Publications by authors named "Vincent C H Chung"
Background: Meta-analyses (MAs) provide up-to-date, quantified evidence on treatment effects, which may be useful for clinical and policy decision-making. However, the quality of MAs varies, and methodological flaws can limit their reliability.
Aims: This review evaluated the methodological quality of MAs on sleep disorder treatments.
Purpose: Current evidence supports the use of integrative oncology (IO) interventions in cancer supportive care. The demand for outpatient IO services in Hong Kong is expected to soar following the surge in cancer incidence due to population ageing. This study identified the factors influencing the delivery and utilisation of outpatient IO from local stakeholders' perspectives and developed corresponding implementation strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTelemedicine 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Previously published meta-epidemiological studies focused on Western medicine have identified some trial characteristics that impact the treatment effect of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Nevertheless, it remains unclear if similar associations exist in RCTs on Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). Further, Chinese medicine-related characteristics have not been explored yet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Systematic reviews (SRs) could offer the best evidence supporting interventions, but methodological flaws limit their trustworthiness in decision-making. This cross-sectional study appraised the methodological quality of SRs on atopic dermatitis (AD) treatments.
Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Database for SRs on AD treatments published in 2019-2022.
Article Synopsis
- This study aimed to evaluate the link between healthy lifestyle choices and the occurrence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among adults in a UK population.
- A total of 64,268 adults aged 37-73, who did not have IBS at the study's start, were followed for an average of 12.6 years.
- Results showed that those adhering to more healthy lifestyle behaviors had a significantly lower risk of developing IBS, highlighting the potential benefits of lifestyle changes.
Objective: Systematic reviews (SRs) offer updated evidence to support decision-making on sepsis treatments. However, the rigour of SRs may vary, and methodological flaws may limit their validity in guiding clinical practice. This cross-sectional study appraised the methodological quality of SRs on sepsis treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used to treat conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcers, but their link to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not well understood.
- A large study involving over 459,000 participants found that regular PPI use significantly increased the risk of various CVD events, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure.
- The results suggest that healthcare providers should be cautious when prescribing PPIs due to their potential association with heightened cardiovascular risks.
Background: High 30-day readmission rates increase hospital costs and negatively impact patient outcomes in many healthcare systems, including Hong Kong. Evidence-based and local adaptable nurse-led interventions have not been established for reducing 30-day hospital readmissions among general medical patients in Hong Kong's public healthcare system.
Aims: The aim of this study was to select and refine evidence-based nurse-led interventions for reducing 30-day hospital readmissions among general medical patients in Hong Kong's public healthcare system using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Evidence to Decision (EtD) framework.
Background: Integrative oncology (IO) appears to be beneficial to patients with cancer, but its implementation remains a challenge. Guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model, this systematic review identified the barriers to and facilitators of IO implementation in conventional cancer care settings.
Methods: We searched eight electronic databases from their inception until February 2022 for qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods empirical studies reporting the implementation outcomes for IO services.
Objective: To systematically review the effectiveness of hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy (DPT) in plantar fasciopathy (PF) compared with other non-surgical treatments.
Data Sources: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Global Health, Ovid Nursing Database, Dimensions, and WHO ICTRP were searched from inception to April 30th, 2022.
Study Selection: Two independent reviewers selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness of DPT in PF compared with non-surgical treatments.
Introduction: The emergence and persistence of symptoms after acute COVID-19 is expected to become a major burden on healthcare systems. We assessed the features of the post-COVID-19 Syndrome (Long COVID) burden in a cohort of COVID-19 patients during the fifth major wave in Hong Kong.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 135 patients with confirmed COVID-19 from Feb to Apr 2022 who utilized traditional Chinese medicine telemedicine services was conducted.
Background: Carefully conducted systematic reviews (SRs) can provide reliable evidence on the effectiveness of treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nevertheless, the reliability of SR results can be limited by methodological flaws. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the methodological quality of SRs on AD treatments, along with potentially relevant factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is diagnosed based on self-reported symptoms and negative upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings. The Rome criteria were not adopted as a diagnostic instrument in clinical guidelines due to their complexity. Different guidelines used relatively simple symptom assessment schemes with contents that vary significantly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment strategies are guided by pattern differentiation, as documented in the eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). However, no standards for pattern differentiation are proposed to ensure inter-rater agreement. Without standardisation, research on associations between TCM diagnostic patterns, clinical features, and geographical characteristics is also not feasible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Social distancing is one of the main non-pharmaceutical interventions used in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review aims to synthesise research findings on the effectiveness of different types and levels of social distancing measures in the earlier stage of COVID-19 pandemic without the confounding effect of mass vaccination.
Design: Scoping review.
Background: Systematic reviews (SRs) synthesise the best evidence of effectiveness and safety on Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). Decision-making should be supported by the high-quality evidence of prudently conducted SRs, but the trustworthiness of conclusions may be limited by poor methodological rigour.
Methods: This survey aimed to examine the methodological quality of a representative sample of SRs on CHM published during January 2018 to March 2020.
Background: An overview of systematic reviews(SRs) and network meta-analysis(NMA) were conducted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of peri-discharge complex interventions for reducing 30-day readmissions among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) patients.
Methods: Five databases were searched for SRs of randomized controlled trials(RCTs). An additional search was conducted for updated RCTs from database inception until Jun 2020.
Background: Prokinetic is the first-line conventional treatment for functional dyspepsia (FD) in Asia despite potential adverse events. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may be an effective and safe substitution. This network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of different CHM formulae for FD against prokinetics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypertension is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease and to mortality. The combined effects of sleep factors on the risk of hypertension are unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of combined sleep factors on the risk of hypertension and to explore whether this association is independent of genetic risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: While well-conducted systematic reviews (SRs) can provide the best evidence on the potential effectiveness of acupuncture, limitations on the methodological rigour of SRs may impact the trustworthiness of their conclusions. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the methodological quality of a representative sample of SRs on acupuncture effectiveness.
Methods: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched for SRs focusing on the treatment effect of manual acupuncture or electro-acupuncture published during January 2018 and March 2020.
Background: Non-specific effect of acupuncture constitutes part of the overall effect generated via clinical encounter beyond needle insertion and stimulation. It is unclear how responders and non-responders of acupuncture experience non-specific effects differently. We aimed to compare their experiences in a nested qualitative study embedded in an acupuncture randomized trial on functional dyspepsia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine the association of incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk with sleep factors, genetic risk, and their combination effects.
Design: Large prospective population-based cohort study.
Methods: This population-based prospective cohort study included 360 403 (mean (s.
Background: In response to the World Health Organization's recommendation, policy makers have been adopting evidence-based healthcare approach to promote the development of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) into Hong Kong's health system. Disseminating synopses of clinical evidence from systematic reviews or randomized trials is regarded as a potentially effective strategy to promote evidence uptake. The study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing this strategy among Hong Kong Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chinese medicine (CM) modalities, including acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), are popular palliative interventions among patients with cancer, but further clinical research is required to assess their effectiveness and safety.
Objective: To prioritize top ten important CM clinical research questions from patients with cancer, cancer survivors and caregivers' perspectives via a face-to-face prioritization workshop in Hong Kong.
Methods: A list of 25 CM clinical research questions for cancer palliative care, which were identified from existing systematic reviews (SRs) and overview of SRs, was presented to 17 participants (patients with cancer [n = 5], cancer survivors [n = 6] and caregivers [n = 6]).