Authors (including presenting author) :
Cheng YF(1), Wu TC(1), Kwan KY(1), Lam CY(1), Wong R(2), Ng PK (1), Kwan HY(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kowloon Hospital, (2)Department of Chinese Medicine, Hospital Authority
Introduction :
Both Western medicine and Chinese medicine (CM) are widely available in Hong Kong. The Corporate has been enhancing its ICWM services for patients under designated disease areas including stroke, musculoskeletal pain management, cancer care, and recently to respiratory care. We believe that many of our in-patients suffering from chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) could benefit from this new service but implementation could be challenging.
Objectives :
To review the implementation process of ICWM program for Respiratory care in our unit and how we ensure smooth and successful running of the service without compromising patient safety.
Methodology :
Major challenges were the difference in workflow of administering CM and Western Medicine and that CM is new to us. Meetings between our clinical team, CMP and corporate ICWM team were organized. Site visit to departments that has implemented ICWM service was arranged. With reference to Corporate guidelines, local guidelines and workflow were established. The role and responsibility of each staff in the ICWM program were clearly stated. Referral mechanism including inclusion and exclusion criteria were carefully considered. Training on CM drug administration was arranged to our nursing staff to ensure medication safety. Lecture by Greater Bay Area (GBA) CM visiting scholar was conducted to explain the benefits of CM and precautions to be taken during clinical management. Locally designed gadgets were prepared to enhance communication among staff.
Result & Outcome :
The ICWM program for Respiratory Care was piloted in one ward since 9 June 2024. CMP assess patients for suitability and communicate with clinical team prior obtaining patient consent. To ascertain medication safety, the administration of CM was limited to one patient per cubicle at a time. After smooth running of pilot trial, the service was extended to another ward since 9 December 2024. As of January 2025, 31 patients having various CRD have been recruited into the program (COPD 24, 77.4%; asthma 3, 9.7%; bronchiectasis 4, 12.9%). Major barrier to recruitment were patients’ preference and financial reason. Both patients and our clinical staff welcomed this new program. Success of our ICWM program implementation illustrated the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and team-work: effective communication between CMP, our nurses and doctors, as well as the support from corporate ICWM team. Our experiences demonstrated that CM and Western medicine could be simultaneously prescribed to suitable in-patients having CRD. The service would be further extended to all wards in RMD to benefit more patients.
