5th Wave of Pandemic
The College hopes fellows and members are staying well and healthy amidst the 5th wave of the pandemic. We recognise the disruptions to physical activity and mental health caused by COVID-19 in unprecedented ways. As we work our way through the pandemic’s 5th wave, the College has decided the following to support our fellows and trainees in these unsettled and turbulent times.
ASM 2022 discount registration fee
The council of HKCA, and Society of Anaesthetists of Hong Kong (SAHK) decided to offer discounted registration fee for ASM 2022, which will be held on 19th – 20th November 2022. Further details will be announced soon.
Guidelines for “Live Recommendation on Surgical Patient Safety in Relation to COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination”
The College acknowledged that fellows are facing increasing number of patients with confirmed COVID presenting for elective and emergency surgeries. Unlike fellows working in HA, fellows in private sector, without support from a department, are under enormous pressure to make decision to proceed a case or not. Hence, Guidelines Committee developed guidelines for “Live Recommendation on Surgical Patient Safety in Relation to COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination” which is relevant to the Hong Kong’s situation and healthcare system. The guideline was presented at the Academy’s council meeting and other interested Colleges were invited to join to collaborate. The guidelines can be downloaded from here and it would be reviewed regularly.
Positive psychology
Doctors’ well-being is of the College’s utmost concern. The Welfare Workgroup is actively discussing and seeking ways to enhance the well-being of the HKCA fellows and members. The College has given some resources in this area that need responding to, in the hope of promulgating positive psychology among our fellows and members. The plan includes organising workshops and developing a webpage on positive psychology. Further details will be announced soon, so stay tuned!
CME
We recognise the difficulties of getting CME points for some fellows as the face-to-face CME meetings were cancelled. The expiry date of 15 quizzes on iCMECPD has been extended to 31st December 2022. An email was sent to fellows on 28th April 2022 regarding the details of the quizzes.
Training
Due to the significant impact and disruption in training, quite a number of trainees have been deployed to other units. The Board of Education would exercise flexibility and make corresponding adjustments to training and rotations (if COVID-related), that the period will be regarded as recognised training.
Announcing: The New Young Fellows Committee of HKCA
Our college is pleased to announce the establishment of the new Young Fellows Committee (YFC) in July 2022.
The YFC is a new platform for young specialists to engage in college affairs and aims to bring young fellows closer together across our specialty. Forging connections, professional growth, and enhancing well-being will be top priorities on the committee’s agenda.
The college has been gathering and is still seeking out keen individuals to form this founding committee of twelve, who will hold an inaugural meeting this summer to map out the course ahead. What qualities are important in a YFC member? They are committed to serving their peers, they are bold enough to speak out on matters that are important to young fellows, they take the initiative to identify the unmet needs of young specialists, and will strive to address these needs in ways that would be innovative and appealing to their generation.
If you want to meet like-minded individuals and work together to shape the future of our specialty, please step forward and join the YFC!
Who are we?
We are Vivian Lau (PWH) and Patrick Wong (QMH). We are currently serving as representatives of our college in the Young Fellows Chapter of the Academy, and have therefore been appointed as the founding members of the first Young Fellows Committee of HKCA.
Join us!
If you share our vision, please express your interest through emailing Ms Kristy Cheung, the CEO of the College at kristy@hkca.edu.hk on or before 31st May 2022, and be prepared to tell us what motivates you to join the YFC. (Eligibility: Specialists who have obtained their HKCA fellowship within the past 8 years, YFC members shall not exceed 10-year post-fellowship period during their term on the committee)
Summary of the investigation for examination
It was bought to the College council’s attention in late 2021 regarding some irregularities in the College’s examination system. Hence, an investigation panel comprising members of Prof Joseph Lui (Chair), Prof Gavin Joynt and Dr Boon-hun Yong was formed on 7th January 2022 to conduct an investigation for examination. The investigation panel subsequently submitted their report on 3rd March 2022 with the following recommendations:
- To conduct a comprehensive review of the administration, conduct and invigilation of online College examinations.
- To review the process of handling incidents occurring during College examinations.
- To review the process of handling examination materials, including video recordings during online examinations, by College administrative staff.
The investigation panel report was deliberated at the council meeting on 12th April 2022. In response to the recommendations, Board of Examinations have implemented the following in examinations.
- The following documents have been developed or reviewed in response to handling of incidents occurring during examinations, handling of examination materials including video recording of online examinations.
- Guidelines for HKCA Examinations Invigilation
- Rules and Regulations for HKCA Online Fellowship Examinations
- Guidelines for Handling of Video Recordings of HKCA Examinations
- Guide to Online Fellowship Examinations: Intermediate / Final Written
- Guide to Online Fellowship Examinations – VIVA ± OSCE (Final Exam only)
- Process of online invigilation has been reviewed and enhanced.
Board of Examinations will continue to refine our examination system and to uphold our standing of training and a reliable, yet effective examination system.
Code of Conduct for Members of Council, Boards and Committees
The College is fully committed to the principle of honesty, integrity and fair play in the delivery of services to the public, and hence a code of conduct for members of Council, Boards and Committees has been developed. This Code sets out the basic standard of conduct expected of all Members of Council and its Boards, Committees and Sub-committees; and the HKCA’s policy on acceptance of advantage and conflict of interest in connection with one’s official duties.
Inaugural Perioperative Medicine Webinar: Local and International Perspectives
The HKCA perioperative medicine committee is excited to welcome you to join the inaugural webinar in collaboration with the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA). As we all know, perioperative medicine is undergoing rapid development in the recent years. Multidisciplinary collaboration between anaesthesiologists, surgeons, physicians, nursing and allied health, together with patient engagement, have become the cornerstone for improving perioperative patient outcomes. This inaugural webinar is the first of many, to promote the collaborative efforts and shared decision making on perioperative patient care. All are welcome!
Date: 28th May 2022 (Saturday)
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
CME: 2 points (ANA – Passive)
Free Registration: Please register before 25th May 2022 with the link here:
Save the date: IACA “Environmental sustainability: the next generation” webinar
Wednesday 8th June 2022 – 5pm HK time
The International Academy of Colleges of Anaesthesiologists (IACA) will host its next webinar on Wednesday 8th June 2022 focusing on the future of environmental sustainability in anaesthesia and pain medicine. The webinar will feature guest speakers from around the globe along with leaders from TRA2SH. We will hear from new fellows and trainees who are working hard to create lasting changes within their workplaces and communities. Learn more about how you can get active in the sustainability space by hearing about the challenges, successes, and learnings of those who are leading the way for the next generation. The webinar will feature a panel discussion and Q&A session.
CME: 1.5 points (ANA – Passive)
To register, please click here.
Updates on the Coroner Inquest
As reported in the last issue of TUOHY, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM) will implement a number of measures to enhance education and training for specialists acting as an expert witness, one of the measures is to publish an article in HKAM’s newsletter covering the ethical conducts expected of expert witness in general, which has been published in April 2022 issue.
Newsletter of ESRA
An article “Regional Anaesthesia Training during COVID-19: Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong”, written by Dr Tony Ng, was published in the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia Newsletter March 2022 issue. Please click on the link here for the article.
