Newsletter No. 250

New Car e Model fo r Diabetes Promises Improved Outcom e A recent study reveals that diabetic patients who have been stabilized and discharged to the communit y with regula r complicatio n screenin g an d treatmen t pla n review b y specialist s reduce d hospita l admission rat e by 2 3 pe r cen t an d the surviva l rat e o f these diabeti c patient s wa s foun d to be 10 0 pe r cent. This innovative car e model enables diabetes sufferers to benefit from specialist input and education reinforcement. In 1995 , th e CUHK-Princ e o f Wale s Diabete s Car e Tea m pioneere d a qualit y improvemen t programme whic h involve s periodi c assessment s to documen t the risk profiles an d metabolic contro l o f patients referred to the Diabetes Clinic. Between 199 6 and 1998, 741 diabetic patients who had undergone comprehensive assessment s i n the Specialis t Diabete s Clini c o f the Prince o f Wales Hospita l an d foun d to be stable were discharge d to their f am i l y doctor s w i t h a management plan . A ll patient s were reinforce d wit h self-car e and treatmen t targe t value s prior t o discharg e whil e thei r family doctor s wer e advised to refer thei r patient s bac k t o the clini c fo r complicatio n screening wit h specialis t inpu t every 1 8 to 2 4 months . In 200 1 th e outcome s o f these patients were examined i n terms o f hospitalizatio n an d death rates . Durin g a media n follow-up o f 2.9 years, only 271 were referred back to the clini c for repetitiv e complicatio n screening . Th e hospita l admissio n rat e was reduce d from 25. 3 t o 19. 6 pe r cent. There was a relative risk reduction of 23 per cent in patients who ha d repetitive assessmen t and al l survived compared to 1. 7 per cen t of the remaining 470 patients withou t repetitiv e assessment . 'Given th e natural tendency o f diabete s t o consistentl y deteriorat e i f no t monitore d regularl y an d managed properly, th e importance o f complication screening , keeping the condition unde r contro l an d staying on target in diabetes management shoul d be emphasized and reinforced. These findings strongl y suggest that periodic assessments by a diabetes team provide a safety net for diabetic patients demonstrating increased risk o f cardiovascular an d renal complications. Ou r dat a clearly sho w the importance o f self - care, periodic assessmen t an d regular complicatio n screenin g by a diabetes team with specialis t inpu t and regular check-u p b y famil y doctor s i n reducing hospita l admissio n an d death rates. To mak e thi s concept an d its practice more prevalent, collaborations between health care professionals an d patients as well a s suppor t b y policy-maker s an d othe r stakeholder s ar e essential, ' sai d Prof . Pete r Ton g o f th e Department o f Medicine an d Therapeutics . CUHK and EMB Present Health Schools Award to Deserving Schools Representatives from award winning schools posing with the officiating guests F ifteen loca l school s wer e presente d th e Hon g Kon g Health y Schools Awar d by th e Centr e fo r Healt h Educatio n an d Healt h Promotion o f the University's Facult y of Medicine and the Educatio n and Manpower Bureau of the HKSAR. The schools have all achieved the standard s o f Healt h Promotin g School s se t by th e World Healt h Organization. Officiatin g a t the award s presentatio n ceremon y o n 13th November wer e Dr . Lind a Milan , directo r o f building health y communities an d populations, WHO Wester n Pacific Regio n Office , Dr. K . K . Chan , p r i n c i p a l assistan t secretar y ( c u r r i c u l u m development) o f the Education an d Manpower Bureau , Dr . Regin a Ching, assistan t directo r o f th e Centr e fo r Healt h Protection , Department o f Health , Mr . Justei n Won g Chun , chairma n o f th e Quality Educatio n Fund Assessment and Monitoring Subcommittee . Close to a hundred schools have joined the Hong Kong Health y Schools Awar d Schem e sinc e it s launc h b y th e Centr e fo r Healt h Education and Health Promotion in 2001. These participating school s have dedicate d themselve s t o healt h promotio n an d hav e mad e significant improvemen t regardin g thei r students ' menta l healt h problem, bullying , an d eating habits . The centre conducted a study on the effectiveness of the scheme and the report w i ll b e published i n Health Promotion International next year . Celebrated Landscape Painter Visits CC M r. Zh u Daoping , directo r o f th e Nanjin g Calligraph y an d Pa i n t i ng Academy , manage r o f th e Chines e A r t i s t s ' Association, deput y directo r o f the Jiangsu Artists' Association, an d chairman o f th e Nanjin g Artists ' Association , visite d Chun g Ch i College a s the college' s visitin g artis t 2004— 5 fro m 8t h t o 22n d November. Mr. Zhu, a renowned Chinese landscape painter, has, since 1980 , held ove r 3 0 sol o an d group exhibition s i n mainlan d China , Hon g Kong, Japan , Singapore , Malaysia , th e UK , Germany , Korea , th e US, France, and Finland. His works have been published in 1 0 books over th e past two decades . During hi s visit, Mr . Zh u delivere d a Friday Assembly Tal k o n 'The Landscape an d the Landscap e Painter s o f Nanjing ' o n 12t h November a t the college chapel , spok e o n 'Painter , Paintin g Tools , and Stationery ' at the College Life Luncheo n Talk on 15t h November , and conducte d a demonstration a t Li u Y i Tan g o f th e Pentecosta l Mission Hal l Comple x entitle d 'My Paintin g an d Me' o n 19t h November. CC and NA Mentorship Programmes C lose to 25 0 mentors , mentees, an d guest s o f Chung Ch i Colleg e partoo k i n the firs t large-scal e dinne r coordinated b y the programme committee o f th e college' s Mentorship Programm e o n 14th Oc t obe r . Th i s yea r a p p r o x i ma t e ly a hundred alumni and 1 70 students joined the programme whic h i s a joint effort between th e colleg e an d its alumni association. Its aims are to broaden the perspectives, improve communicatio n skills , and widen th e socia l networ k o f C h u n g Ch i s t uden t s through experienc e sharin g w i t h a l umn i engage d i n different professions . The Men t o r s h i p Programme of New Asia Colleg e was inaugurate d o n 30th October a t Yu n Ch i Hsien . Over a hundred mentor s an d mentees wer e i n attendance . The even t bega n wit h a we l comi ng speec h b y M r . Tam Yin g Si , president o f the college's alumn i association , f o l l owed b y word s o f encouragement by Prof . Henr y Wong, hea d of New Asia College . Mentor s an d mentees then introduced themselve s t o eac h other an d took par t i n other activities . 2 No. 250 4th December 2004