Authors (including presenting author) :
NG MY (1), HUI KM (1), KAM KW (2), LAU OY (2)
Affiliation :
(1) Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, Department of Medicine & Geriatrics, TMH
(2) Patient Resources Centre, TMH
Introduction :
Diabetes is one of the major chronic diseases in Hong Kong. At present, there are over 700,000 people suffering from diabetes, that is, 1 out of every 10 people is having diabetes. According to International Diabetes Federation, the number of people with diabetes in Hong Kong will increase to 920,000 (13% of the population) by 2030. Building up a healthy lifestyle and capacity for self-management is essential for diabetic patients to prevent complications.
In view of this, NTWC worked collaboratively with community partners (NGOs, University and Patient Group), as well as District Health Centres to launch a comprehensive and multidisciplinary project on enhancing the community support of diabetic patients.
Objectives :
The program targeted Diabetic patients and their families as well as staff from healthcare and social services sectors. It aimed to arouse public awareness of their diabetes self-care management through:
- organizing a series of empowerment workshop to enhance patients’ knowledge, attitude, and practice towards diabetes self-care
- networking community partners to bridge patients to the community resources and services for providing sustainable support and care
Methodology :
1. Planning and preparation Stage
- Plan and design the program with Endocrine Team and community partners based on patient needs.
- Liaison with community partners and invite multidisciplinary professional as guest speakers
- Promote the program through diversified channels
2. Implementation Stage
- Organize six sessions of empowerment workshop and educational exhibition stands for introducing the knowledge, self-management tips and community services of Diabetes.
- Involve the patient support group members for peer support
3. Evaluation Stage
- Collect the satisfaction survey and feedback from participants and community partners.
Result & Outcome :
The program served over 300 participants with more than 1500 attendances. All respondents viewed that empowerment workshops were practical and useful. Some participants expressed that the program was comprehensive and informative that different professionals were involved. Some participants proposed organizing similar program regularly.
More importantly, some participants found services of District Health Centers were useful for providing continuous support for managing DM. They found that Medical Social Collaboration effectively facilitates patients to connect with relevant community resources and manage their health sustainably.
