Disease Management

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the impact of a home-delivered foods and kitchen skills program on health and nutrition in adults with high blood pressure and food insecurity. Researchers will compare Food Resources \& Kitchen Skills (FoRKS) and Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) to evaluate the effects on mean systolic blood pressure (SPB), HbA1c, food security and nutrition. Participants will complete 24-hr blood pressure monitoring, standard blood pressure measurements, weight, finger stick for A1c point-of-care testing, and questionnaires.

This study aims to evaluate a questionnaire used by a specialized nurse to help manage relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The questionnaire is completed during a phone call when the patient reports new or worsening symptoms. It helps the nurse decide whether further tests or treatments are needed, based on a protocol developed with a neurologist. The goal is to improve how quickly and effectively patients receive care during a relapse. The study will include 10 adult patients with active forms of MS over a two-month period.

The Chronic Disease Co-Care (CDCC) Pilot Scheme is initiated for early screening and management of people with hypertension (HT), pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in Hong Kong. This study will evaluate the quality of care, feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Scheme. This is a 12-month cohort study among the District Health Centre (DHC) or DHC Express, healthcare providers, CDCC participants and a comparison group of 1,886 non-participants. All the person-in charge, 2 family doctors and 1 of each allied health provider from each DHC/DHC Express will be administered with the questionnaires on quality of care and costing. All CDCC participants will be included in subject characteristics, among which a convenience sample of 548 will complete a telephone survey on experience, enablement and satisfaction of the CDCC Pilot Scheme. The health outcomes of 1,886 CDCC participants and 1,886 non-participants will be compared for evaluation of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Participant characteristics, enablement, compliance to the standards of care, and costing of CDCC Pilot Scheme will be summarized using descriptive statistics. Differences in the proportion of patients meeting treatment targeted for HT, pre-DM and DM after 12 months will be compared by chi-squared test and logistic regressions. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio will be evaluated by comparing with the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold. This study will inform future healthcare planning and policy for manpower and resource allocation.