Doctors urge patient honesty

January 27, 2020

Hospital Authority Director (Quality & Safety) Dr Chung Kin-lai:
About the travel history of the patient, all along we have relied on the honour system. So it’s about the doctor-patient relationship, we trust that our patients should tell the truth to us. And I also here would advocate and ask our patients and the public to be honest with us, because this is very, very important in terms of the risk assessment and infection control.
 
You talk about whether there are any other measures that would mandate the patients to tell us their history. I think that’s a double-edged sword. Because on the one hand, we want the patients to tell the truth. On the other hand, we also want the patients to come and have treatment. If there’s too strict a rule or regulations, we have to think about whether we will actually turn some patients away from the healthcare system. So that’s very important. What we now would like to do is to try to ask our patients, that’s very important. If you don’t tell us, or if you cover up, that doesn’t mean the virus won’t spread or won’t affect you. So the best for our doctors, nurses and also our patients themselves is to tell the truth, tell us what happened, what they have encountered. So that’s very important.

(To watch the video with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Patients are urged to tell doctors their full travel history, as it is very important for risk assessment and infection control.

Hospital Authority Director (Quality & Safety) Dr Chung Kin-lai made the appeal today during a press briefing on the latest novel coronavirus infection situation.

Dr Chung noted a fine balance had to be struck when considering implementing measures mandating patients to reveal their travel history.

“That is a double-edged sword. Because on the one hand, we want the patients to tell the truth, on the other hand we also want the patients to come and have treatment. If there is too strict a rule or regulations, we have to think about whether we will actually turn some patients away from the healthcare system.”

He stressed that total honesty was key for all concerned.

“If you do not tell us that does not mean the virus will not spread or will not affect you. So the best thing for our doctors, nurses and also our patients themselves is to tell the truth, tell us what happened, what they have encountered.”

Two new imported cases of novel coronavirus infection in Hong Kong have been confirmed, bringing the total to eight so far.

The centre will update reported cases of novel coronavirus infection on its dedicated webpage.