Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Taking a multidisciplinary team approach to
better healthcare outcomes for society
Harry HX Wang, PhD
1 School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, China
2 The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
3 General Practice and Primary Care, Institute of Health and Wellbeing,
University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Corresponding author: Prof Harry HX Wang (haoxiangwang@163.com; Haoxiang.Wang@glasgow.ac.uk)
Full
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To the Editor—Globally, healthcare has become
more diverse and complex. A broad range of
increasing and emerging challenges are facing people
and communities in an unprecedented manner, including population ageing, health inequality, social
sustainability, long-term conditions, and coronavirus
disease 2019. This calls for an integrated provision
of prevention, treatment, and care that extends beyond the conventional boundaries of individual
disciplines to deal with the wider determinants of
health and wellbeing. The importance of a team-based
approach in healthcare decision-making and
problem-solving has been widely recognised in many
countries worldwide. The family doctor teams in
China and the multidisciplinary teams in Scotland,
United Kingdom, for example, are currently being
implemented to conceptualise care regimens as
well as coordinate the delivery of complex care
across different levels of the healthcare system. In
Hong Kong, the multidisciplinary team approach
built upon medico-social collaboration has also
demonstrated positive impacts in supporting end-of-life patients in residential care homes,1 reducing
the clinical and economic burden of geriatric hip
fracture,2 and improving medication safety for
chronic disease management.3 It is essential to have
community participation in these services as this
may lead to coproduction of health, giving the most
optimal health promotion services.4 5
The ‘Healthcare for Society’, which started as
‘Doctor for Society’ in August 2012, is a popular
section in the Hong Kong Medical Journal.6 7 8 Medical
students serve as interviewers to report various
activities and outstanding achievements of medical
doctors and medicine-related professionals who
have made substantial voluntary contributions to
Hong Kong society. These community services are
unconditional and most are dedicated to vulnerable
groups.9 10 11
In view of the change in healthcare delivery
and the need to prepare healthcare professionals
for tackling the ever-increasing complexity of
challenges, it is time to consider expanding the
scope of this inspirational showcase from individual
exemplars to all members in the team as a whole
from a multidisciplinary perspective. The stories
of these exemplary teams would convey far-reaching
messages to encourage our colleagues and
students who are the next generation of healthcare
professionals to dedicate themselves to healthcare
community. The collections of informative showcases
shall substantially contribute to novel models of care
delivery to improve population wellbeing beyond the
realms of clinical encounters and medical practices.
Meanwhile, community services play a role in
medical education.12 Student interviewers could
greatly benefit from learning how professionals from
varying disciplines work cohesively, communicate
efficiently, and share resources cooperatively across
sectors and disciplines under strengthened leadership
to improve population health outcomes and achieve
excellence in healthcare for the community at large.
Author contributions
The author had full access to the data, contributed to the
study, approved the final version for publication, and takes
responsibility for its accuracy and integrity.
Conflicts of interest
As an Editor of the Journal, HHX Wang was not involved in
the review of this letter. The author has disclosed no other
conflicts of interest.
References
1. Luk JK. End-of-life services for older people in residential
care homes in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Med J 2018;24:63-7. Crossref
2. Chung AY, Anand S, Wong IC, et al. Improving
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Effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach to geriatric
hip fractures in improving clinical outcomes and cost of
care. Hong Kong Med J 2018;24 Suppl 2:45-7.
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is crucial in a pandemic. Lancet 2020;395:1676-8. Crossref
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