An eye-opening experience for radiographers to visit Guangdong hospitals

Nelson Wan (second from left) and his colleagues visited the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University to learn about the development of ultrasound technology.

Following the visit of five radiographers from Guangdong Province to Hong Kong public hospitals in August 2023, 14 radiographers and five medical physicists were sent on a two-week exchange visit to grade 3A hospitals in Guangdong by the Hospital Authority (HA) through ‘Guangdong-Hong Kong Radiographer and Physicist Talent Exchange Programme’ at the beginning of this year. The Hong Kong team visited a range of departments, including ultrasound, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, and diagnostic imaging, gaining valuable insights into the rapid recent advances in the Mainland’s healthcare system and its radiology and patient service models.

“I had visited the Mainland for exchanges in the past, but at that time the technology wasn’t considered cutting-edge,” says Nelson Wan, Senior Radiographer of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, as well as one of the members of this exchange visit. “On this year’s visit, however, I saw grade 3A hospitals using advanced cloud systems, electronic procedures, and other hi-tech elements. Many of their practices are worth learning from and emulating for practitioners in Hong Kong,” he concludes. Witnessing the development of radiology in the Mainland was the biggest eye-opener for Nelson. “Hospitals there adhere to the principle of specialisation,” he explains. “The categorisation and division of labour within the radiology departments are meticulous and clear, and staff are well-versed in the relevant processes and technical applications.

“What’s more, they have adopted numerous innovative technologies, such as the cyclotron used in the nuclear medicine department. The ultrasound department has also introduced artificial intelligence (AI) instruments developed in the Mainland to assist in examinations. Both my colleagues and I were very interested in it and we observed up close.” Nelson hopes there will be further, longer exchange programmes in future.

Priscilla Poon (photo), HA Chief Manager (Allied Health), believes the exchanges will lead to closer cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in the development of radiology and oncology, potentially using the AI technology and medical equipment developed in the Mainland to ease the workload of clinical teams. The Mainland team has a wealth of case histories and teaching materials that can be used in conjunction with large-scale data analysis to enhance service quality. Priscilla says the next round of exchange visit will follow and she hopes to invite the Mainland experts to share their workflow and technologies with the HA.

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