In the Media

In response to a special call under the Public Sector Trial Scheme for projects to combat the COVID-19 epidemic, the School of Nursing took part in a trial project of a fast-track vented enclosure developed by City University of Hong Kong. The enclosure is made of breathable protective materials and aims to prevent viruses from spreading through the air in hospitals, thereby minimising the possibility of cross-infection between medical staff and patients. Dr Janet Wong Yuen-ha of the School said, "We are happy to provide a trial site and post-trial comments for the project. We hope the project will further protect the safety of medical staff and benefit the medical sector." The project was one of 63 projects approved by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government which together received total funding of over $102 million.

(Hong Kong Commercial Daily – October 30, 2020)

Miss Omme Kulsoom Akhtar (Kulsoom), a year 3 Pakistani student in the Bachelor of Nursing (Full-time) programme, shared her nursing education journey with Ming Pao. After witnessing the communication barriers between her family and relatives and hospital staff, Kulsoom decided to enrol in the HKU nursing programme. She wishes to help ethnic minority patients when she joins the healthcare profession after graduation.

(Ming Pao Daily News – January 11, 2021)

The Hong Kong Alliance for Advocacy Against Alcohol quoted a survey conducted from April 9 to 23 in 2020 by HKU’s School of Public Health and School of Nursing that found 36.8 per cent of the 1,501 people surveyed had reported reducing alcohol consumption due to bar closures and social gathering restrictions implemented to suppress the spread of COVID-19. However, 5.5 per cent of alcohol users reported that they had actually increased alcohol consumption because of feeling lonely and bored. The Alliance published a position statement in the Hong Kong Medical Journal calling for government action to reduce alcohol-related damage in the territory.

(SCMP Online, 881903.com, news.rthk.hk – February 1, 2021)

The School has engaged in an evaluation study of the “VRehab Generation” Project developed by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals with support from the HKU Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. A set of virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation training programmes have been developed for elderly people and those with disabilities on topics that include physical training, cognitive training, community living skills training and relaxation. The VR programmes provide a close-to-reality environment, which allows service users to break through their physical and environmental constraints and participate purposefully in rehabilitation training in an enjoyable way. The study conducted by Dr Patsy Chau Pui-hing demonstrated that a universal set of VR training was feasible and acceptable for the target groups, and found that participants had improved upper-limb dexterity and cognitive function.

(Sing Tao Daily News – March 14, 2021)

Dr Kelvin Wang Man-ping was interviewed in the TV programme “Golden Age Diary” on Viu TV channel 99 on April 18, 2021, in which he introduced the Jockey Club SMART Family-Link project and how it encouraged the elderly to use information and communications technology to communicate with their families.

(“Golden Age Diary” on Viu TV channel 99 – April 18, 2021)

A survey by HKU Youth Quitline found that the proportion of Hong Kong smokers aged 25 or younger who had used new tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products, surged to a record high of 85.9% in 2019-2020. The findings were reported at a press conference on April 29. HKU Youth Quitline is the first youth-oriented smoking cessation hotline in Hong Kong and was jointly established by HKUMed’s School of Nursing and School of Public Health, the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at HKU and the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health.

(RTHK, The Standard Online, TVB News, Now News, Metroradio Instant News, on.cc, Wen Wei Po Online, Headline Daily Online, Sky Post Online, TOPick, HK01, Bastillepost - April 29, 2021; China.huanqiu, SCMP, The Standard, Ming Pao Daily News, Oriental Daily News, Wen Wei Po, Ta Kung Pao, Sky Post, Lion Rock Daily – April 30, 2021)

Dr Janet Wong Yuen-ha, Associate Professor and then Director of the Bachelor of Nursing (Full-time) programme, and Mr Chan Yat-wah, Year 5 BNurs student, were interviewed at a media briefing about the School’s measures to help students stay confident and on track during the disruptions caused by COVID-19. Since face-to-face classes and clinical practicums were suspended by most universities, the School made use of VSim, an online learning platform through which students can develop their clinical reasoning skills and prepare for practice. Through case studies and simulation scenarios, students were able to improve their critical thinking and understand nursing procedures. The School has also purchased six patient simulators for students to practice their nursing skills on. With both approaches, teachers can review students’ progress and provide feedback during debriefing sessions, so students can learn from their mistakes and be better prepared for their careers.

(am730, Hong Kong Economic Times, Sing Tao Daily, Wen Wei Po, Lion Rock Daily, Sing Tao Instant News, Wen Wei Po Instant News, Headline Daily Instant News, am730 Instant News, Edigest Instant News, Topick.hket.com, HK01 – May 3, 2021)