CAHMR Working Paper Series

Abstract: Palliative care service is a growing trend for patients with terminal illnesses. The purpose of palliative care service is to improve the quality of life for the patients and their family by providing comprehensive care such as symptoms control, pain relief and counselling support. More and more people prefer to spend the final stage of their life in a comfortable environment with adequate care. Palliative care service in Hong Kong is inadequate and enhancement of the service is needed. This review paper aims to evaluate the current development of palliative care service in Hong Kong and suggest improvement of the service. Literature review of published research studies has been conducted. Compare to other countries or regions, the existing palliative care in Hong Kong is lagging behind the international standards. This study reveals that the system in Hong Kong is lacking of comprehensive policy, thus limiting the organisations to provide the service in small-scale operations, and resulting in fragmentation of the co-operation between the public and private sectors. Factors such as professional training, community engagement, culture and financial issues are affecting the adequacy of palliative care service. To facilitate the development of palliative care service for patients who are in need, initiating palliative care guideline, expanding professional education and training, increasing government funding to organisations that provide palliative care and increasing public awareness about the service are recommended.

Abstract: Information technology keeps advancing and the use of smartphone and social media has not been widely adopted in the elderly population. The Government has initiated different programmes to promote and enhance the quality of life among older adults. Benefits of using smartphone and social media mainly include maintaining communication with families and friends, finding entertainment, receiving informal education, and enhancing healthcare and safety. However, the elderly gave mixed comments on the use of information technology. Some elderly perceived new technology adoptions as being complicated and difficult to use and non-user-friendly design. Cost-effectiveness and privacy are also barriers to them. To change attitudes of the elderly, the government may cooperate with non-government organisations to organise more promotional activities. Family members and the manufacturers can also assist the elderly by improving cybersecurity and creating a simple and easy-to-use design.