappropriate medication use in Hong Kong older patients: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in Hong Kong older patients visiting general outpatient clinics (GOPCs) between 2006 and 2014 and to identify factors associated with PIM use among older adults visiting GOPCs in 2014.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: GOPC.

Long-term effectiveness of elderly health care voucher scheme strategies: a system dynamics simulation analysis.

Background: The elderly healthcare voucher (EHCV) scheme is expected to lead to an increase in the number of elderly people selecting private primary healthcare services and reduce reliance on the public sector in Hong Kong. However, studies thus far have reported that this scheme has not received satisfactory responses. In this study, we examined changes in the ratio of visits between public and private doctors in primary care (to measure reliance on the public sector) for different strategic scenarios in the EHCV scheme.

Comparison of adaptive versions of the Hong Kong-specific criteria and 2015 Beers criteria for assessing potentially inappropriate medication use in Hong Kong older patients.

Background: The Hong Kong-specific criteria have been established in 2019 to assess potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in older adults and improve the local prescribing quality. The aim of this study was to compare the adaptive versions of the Hong Kong-specific criteria and 2015 Beers criteria for assessing the prevalence and correlates of PIM use in Hong Kong older patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014 using the Hospital Authority (HA) database.

Healthcare inequalities in emergency visits and hospitalisation at the end of life: a study of 395 019 public hospital records.

Objectives: To investigate whether there were any socioeconomic disparities in utilisation of hospital care services during end of life in Hong Kong.

Methods: Secondary data analyses were conducted using frequency of the accident and emergency (A&E) department visits and hospital admissions during the last year of life in all public hospitals from 2004 to 2014 in Hong Kong. A total of 1 237 044 A&E records from 357 853 patients, and 1 878 982 admission records from 375 506 patients were identified for analyses.

How common are Chinese patients with multimorbidity involved in decision-making and having a treatment plan? A cross-sectional study.

Background: Creating a treatment plan (TP) through shared decision-making (SDM) with healthcare professionals is of paramount importance for patients with multimorbidity (MM). This study aims to estimate the prevalence of SDM and TP in patients with MM and study the association between SDM/TP with patients' confidence to manage their diseases and hospitalization within the previous 1 year.

Method: This cross-sectional study used an internationally recognized survey.

Caregiving burnout of community-dwelling people with dementia in Hong Kong and New Zealand: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Informal caregiving for people with dementia can negatively impact caregivers' health. In Asia-Pacific regions, growing dementia incidence has made caregiver burnout a pressing public health issue. A cross-sectional study with a representative sample helps to understand how caregivers experience burnout throughout this region.

Can voucher scheme enhance primary care provision for older adults: cross-sectional study in Hong Kong.

Background: The Hong Kong government has launched the Elderly Health Care Voucher (EHCV) scheme to facilitate primary care in the private sector for older adults. This study aimed to examine whether voucher use was associated with a shift of healthcare burden from the public to the private sector, vaccine uptake and continuity of care.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey recruited older adults with ≥3 chronic diseases through convenience sampling from seven general outpatient clinics, seven geriatric day hospitals, and five specialist outpatient clinics of the public healthcare sector in Hong Kong.

Association between antipsychotic use and acute ischemic heart disease in women but not in men: a retrospective cohort study of over one million primary care patients.

Background: Research comparing sex differences in the effects of antipsychotic medications on acute ischemic heart disease (IHD) is limited and the findings ambiguous. This study aimed to investigate these associations within a primary care setting.

Methods: Hong Kong public general outpatient electronic records of patients aged 45+ during 2007-2010 were extracted, with the last consultation date as the baseline for a 4-year follow-up period to observe acute IHD hospitalizations (2011-2014).

Scoping Review: Intergenerational Resource Transfer and Possible Enabling Factors.

We explore the intergenerational pattern of resource transfer and possible associated factors. A scoping review was conducted of quantitative, peer-reviewed, English-language studies related to intergenerational transfer or interaction. We searched AgeLine, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts for articles published between Jane 2008 and December 2018.

Quality of Palliative and End-Of-Life Care in Hong Kong: Perspectives of Healthcare Providers.

Background: In response to population aging, there is a need for health systems to focus on care for chronic disease, specifically palliative care, while focusing on people-centered care. The objective of this study is to explore the healthcare system enablers and barriers to the provision of quality palliative and end-of-life care from the perspective of healthcare professionals.

Materials And Methods: Using purposive sampling, fifteen focus group interviews and nine individual interviews involving 72 healthcare providers were conducted.

Examining the Gaps and Issues of End-of-Life Care among Older Population through the Lens of Socioecological Model-A Multi-Method Qualitative Study of Hong Kong.

End-of-life (EOL) care for terminal illness and life-limiting conditions is a sector in the health service spectrum that is drawing increased attention. Despite having the world's longest life expectancy and an ever-escalating demand for long-term care, Hong Kong's EOL care was underdeveloped. The current study aims to provide a holistic picture of gaps and issues to EOL care in Hong Kong.

Sociodemographic moderation of the association between depression and stroke incidence in a retrospective cohort of 0.4 million primary care recipients with hypertension.

Background: Previous research has suggested an association between depression and subsequent acute stroke incidence, but few studies have examined any effect modification by sociodemographic factors. In addition, no studies have investigated this association among primary care recipients with hypertension.

Methods: We examined the anonymized records of all public general outpatient visits by patients aged 45+ during January 2007-December 2010 in Hong Kong to extract primary care patients with hypertension for analysis.

Characteristics of and gender difference factors of hikikomori among the working-age population: A cross-sectional population study in rural Japan.

Objectives　This study aimed to assess the relevance of hikikomori to a variety of socio-demographic characteristics and socio-psychological conditions and examined these relationships by gender.Methods　The study employed a cross-sectional design. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 2,459 participants aged 15-64 years and living in Happo-cho, Akita.

Preferences for end-of-life care: a study protocol for a cross-sectional survey of Chinese frail elderly home residents in Hong Kong.

Introduction: Existing literature on attitudes toward end-of-life care (EoLC) covers the general public but has little information on the frail elderly population. The aim of the current study is to investigate the preferences of Chinese frail elderly home residents with respect to EoLC by conducting cross-sectional surveys.

Methods And Analysis: Surveys, including resident and family versions, were developed based on the existing literature and our pilot interviews.

Governance Functions to Accelerate Progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have committed to universal health coverage (UHC), which is reflected in both their political commitment and the governance actions they have taken in steering their health systems toward the goals of universal access to care and protection from financial hardship. Countries throughout the region are at different stages of development and have different political and governance contexts, which in turn shape how they pursue governance for UHC. This article reviews the governance functions deployed in the Asia-Pacific and finds that, in many, governance reforms adapting their health systems toward greater regulation, accountability, oversight, and stewardship of the health system have been part of their wider move toward UHC.

Multimorbidity in middle age predicts more subsequent hospital admissions than in older age: A nine-year retrospective cohort study of 121,188 discharged in-patients.

Background: Previous research has suggested a differential short-term effect of multimorbidity on hospitalization by age, with younger groups affected more. This study compares the nine-year hospitalization pattern by age and multimorbidity status in a retrospective cohort of discharged in-patients, who represent a high-need portion of the population.

Methods: We examined routine clinical records of all patients aged 45+ years with chronic conditions discharged from public general hospitals in 2005 in Hong Kong.

Collaborate across silos: Perceived barriers to integration of care for the elderly from the perspectives of service providers.

Purpose: To examine the barriers that hinder collaboration between health care and social care services and to report recommendations for effective collaboration to meet the growing support and care needs of our ageing population.

Methods: Data for this qualitative study were obtained from interviews with 7 key informants (n = 42) and 22 focus groups (n = 117) consisting of service providers who were from the health care or social care sectors and supporting elderly patients with multiple chronic diseases or long-term care needs. Data collection was conducted from 2015 to 2016.

Uncovering Hidden Topics in Hong Kong Clinical Research Through Hospital Authority Convention Publications.

Uncovering clinical research trends allows us to understand the direction of healthcare services and is essential for longer-term healthcare planning. The Hospital Authority Convention is a mainstream annual healthcare conference that gathers up-to-date Hong Kong medical research. We propose to use state-of-the-art medical document mining and topic modelling methods to uncover latent themes and structures in the publications.