Page 161 - Hospital Authority Convention 2018

Masterclasses

M8.3 The Role of Family Medicine in Chronic Disease 09:00 Convention Hall A
Management

The Role of Family Medicine in Chronic Disease Management: What Can We Learn from Research Evidence
Wong SYS
The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2018

Hong Kong, like other economically developed regions, is experiencing population ageing. It is becoming common for people
to have multiple chronic conditions with complex health needs. Therefore, there is an increasing role for family doctors to take
the lead in looking after older adults with complex bio-psycho-social needs.

In this presentation, the epidemiology of multimorbidity and prevalent chronic conditions in Hong Kong from large population
surveys will be presented.

The current health service utilisation and service gaps in health services for older people and among people with chronic
conditions will be identified and compared with those of other developed countries using both quantitative and qualitative
data. The current and potential future role of family doctors and healthcare models that integrate both social and medical
care in addressing the identified health service gaps for older adults and people with chronic conditions will be discussed.

M8.4 The Role of Family Medicine in Chronic Disease 09:00 Convention Hall A
Management

The Role of Family Medicine in Chronic Disease Management: The Rising Importance to Healthcare
Liang J
Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong
The role of family medicine is becoming more important in the modern days. Firstly, its role is changing rapidly in response to
the challenges faced by all health services.
Secondly, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is one of the biggest challenges currently facing our health and
social care systems. Owing to this, caring for patients with chronic diseases is essential in day-to-day practice of family
physicians. Tuesday, 8 May 2018
Family physicians have a vital role to play in supporting those living with chronic diseases because when many health
professionals involved in providing support to patients with chronic diseases, family medicine can serve as a natural “home”
ensuring continuity of care is maintained over time.
Family medicine’s holistic approach means that they are best placed to provide “whole person” care, taking into account
patients’ social, mental, and physical wellbeing. As expert generalists, family physicians’ breadth of knowledge also means
that they are able to support the increasing number of patients living with multiple chronic diseases.

Patients living with multiple chronic diseases mean more people are sick for longer and present more complex problems
to their family physicians and primary care teams. This is rapidly becoming the norm among people with chronic diseases,
especially in vulnerable populations.

Thus, family medicine will take an important role to combat chronic diseases as it provides a comprehensive approach to
those with chronic diseases in the community. Family Physicians is working in multidisciplinary teams alongside secondary
care, social care and others to deliver better patients outcomes.

In summary, care planning with stratification will be the norm: We move away from merely passively treating individual
episodes of illness to better anticipating patients’ needs by planning and managing long-term care in the community. Care
planning is the norm for all patients with chronic diseases. Most importantly, family physicians will focus on patients with
several chronic diseases as it is rapidly becoming the norm among those with chronic diseases who are more in need for
holistic person-centred care.
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