Authors (including presenting author) :
Fung HT, Chan PF, Lai KPL, Wong SN, Luk MH
Affiliation :
Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Kowloon East Cluster
Introduction :
Since the fifth wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic started in February 2022, the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant strain had caused a lot of outbreaks in RCHDs. If all the infected clients were transferred to Accident and Emergency Department (AED) and then hospitalized, the public health care system would be overwhelmed. As a result, our Department was tasked to take up the responsibility to support the RCHDs located in our cluster with the aim to reduce the workload of AED and unnecessary hospitalization.
Objectives :
To provide phone call support, arrange consultation appointments or direct admission for needed clients in RCHDs.
Methodology :
A team of senior doctors from Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care in Kowloon East Cluster (KEC) had taken up the responsibility for providing phone support to 43 RCHDs in KEC since February 2022. The doctors were responsible for receiving enquires about the caring of their infected clients and infection control issues. The doctors would also actively contact the RCHDs when there were outbreaks to provide advice on the caring of infected clients and clients with close contact history before they could be arranged to be isolated or quarantined in community treatment or isolation facilities respectively by the Social Welfare Department. The doctors would provide phone clinical assessment if necessary to decide whether they were stable for quarantined in community facilities, indicated for medical assessment in Designated Clinic (DC) or , GOPCs, by tele-consultation or indicated for direct admission to United Christian Hospital (UCH) or Tseung Kwan O Hospital (TKOH) for in-patient care.
Result & Outcome :
From 20 February 2022 to 10 December 2022, a total of 77 phone calls to 25 RCHDs were provided. 20 clients were arranged with either DC, GOPC or Tele-consultation appointments. Around 20 clients were arranged with direct admission to UCH or TKOH isolation wards after phone assessment.
The additional support to the needed clients in RCHDs during 5th wave epidemic of COVID-19 had helped reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and reduced further outbreaks in RCHDs.
