Authors (including presenting author) :
Tsang WY (1), Li MP (1), Tse CL (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Operation Theatre and Theatre Service Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital
Introduction :
With the trend of applying smart technology in healthcare system, Hospital Authority launched HA Go app to improve patient experience in overall healthcare journey. Hence, healthcare professionals can prescribe health related information via HA Go. In pain management, an electronic book, animated videos, and leaflet were adopted in HA Go for patient education. Pain nurses can prescribe corresponding electronic education material to patients via HA Go.
Objectives :
1. To provide smart care for patient self-management
2. To enhance patient’s self-efficacy
3. To reduce patient’s pain intensity and pain interference
Methodology :
From Jun 2023 to Sept 2024, 102 chronic pain patients were recruited in PMH pain nurse clinic, 52 of them with HA Go app installed in smart phones. Participants were aged above 18, mentally and cognitively fit, divided into 2 groups: control group (N=50) receiving standard nursing interventions for 4 sessions follow up in pain nurse clinic while study group (N=52) receiving the same nursing interventions but on top with education materials prescription via HA Go during the first pain nurse clinic session. Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) were provided for evaluation. Student t-test was used for the analysis on the mean difference for the scoring on the BPI and PSEQ.
Result & Outcome :
Results showed there is improvement in enhancing self-efficacy, in addition, both pain intensity and pain interference decreased in both groups. The PSEQ scoring was significantly higher in the study group (M=3.62, SD=6.47) than the control group (M= 1.42, SD = 3.61); t (100) =-2.10, p<.05, one-tailed. There were no significant differences in average pain score and average pain interference between both groups. This pilot study provided evidence of the effectiveness for enhancing patient’s self-efficacy by prescribing education materials via HA Go, as a result, chronic pain patients with more confidence to cope with their pain conditions in daily life.
In view of positive outcomes achieved by prescribing educational materials via HA Go, in additional to enhance smart healthcare, healthcare professionals are encouraged to prescribe related healthcare information to patient via HA Go, to let patients access information more easily and conveniently through this platform. Electronic education materials can be further uploaded to HA Go for prescription to patients in long run.
