Close watch kept on Chinese medicine clinics
There have been a number of letters in these columns on the development of Chinese medicine in the Hospital Authority.
I wish to update readers on this matter and rectify some misconceptions. In accordance with the government's direction set out in policy addresses, the Hospital Authority board endorsed the development of an evidence-based Chinese medicine service model through four areas - information and research, education and communication, quality service management and pharmacy.
The authority now supervises Chinese medicine clinics through a tripartite mode of collaboration with a non-governmental organisation and a university.
All junior practitioners are graduates from the schools of Chinese medicine of the three local universities in which medical science is a core part of the curriculum. There is also a structured programme of in-service training and continued professional development.
The clinics are served with a Chinese medicine information system developed by the authority for clinical information management. This paperless system also supports service administration, data analysis and planning. There is a modernised Chinese medicine pharmacy system in which Chinese medicine pharmacy practice aligns with western medicine standards.
The Hospital Authority provides central bulk purchase to ensure the quality and safety of the herbs supplied. The system enables electronic order entry of herbal prescriptions and dispensing. It also provides alerts on high dosage and herb-herb interaction with a central database for analysis and audit. A Chinese medicine adverse events notification mechanism has been set up in the authority's toxicology reference laboratory.
