Also in this issue:

SUMMER / 2009
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Your BIG or small Donation

Croucher Senior
Research Fellowship for
2009-2010 to
Professor He

will make an Impact ! Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

p.4-5

The Department of Rehabilitation

Touching lives, making an impact
Sciences (RS) has been providing high-
quality internationally benchmarked SUMMER / 2009
entry-level education to occupational
Research and Cultural
therapists and physiotherapists for 28
Experience in Australia
years. Our graduates are competent p.5
professionals serving clients in Hong Cover Story
Kong, Mainland China, and many other
countries. We also offer excellent
opportunities to practitioners and
researchers for pursuing further
education from a disciplinary-
specific or multidisciplinary
From 3-3-4 Education Reform
perspective in rehabilitation sciences.

to POSTGRADUATE Studies
In order to achieve its mission of
providing high-quality education and
mediating professional development, our
Department still has a lot to do in the future.
Your support is vital to facilitate this process! Prof. Alice Jones
Please offer your support by (Professor and Associate Head)
making a donation. Your donation, no matter
whether big or small, will make an impact on With the advances in computing and cyber technology, access matriculation studies prior to 3 years of university education,
the future of rehabilitation in Hong Kong and to knowledge has grown exponentially in the last decade. To students are now required to complete 3 years of junior and 3
throughout the world. assist students to better prepare for their university education, years of senior secondary school before embarking on a 4-year,
the Hong Kong Education Bureau initiated a restructuring of the broad-based university education (the so called 3-3-4 curriculum)
secondary school system in 2006. Rather than undertaking 5 (http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?langno=1&nodeID=2934).
Donation Form years of secondary school education plus 2 years of The new university education is underpinned by a widening
of the student's generic
Name: Prof. / Dr. / Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. / Miss knowledge base,
moving away from
Address: vocational training.
A broad-based
Contact Tel. No.: Email:
undergraduate education
Company: Position: is a universal trend,
and acquisition of general
Year of Graduation: (For RS alumni only) knowledge has now
become a basic and
Donation Amount: essential educative
requirement for survival
I wish to contribute to the development of RS; Please make your cheque payable to: in the current job market.
please allocate my donation for the following purpose(s). THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY In the professional
(Please add a “✓” where appropriate) and mail it to: disciplines such as
❏ Research conducted by RS Department of Rehabilitation Sciences medicine, physiotherapy
❏ RS student development The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and occupational therapy,
❏ At the discretion of RS Hung Hom, Hong Kong rapid changes in the
❏ Other (Please specify): health care delivery model;
** A donation receipt will be issued by the University for
tax deduction purposes an expanding scope of
practice; increasing growth
in health, disease and
Signature: Date: pathology knowledge;
as well as the increasing
societal demands for

24
 SUMMER / 2009

accountability, have led to specialisation in professional training, Physiotherapy (specialty [e.g.] Neurorehabilitation). The
rather than a broad-based education. Furthermore, greater specialty title will only be awarded when certain criteria for Staff Activities
maturity is expected of graduate physio- and occupational subject enrolment are met. It is our plan that over the next
therapists so that they can function as client educators on issues few years, the specialties will include Manipulative Therapy,
such as self-care management and skills for maximizing Sports Physiotherapy and Neurorehabilitation.
functional capacity and quality of life. Over 78% of our physiotherapy clinicians and 81% of
These diverse demands resulted in the view that an
entry level beyond the baccalaureate level which incorporated
additional skills is necessary for physiotherapy and occupational
our occupational therapy clinicians have obtained postgraduate
qualifications. About 50% of the physiotherapists and nearly
60% of the occupational therapists hold at least one master's
Seminar in SINGAPORE
Dr Andrew Siu (Assistant Professor)
therapy education (Caston 1982). Graduates from master's degree. Launching a clinical doctorate programme is therefore
entry-level physical therapy programmes appeared to undertake deemed appropriate. The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences In collaboration with the
greater involvement in research and teaching and have increased is now soliciting views from clinicians working under the hospital Singapore Association of
confidence in applying practices across a broad spectrum of authority, in large non-government institutes and in private Occupational Therapists (SAOT),
clinical practice (Warren and Pierson 1994). practice to assist in the process of organizing Clinical Doctorate our Department conducted a
In the USA, physical therapy education has long been programmes for both physiotherapy and occupational therapy half-day seminar in Singapore on
launched at postgraduate entry level (Blood 1984) and all in the near future. Saturday, 14 March 2009. The
programmes are now at doctorate entry level. In Canada, all With 100% of our academic staff having completed aims of the seminar were to
physical therapy programmes will be at master's entry level by PhD studies, many of whom have overseas work and education promote exchanges between
2010, and in Australia, most universities are now concurrently experience, together with the support from our clinicians, therapists in Singapore and Hong
running master's entry as well as baccalaureate training. we are confident that we will soon see the day when Kong in the areas of mental health
Unfortunately, the Hong Kong Government (University Grants postgraduate entry-level courses and clinical doctorate and developmental disabilities.
Committee) does not, at this point in time, consider that programmes in physiotherapy and occupational therapy come Representatives of SAOT presented
postgraduate entry-level training is necessary for professional to fruition in Hong Kong. current developments within
education. Since the occupational therapy service in
funding support essential these areas. Dr Andrew Siu
to physiotherapy and presented his work in two
occupational therapy programme development and
training is only available evaluation projects, including the
at undergraduate level, 'P.A.T.H.S to Adulthood' (a positive
the recent call for a youth development programme),
broad-based university and the 'Changeways'
education is deemed by (psycho-education) programme
some colleagues to be for outpatients with depression.
'diluting' the quality of
the current programme. Ms Grace Lung, an
The Department of occupational therapist at
Rehabilitation Sciences at our rehabilitation clinic,
the Hong Kong presented a talk on 'The
Polytechnic University is Role of OT in Schools and
currently striving hard to Community'. The seminar
strike a balance between acted as an excellent forum
the need to widen the for exchanges between
scope of university therapists in Singapore and
training while at the same Hong Kong. We would
time making sure that the really like to thank Carol
professional competence Chan (Education Secretary)
of graduates is and Florence Cheong
maintained. Fortunately, (Chairperson) of SAOT,
the University allows who took such good care of
sufficient flexibility us during the trip. It was
whereby our programmes also great to meet with our
can provide sufficient credit hours for appropriate delivery of our References: MScOT graduates in
core professional curriculum. Blood H. 1984. Entry-level master's degree. A decade of experience. Singapore (Carol, Sabrina
Universities play an important role in supporting Physical Therapy. 64: 208-212 and Adeline), staff and
continuing professional education. While specialization is students of the Nanyang
deemed essential for professional growth, our Department will Caston JM. 1982. Entry level education. Physical Therapy. 62: 40-45
Polytechnic, and the PolyU
continue to organize high-quality master's programmes to OT graduates who have
provide opportunities for our graduates to acquire further Warren SC, Pierson FM. 1994. Comparison of characteristics and attitudes
of entry-level bachelor's and master's degree students in physical
migrated to Singapore.
knowledge and skills in their specific field of interest. We are
therapy. Physical Therapy. 74: 55-70 (333-348)
currently re-titling our MSc in Physiotherapy course to MSc in

2 3

Using Mind-Body Interventions and
Alternative Therapies to Help Teachers Reduce Stress
Dr Hector Tsang (Associate Professor, OT Programmer Leader)
T he recent report that a 24-year-old seemingly enthusiastic
primary school teacher committed suicide has shocked the
public. Most people in Hong Kong are unaware of the possible
underlying reasons for her decision. Yet this tragedy has
highlighted the problems of workplace stress among some of the
53,000 primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong.
Although official statistics are not available, it is common
knowledge (based on media reports) that a substantial number
of teachers have committed suicide because of stress in the
workplace. Unfortunately, the figure seems to be on the rise.
Stress not only affects teachers' psychological and physiological
health, but it also takes an inevitable toll on the quality of their
teaching. Students suffer as a result. There is no doubt that
teachers in Hong Kong are in urgent need of intervention to help
them reduce their workplace stress and restore their mental
health. Unfortunately, intervention programmes targeted at
teachers in Hong Kong are rare, with the exception of a hotline
service provided by the Education Bureau of the HKSAR.
Based on our track record of mind-body intervention
research, we submitted a proposal entitled 'Stress Management
and Mental Health Promotion for Teachers in Hong Kong
' to the Quality Education Fund in
November 2008, with a view to developing an intervention
programme to reduce stress and improve the mental health of
teachers at primary and secondary schools, and then evaluating
its effectiveness. The intervention consists of cognitive
behavioural therapy, relaxation and qigong exercises,
Interview with Professor Jufang He
Q Professor He, first of all congratulations to you for
receiving a Croucher Senior Research Fellowship for
2009-2010. How do you feel about this, and what does this
mean to you?
A Thanks. It is good to see that my research work over the
past 10 years has been recognised by this
prestige award in Hong Kong.
Q I understand you were born in Zhejiang,
and studied for your Bachelor and Master
degrees in Harbin. After that, you studied and
worked in Japan for around five years, and now
you are in Hong Kong. What are the major
Professor Jufeng He (far left)
differences between these places, and how do
receives a Croucher Senior
the different environments affect your studies Research Fellowship award
and research work?
4 5
self-massage and aromatherapy. The proposal has recently been
funded with a total of HK$1.3 million, which covers expenses for
the hiring of an occupational therapist and a clinical psychologist
from 2009 to 2011. I was invited by the Education Bureau to
deliver a plenary speech on 'stress and mental health' to more
than 160 primary teachers in the Yuen Long district. The content
was very well received by the participants. Many of them
expressed an interest in taking part in further related lectures
and workshops. We hope that all school teachers will benefit
from our funded project in the future.
Dr Tsang presenting his plenary speech on 'stress and mental health' to
more than 160 primary teachers in the Yuen Long district on 20
February 2009
A No, I was in Japan for 10 years: five years for studying
and five years for working. I have been in different
places in Japan: Tokushima, Tokyo and Saitama. I like the
lifestyle and research environment in Japan. However, I always
felt that I had to be back in China, especially now we have
two sons. The issue of the boys' schooling facilitated my
thoughts on finding a job in China, and I regarded
Hong Kong as part of China. I was lucky that I
could find a job here in Hong Kong.
I feel there are great differences
between Japan and Hong Kong. Firstly, though
things in Japan change fast, here in Hong Kong
things change even faster. Moreover, everything in
Japan is well organised and everyone is part of an
organisation. Things here are more dynamic. Also,
Hong Kong is more easily affected by changes in
Research and Cultural Experience in AUSTRALIA
The Endeavour Cheung Kong
Research Fellowship gave me the
opportunity to spend four months
(September 2008 to January 2009)
in Melbourne, Australia. The
purpose of the visit was to develop
collaborative research projects
with scholars at the National
Stroke Research Institute. The
time in Australia was one of the
most fruitful and amazing
experiences in my life.
Professionally, I had opportunities
to meet with many high-calibre
researchers in the field of
neuroscience and rehabilitation, Meeting with Dr Julie Bernhardt at the National Stroke
Research Institute, Melbourne
and to get to know their current
research programmes. It was truly an eye-opener. During
my time there, we brought together a team of researchers
with expertise in neuro-rehabilitation, nutrition and
endocrinology, and initiated a project which aims to examine
changes in metabolic function in acute stroke patients.
I was incredibly impressed by the Aussie
hospitality. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. They
were always willing to give a helping hand when I needed it.
Without their support, I would not have settled in so quickly.
Through working with the people there, I was reminded of
the importance of the collaborative spirit and of mutual
respect. My Aussie experience also brought back some fond
memories of my time as a student in Canada, where I could
the world than is Japan. In the area of research, the grant size
in Hong Kong is a little too small and the supporting period is
also very short, compared with Japan. And it seems that
academic staff receive a lot more evaluation than our counter-
parts do in Japan.
Q Your most famous invention is "Bat-ears" for people with
visual impairments. How did you come up with this idea,
and what are the latest developments for it?
A Thanks. The "Bat-ears" idea is only a part of my work.
We have a team working on the project, and together
with Professor Chetwyn Chan, Chair Professor and Head
of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, we are using
"Bat-ears" to study the mechanism of neural plasticity
and learning in the brain.
SUMMER / 2009
Dr Marco Pang (Assistant Professor)
see the blue sky and breathe
the fresh air almost every day,
which is, sadly, becoming a
rarity in Hong Kong. The Aussie
barbecue, of course, was also
one of the highlights
of my time there.
Australians know how
to live life. Unlike the hectic
lifestyle in Hong Kong, no
matter how busy it is during
the course of the week, people
that I worked with in
Melbourne always found a way
to set aside some quality time
with their families or friends
and do something fun. I also
took the opportunity to explore the vast and beautiful
country of Australia, from the renowned Ayers Rock in the
desert area, to the rugged coastline along the Great Ocean
Road in Victoria, and the majestic Cradle Mountains in
Tasmania. I was truly stunned by what I saw, sights that were
so diverse and spectacular. I could not stop but ponder about
the power of nature and my own insignificance.
I gained much more from this four-month stay in
Australia than I had originally expected. At the end, it was
not only a professional endeavour, but also an enriching
cultural and life experience. I would like to thank the
Australian Government and the Cheung Kong Group for
granting me the award that made it all possible.
Q Now that you have got support from the Croucher
Foundation, and will have a one year full-time research
post, what is your plan and research direction for this
period of time?
A My current research interests include firstly, the
neurophysiology of hearing, sleep and learning, and,
secondly, the development of functional substitutions for
neurological disabilities, such as the electronic "Bat-ears" for
people with visual impairments, and an electronic bypass to
link the cortical motor neurons and spinal cord motor neurons
in people with spinal cord injury ("motolink" for short).
During the coming years, I will focus my research on
the neural mechanism of learning, and then probably on the
motolink if it is funded.

Student's Activities
Overseas placement of Undergraduates of Occupational Therapy 2008-2009
ASIA
Deyang Rehabilitation Centre in Sichuan, China
Kelvin Wong, Toto Tsang, Agnes Chiu & Loretta Zhuang
As OT students, we had a memorable experience in having
our placements in the China Mainland to serve the victims of
the 5-12 earthquake.
During this one-month placement, we worked in the
Deyang rehabilitation centre in Sichuan. Every day we
conducted assessments and treated clients injured in the earth-
quake. Most were diagnosed with fractures and amputations.
We also had the opportunity to visit some of the clients' homes
and provide service in their real-life environment. In working
with the patients, we saw how our professional knowledge and
skills helped them get through this difficult time in their life. At
the same time we also learned from them, finding ourselves
encouraged and inspired by their strength and optimism.
AUSTRALIA
University of Queensland and University of South Australia, Australia
12 January to 6 March 2009
In the new year of 2009, we
spent our hottest winter in
Australia. We are glad we were
granted the opportunity of an
overseas clinical experience
and would love to share things
we learnt in this trip.
Living in a foreign
country is a meaningful but
challenging experience. We
Chole, Joyce & friends
encountered some difficulties,
one of which was the language barrier. As
occupational therapy students, communication
with our clinical teachers, clients and other
therapists is extremely important, and at first our
fair level of oral English hindered our performance
in placement. Luckily, our clinical teachers
understood our situation and encouraged us to
speak more. Although we're not certain if our
English level improved after these two months,
surely the experience motivated us to polish up Joyce (left) and Chloe (fight) visited Opera House in
our second language. Sydney
6 7
During the placement, the centre provided us the
opportunity to work as a team with different disciplines. We
cooperated with medical doctors, physiotherapists, clinical
psychologists and prosthetists, as well as the administrative
staff. Every morning a case conference was held to discuss the
progress of each client. Therapists shared their information
and professional knowledge to construct a comprehensive
treatment plan for the clients. And of course, it was a great
help to us to obtain a holistic picture of the clients.
The experience of the Deyang placement not only
enhanced our practice skills of the profession, but also
reminded us of our original intention in becoming an
occupational therapist, which is to serve people in need.
Joyce, Cheng Hoi Yee & Chloe, Lam Cho Kiu
Apart from learning clinical knowledge,
we also experienced the Aussie's culture through
the trip. We found that Australia emphasises
wildlife conservation and environmental protection.
Compared to Australia, public awareness of
conservation in Hong Kong is still not very strong
or popular. Hopefully, our government will be able
to do more for the environment.
Applying for
overseas placement
is not a simple
process, and we
understood we would
not be able to achieve
such a fruitful and
valuable placement
without help. Hence,
we are grateful
for all the support
we were given by
our department and
teachers.
SUMMER / 2009
EUROPE
Child Development Centre in St James Hospital , UK
27 October to 19 December 2008
Anita Wong
My clinical placement in Leeds, United Kingdom, was an
unforgettable experience. The specialty was paediatric, and I
worked in the Child Development Centre of St James Hospital.
Most of the children I encountered had developmental delays
with different pathologies. I learnt about different syndromes
that are quite rare in Hong Kong, such as Angelman's
syndrome and Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome. The OT
practices in the centre differed considerably from those in Hong
Kong. There were joint therapist sessions for both assessments
and training. The OTs participated in Complex Communication
Assessments to diagnose whether a child had autism. I often
worked with physiotherapists, speech and language therapists,
child psychologists, play therapists and education
psychologists. Through cooperating with these professionals,
Sightseeing in London, UK
I learnt how they analyze a child's behaviours and movements.
I also had opportunities to cooperate with different disciplines
in order to more effectively treat the child in a session.
The staff and students at Leeds Metropolitan
University, team members in the Child Development Centre
and my host family were all very supportive and friendly. They
gave both welcoming and farewell parties for me, and I was
very impressed by their hospitality.
Apart from the clinical experience, I also learnt
about foreign culture and lifestyle. Life in the UK was very
relaxed and enjoyable. This was the most unforgettable and
Anita (right) and her clinical educator fruitful experience I have ever had.
 SUMMER / 2009

EUROPE

National Health Service-Community Stroke Rehabilitation, UK Neurological Specialty, Vienna, Austria

27 October to 19 December 2008 27 October to 19 December 2008
Simon Lau King Fung Kabo Chan

T hanks to arrangements made by the
Rehabilitation Services department and Leeds
Metropolitan University, I was honoured to do
my third clinical placement in Leeds, England,
a place I had been dreaming of.
The specialty training I received was
Community Stroke Rehabilitation, which was
part of the services of the National Health
Service (NHS). Our office was not within the
hospital but was situated in a commercial
building. We had an OT, PT, ST, dietician and
supporting worker on our team that provided
multi-disciplinary services to the east part of
Leeds. Every day I travelled to patients'
homes with my clinical educators to provide
services with a view to training the patients in
a familiar environment in order to promote
faster transference from remedial training to
Farewell lunch with clinical educators
ADL independence. We incorporated Bobath
concepts in basic self-care like bathing, sitting and transfers.
The goals of treatments were discussed with patients to best
suit their needs. In addition to motor problems, I also assessed
patients' cognition, perception and leisure using various
assessment tools, some of which I had never used in Hong
Kong. One time I did a community tour with a retired policeman
who had hemianopia after multiple strokes. He was rather
independent but bothered by bumping into obstacles and poor
visual scanning. After our interventions, he was able to cope
Trail walking with friends
It's never easy being the first one, as was my journey
to Austria as the first Hong Kong OT student going to a
German-speaking hospital in Austria.
I understood the meaning of "lost in translation" in
Austria. Most people in Austria speak German instead of
English. I had to use a lot of gestures and simple English
vocabulary to ask the way to my home, to order food and to get
information on train schedules in the massive, chaotic train
station. The same things happened in the hospital. I had to use
a myriad of body language and facial expressions to do the
assessment and intervention on my clients. At first I found it
difficult and felt frustrated. But later I found it quite interesting,
especially when I felt we were able to understand each other
without verbal communication. One of my clients eventually
with his impairment better with adaptations. One thing that
made me feel special was that the British are very concerned
about their home environment, which they greatly treasure,
and so we needed to spend more time discussing the benefit to
them of home modifications.
England is very beautiful; Leeds is a city with
beautiful scenery; the Lake District, where Peter Rabbit was
born, is such a heaven with fascinating mountains and lakes;
Cambridge is a university city full of academic fragrance;
Manchester is a place
where I met closely with big
names such as Cristiano
Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney
and Ryan Giggs. In short
England is a place you
don't want to leave.
I must express my
sincere gratitude to my
teachers Dr Jenny Chung,
Dr Karen Liu, Ms Rebecca
Wong & Ms Wood Lee; Ms
Miranda Thew of Leeds Sightseeing in Europe
Metropolitan U; Team
Manager Ms Wendy Wilson, sent me a box of chocolates to say 'thank you' to me, even
my CE Ms Sandra Leadsford though we had spoken fewer than 10 sentences, which
and Ms Emma Havercroft, impressed me a lot.
who treated me so well, After the placement, I travelled alone around Italy,
and Mr and Mrs Foote for Germany and Switzerland for two weeks. Alone doesn't mean
the warmest hospitality. lonely. I made many new friends on my journey, and I still keep
I hope I will be able to visit in contact with all of them. Overseas placement gave me a
there again. Kabo (first from the right) and friends fruitful and memorable experience.

8 9

NORTH AMERICA
Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles (US)
12 January to 6 March 2009
Thank you to the Rehabilitation Sciences
Department for offering me this honourable
opportunity to have my last clinical placement
in the United States. It was without doubt a
fruitful and memorable experience working
in one of the largest and most renowned
hospitals - Cedars Sinai Medical Center in
Los Angeles.
I was excited to be exposed to and
work in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit,
something that does not exist in the Hong
Kong health care system. The insurance-
based medical system and profound multi-
disciplinary approach adopted there was also
very new to me. In addition, Los Angeles is
a multi-cultural city with people from all
different countries; it was really interesting
to learn about others' culture through
daily conversation.
During daily practice, I met patients
with a wide variety of diagnoses such as
cancer, stroke, COPD, SCI, fracture, and the
like. I am grateful for having an enthusiastic
and experienced clinical educator, Jenifer,
I was taught using different kinds of
Visit in Las Vegas
10
SUMMER / 2009
McMaster University- Hamilton Health Sciences &
St Joseph's Health Care, Canada
Wallis Chan
12 January to 6 March 2009
Coco Jim & Janice Liu
We were delighted to have
the opportunity to do an
overseas clinical placement in
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Throughout these eight weeks,
we were able to experience the
work of occupational therapists
in Canada and explore the
foreign culture.
As the practice of
occupational therapy in Canada
is so different from that in Hong
Kong, we learnt a lot of new
things such as new assessment
tools and treatment techniques.
Also, we understood more about
the roles and work of OTs in
Canada, which was beneficial to
our professional development.
We also travelled to
many places in Canada, such
as Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal
and Niagara Falls. Through Coco (left) & Janice (right)
Wallis (right) and her clinical educator
travelling, we discovered
innovative modalities in that Canada is a multi-
treating different types of cultural country with a rich
patients to assist them in history, great art and
restoring their occupational architecture and a beautiful
needs. Though the average natural environment. This
length of each patient's broadened our horizons
hospital stay was short, and enhanced our global
they all had a very meaningful vision. We also built
stay since, in addition to friendships with the locals
therapy sessions, they also in which we treasured our
arranged to participate in every minute with them.
leisure groups like Tai Chi, We really enjoyed
spa sessions, crafts, social our stay in Canada; it was
dinners, and so forth. absolutely a valuable
Following the experience for both our
eight-week placement, I spent professional and personal
another two weeks sightseeing growth. Special thanks
in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. should be given to our
I had a lot of fun and made a department and McMaster
lot of friends on this trip. University, Canada, for
I very much appreciate this organising this wonderful
experience and opportunity and fruitful placement.
for going overseas.
Sightseeing in Canada
11

Overseas placement of Undergraduates of Physiotherapy 2008-2009
ASIA
Guangzhou Sports Training Centre
9 February to 5 March 2009
Vicky Yip & Ken Chen
T he experience of a placement in the Sports Training Centre
in Guangzhou has had a great impact on me with regard to
sport physiotherapy. Treating elite athletes was a great
challenge. The treatment not only targeted the athletes but
also had an effect on the coaches, the level of training
intensity, competition and the psychological aspect of athletes.
You cannot ask athletes to stop their training in order to
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan
16 February to 13 March 2009
Keison Tam & Howa Ho
We had a four-week overseas clinical placement at Taiwan's
National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH). We had our
placement in both the out-patient department (OPD) and the
respiratory care unit (RCC). In the OPD, we learnt many new
manipulation techniques from our clinical educators. Besides
that, we also got the opportunity to make insoles. All of the
insoles are hand-made and uniquely designed to fit each
patient's individual needs. In the RCC, many patients were
being diagnosed with respiratory failure, and we needed to
design different rehabilitation programmes and provide
different treatments for them.
KeiSON and his clinical educator who is working in RCC
KeiSON (Right) & Howa (left) and their products - insole
12
maximise the treatment effect. A balance between training,
treatment and rest was the main focus of our therapy. After
one month of placement, we developed very good relationships
with our elite patients. Ken and I will not miss the National
Games of the People's Republic of China, because a lot of
athletes we treated will take part in the games.
Apart from working, we were invited to participate in
the Physical Therapy Association of the Republic of China
(Taiwan)'s 34th Annual Congress and the 58th Scientific
Conference. We were so glad to have such an opportunity to
learn more about PT's development in Taiwan. Practitioners there
are now striving to get referrals not just from rehabilitation
physicians, but also from other physicians such as orthopaedic
and neurological physicians. During this clinical placement, we
met lots of new friends and greatly broadened our horizons.
All in all, we very much treasure this wonderful and
memorable experience.
SUMMER / 2009
Spastic Children's Association of Singapore
2 February to 13 March 2009
Joey Kwok, Stephanie Au, Ray Chow & Isaac Luk
The Spastic Children's Association of Singapore (SCAS) is a
special school serving mainly children with cerebral palsy.
During our placement, we were exposed to kids with different
types of cerebral palsy and shown how different disciplines,
including PT, OT, ST, SW as well as the teachers themselves,
cooperate to help these kids. Our clinical supervisor, whom
everyone called Uncle Kumar, not only taught us skills in
assessing and treating the kids, but also instilled important
concepts in us regarding kids with physical and mental
challenges. He also set a very good example to us as a
paediatric physiotherapist. His passion in treating kids and his
current job greatly impressed us and changed our perspective
on the role of paediatric physiotherapists, of whom we had
previously perceived that children were always afraid because
of the painful stretching and compulsory exercises. In addition,
Photo taken with our clinical educator
all the staff in the department were very nice to us, especially
the Head of the Department, 'Auntie Baby'. Although three
weeks was only a short time, we did learn and gain a lot from this
placement, and we had enjoyable times with the kids there too.
We would like to make use of this chance to thank Uncle Kumar,
Auntie Baby, as well as all the uncles and aunties in the SCAS!
Physiotherapy session with children
Physiotherapy session with children From left to right: Isaac, Stephanie, Ray and Joey
13
 SUMMER / 2009

AUSTRALIA EUROPE

Curtin University of Technology, Perth Fysiotherapy Elsinga, Meijer and Buur Fysio and Manual Therapy,
20 October to 23 November 2008
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Celia Wong, Teresa Cheung, Clement Wong & Cheung Hiu Chun
2 February to 13 March 2009
we were selected, much to our delight, to participate in the directly making the tissue heal and suppressing inflammation. Sam Wan & Raymond Tong
overseas clinical placement programme at Curtin University of Because of the focus on manual techniques without much aid
Technology, Perth, Australia for five weeks (specifically from electro-physical modalities, the five-week placement in
C an you imagine how exceptional,
special, unforgettable, fantastic and
musculoskeletal cases). It was truly a precious experience to Australia trained our hands to be more sensitive to detecting
incredible it is to be living and having your
explore the differences between Hong Kong and Australia in abnormalities. In addition, we enjoyed a variety of cases
internship in Europe? Never did we think
modes of physiotherapy practice, case variety and patient ranging from common MS injuries (e.g. LBP, FS, SIS) to rare
we would have such an opportunity to go
compliance with home exercise programmes as prescribed. sports injuries (e.g. SLAP lesions, ankle posterior and anterior
about our physiotherapy duty in a private
The mode of physiotherapy practice differs greatly impingement problems). Lastly, we are greatly appreciative of
setting in Amsterdam, which is completely
between both places. Electro-physical modalities are not our patients for their motivation in learning and high
different and special from what we had
usually included in daily physiotherapy practice in Australia. compliance with our exercise programmes.
experienced before. It is profoundly true
There, physiotherapy tends to be more focused on Those experiences are invaluable, unforgettable and
that you may build unforgettable
investigating the cause of the soft tissue lesion and planning memorable!
relationships with foreign people, and so
treatments and preventive exercises accordingly, rather than
you never feel lonely even in a foreign
country. Every moment is a learning
process. Sometimes, inspired by them,
you may have some new ideas regarding
University of Queensland, Brisbane your own professional development as
well. Although at the beginning it may be
2 February to 13 March 2009 difficult getting used to a new life in a
Michael Chau, Chan Sui Hing, Lylon Lai & Patrick Kwong foreign country, why not see it as another
Sam and his clinical educators
learning process?
T he six-week overseas
Moreover, overseas placement not only aims to
clinical placement at The
assign you a workplace, but it also provides room for you to
University of Queensland
experience the world more. We have been to different cities in
in Australia was a
the Netherlands to taste the different spirit of the Netherlands.
fruitful and memorable
We were also in Paris. It is so fantastic to walk beside the Eiffel
experience for us.
Tower or stand inside the Musée du Louvre. If you can imagine
The professional
it, you will know how incredible it is to be in Europe, with a
standards of physiotherapy
completely different style of cities and countries.
in Australia have the
The journey has ended but not the memory. Although
finest reputation in the
the feeling may fade, the memory doesn't. Memory becomes
world. Luckily, we were
our partner, and we hold onto it. We hope you will be the next
able to practice there
to seize this valuable chance to start your life overseas and
and we definitely learnt
have the most fantastic experience in your whole life!
a lot, including clinical
reasoning training, Raymond and his clinical educator, Mr Humbert Buur
Photos with the clinical education team (students from left to right: Lylon, Hing, Patrick and Michael with their
time management, clinical educators)

communication skills, critical thinking, evidence-based

practices and the like. There they put more emphasis on
"thinking practice" or clinical reasoning than on "hands-on
practice". This makes a real difference.
Although we faced challenges dealing with the
daily difficulties of life, at the same time we had great fun
meeting people from other countries, experiencing different
interesting cultures, making friends with each other and
sightseeing as well.
Just one word, wonderful!
Dinner with the local students
Lahti University of Applied Science, Finland
1 February to 16 March 2009
Bie Chan & Yeung Ka Wing
A s time passed, we were in Finland for six weeks. Hong Kong. People here greet each other politely. They live a
Although six weeks is not a long time, we had a remarkable simple life without much pressure, as there is less competition
experience. If people ask me, what is your main impression of between individuals, and they try their best to help those in
Finland? I will say, there are lots and lots of smiling faces. trouble. During placement, we also came across some types
This was our first time going to Finland. We found it of cases to which we had never been exposed, for example,
to be a place full of love and peace, which is very different from Legg-Calve-Perthes disease.

14 15
 SUMMER / 2009

EUROPE

John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

Child Therapy Department of Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK
2 February to 16 March 2009
Rachel Ngan & Amy Chan
Our placement at the Child Therapy Department of Leeds
General Infirmary in the UK was a valuable experience for both
of us. Having the chance to work with children and colleagues
from a totally different cultural background was both a
challenge and a pleasure. Building rapport with children in a
totally different cultural setting is especially challenging.
Sightseeing in London, Amy (left) and Rachael (right)
Rachael and her clinical educator
But with patience and a kind heart, working with children
can be the greatest pleasure. Deep collaboration and
communication among the disciplines in this placement also
inspired us to be better physiotherapists and better persons.
We sincerely hope that more students will be able to take part
in and benefit from overseas placement!
2 February to 13 March 2009
Jeffery Wong & Sam Wong
E arlier this year we had the Outside of work we also enjoyed a
opportunity to do a six-week wonderful time. Oxford is a lovely city with lots of
placement at the trauma unit of bright minds and picturesque buildings. Outside the
John Radcliffe Hospital. The trauma city, England has a huge number of historical sights
unit at JRH is always busy because and lots of beautiful scenery that can be easily
it receives not only patients from reached. It was a truly wonderful experience, one
the nearby area but also those that you would no doubt like to experience yourself.
referred from other hospitals.
This gives it a special advantage in
unrivalled case variety.
In retrospect, the biggest
impacts on me were the great
sense of respect and the team work I observed. It was not
only the patients who were treated with respect, but we could
sense the mutual respect for each other as well. Even as
physiotherapy students, we felt that everything we said was
taken seriously, and this feeling made me work harder to make
sure everything we did or said was correct.
Apart from the great sense of mutual respect, we
also felt a great sense of team work there. Communications
between staff members were excellent, and anyone could be
asked to contribute to making decisions. The environment
also encouraged open and frank discussions when there were Group photos with the local physiotherapy students (Jeffery in sitting
differences in opinion. and Sam in green medical gown)

Oxford Brookes University, UK

20 October to 28 November 2008
Sheffield Children Hospital, UK
Winnie Wong & Boogie Yung 9 February to 20 March 2009
Philip Tse & Franky Wong
Thanks to the clinical coordinating team, we had the great opportunity to do a six-week overseas placement at the John T hrough different sorts of attachment in the Sheffield
Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Life in Sheffield was full of rich experiences. On
Children's Hospital, we had the opportunity to participate in weekends we would go to Leeds to visit our classmates who
Winnie: Boogie:
community services such as school visits, home visits and the were doing their placements there. The flatmates were
Working in In the Women's Health Centre, I had the opportunity
children rehabilitation centre. After six weeks of productive interesting and funny, and from all over the world: Dutch,
Acute Medicine to witness a baby born by caesarean delivery and to treat
placement, we had a better understanding of the health care Italian, Libyan, et cetera. We taught each other our native
was definitely an pregnant women with various mechanical problems, especially
system, treatment approaches and cultural differences languages and had a lot of fun!
unforgettable low back pain, using manual techniques. I was also surprised
between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.
experience for me. by how active the patients were in doing their exercises and
From taking referrals how they really
and treating cases valued our
to cutting wooden advice. It was
sticks for patients, I surely not s
had to do it all as an omething I could
independent therapist. have experienced
At the same time, I in Hong Kong,
Winnie and her clinical educator, Khilen
was honoured to be and it certainly
invited to attend case conferences and ward meetings as a helped to
student to share my opinion and communicate with other increase my
health-care professionals, during which I truly experienced the knowledge in Philip (middle) with his clinical educators Dinner time and sharing with the local When Leeds group (Amy and Rachael) met the
emphasis on a "multi-disciplinary approach" at the JR. this area. Boogie and her clinical educator, Angela students at Sheffield University, Sheffield group (Philip and Franky)
Franky (left) and Philip (right)

16 17

NORTH AMERICA
St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto
2 February to 13 March 2009
Toronto - a snowy city in February. 'Say something', I told
myself. 'You have to tell them about the physical status of the
patient.' Sitting with members of other health disciplines in a
rounds meeting of the St Michael's Hospital geriatric team, I
heard my shivering voice screaming at my throbbing heart.
In this final clinical placement before serving
people in need as my career, I was expected to be
independent, but I never worked alone. The entire geriatric
team always closely communicated in updating the status of
patients. The sense of belonging was so intense that I was
part of the team that was responsible for client mobility.
Besides in-patient care, we were also on call for
emergency room consultation, the assessment of functional
Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital, McGill University
2 February to 13 March 2009
My six-week overseas placement was spent at the Jewish
Rehabilitation Hospital in Montreal, Canada. I had the great
opportunity to serve in the amputation division under the
guidance of my clinical educator, Mr Philip Weech.
My responsibilities included performing physical
evaluations, designing comprehensive plans of care, carrying
out physiotherapy interventions and educating clients and
their families regarding the care of clients' stumps and
residual limbs. I also participated in regular meetings with
the interdisciplinary team.
This overseas placement was a great experience and
allowed me to consolidate my knowledge through practice.
It is one of the most memorable events in my school life.
Delivering physiotherapy for a patient with a right lower limb
amputation
18
Monika Lau
mobility and the follow-up for home care. Different
clients every day brought a new adventure every day and
enhanced my growth in handling new cases.
This precious clinical experience in Toronto
provided me the opportunity to become more
knowledgeable about teamwork with other health
disciplines, and the importance of my contribution in
meetings as a physiotherapist.
'Thank you for accepting me as a team member,
even though I am a student', I said to the MD. She took my
hand in return: 'Thank you for being here with us.' The
warmest smile reflected the warmest place in Toronto, 14
Cardinal Carter wing of SMH.
Collins Wong
Collins with her clinical educator, Mr Philip Weech
Clinical Specialty
Cardiac Rehabilitation: Role of Physiotherapy
T he second most common cause of deaths in Hong Kong is
heart disease, accounting for 15.9% of all deaths in 2007. Cardiac
rehabilitation (CR) and secondary prevention programmes are
recognised as being integral to the comprehensive care of
patients with cardiovascular disease, and as such are
recommended as useful and effective in treating patients with
coronary heart disease, chronic heart failure, and so forth. CR
programmes contain specific components that aim to optimise
cardiovascular risk reduction, foster healthy behaviours, promote
an active lifestyle, improve physical fitness, enhance quality of
life and reduce disability and mortality for patients with
cardiovascular disease.
CR programmes traditionally have been categorised into four
phases:
Phase I Inpatient rehabilitation
Phase II Out-patient rehabilitation, consisting of clinically
supervised exercise with ECG monitoring and/or
education
Phase III Maintenance phase, emphasising self-management,
and consisting of clinically supervised exercise
training with intermittent or no ECG monitoring
Phase IV Life-long commitment to lifestyle changes, without
ECG monitoring or professional supervision
The physiotherapist is a key member of the multi-
disciplinary CR team, playing an active and important role in
different phases of the programme, and applying strong
evidence-based clinical practice with knowledge of the latest
guidelines and clinical standards. Physiotherapists practicing CR
Designing and conducting the hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation
programme
SUMMER / 2009
Clement Chan
Physiotherapist I, Tung Wah Eastern Hospital
2000 PT alumni
Community-based CR programme: Active integration into the
community
are also required to have specific skills and attributes on
individual assessment, risk stratification, exercise stress test
interpretation, exercise prescription, exercise programming,
health education, psychological support and motivational
interviewing in order to tailor safe and effective physiotherapy
interventions. Local and international research studies have
demonstrated the effectiveness of CR programmes and
physiotherapy interventions in different areas such as clinical,
health behaviour, and cost effectiveness.
Other than conventional
hospital-based CR programmes, an increasing
number of community-based CR programmes
aim to widen service provision and enhance
patients' early community re-integration.
Over the last few years, the Physiotherapy
Department of Tung Wah Eastern Hospital has Conducting an
been actively involved in establishing exercise stress test
different community-based CR programmes for a patient post-
and primary prevention programmes that cardiac attack
collaborate with various non-governmental organisations,
patients' mutual support associations and universities. Research
studies have examined the effectiveness of these new
physiotherapy service models, and significant improvements
have been achieved in aerobic capacity, lipid profile, quality of
life, rates of readmission, length of stay and mortality rates.
Physiotherapists practicing CR should conduct future
studies to clarify the benefits of lifestyle modifications in
preventing recurrent cardiovascular events, as these have often
been overlooked and underemphasised. In addition, evaluation
is needed to determine the effectiveness of different approaches
to increasing patient referrals, accessibility, adherence and
service models.
19

TUEN MUN HOSPITAL - Rehab Block
New Design for
Patient-Centred Care
Ms Joyce Cheung
Senior Occupational Therapist
Rehabilitation Block of Tuen Mun Hospital
The Rehabilitation Block of Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH-RB)
commenced service in August 2007. This is a 500-bed
rehabilitation centre supporting Tuen Mun Hospital and Pok
Oi Hospital in serving the New Territories West population.
The TMH-RB integrates contemporary architectural
concepts and patient-centred care. A key design concept is
'one-level service', that is, the functional units are
specifically arranged to match the special needs of the
patient groups. Taking occupational therapy as an example,
the Splint & PG Room is located on the Orthopaedics floor,
and the Relaxation Room is located near the Respiratory
wards. In addition, there is a prominent emphasis on
functional training and care-giver training. Most wards have
an ADL room for personal care training. Such proximity
facilitates the ability of therapists to perform self-care
training, while patients and care-givers have more
opportunities to practise, thereby promoting the 'Extended
Hour Rehab (HER)' concept and further enhancing functional
improvement. This parallel applies to the IADL room and
satellite Integrated Rehabilitation Area on each floor.
Such geographical arrangements minimise cross-level
pottering and make inter-disciplinary 'visits' more feasible
for better communication.
The OT Department at TMH-RB is also equipped
with a rehab garden where various outdoor rehabilitation
programmes can be conducted. For example, Work
Rehabilitation programmes can be implemented in the
designated areas for the Catering, Construction and
Logistics industries, Health Qigong for cardiac-respiratory
rehabilitation and outdoor wheelchair training on various
types of terrain.
20
Different terrains for Training and Horticulture Corner
Rehab Garden (Outdoor work rehabilitation)
ADL room for functional training
SUMMER / 2009
University Rehabilitation Clinic
Children Development Service in the
Rehabilitation Clinic Grace Lung
Occupational Therapist I
Rehabilitation Clinic
A ccording to statistics from the
Census and Statistics Department,
Hong Kong SAR, in 2009 the
prevalence of people with
developmental disabilities is
increasing. The Rehabilitation Clinic,
which has been a pioneer in providing
rehabilitation services to the
community, established the Children
Development Service in April 2009.
Our Child Development
Service aims to deliver quality
treatment programmes for children
with specific developmental needs,
and to encourage their effective
learning as well as healthy and
independent living. Recently we
began delivering treatment
programmes to children with autism,
Asperger syndrome, specific learning
disabilities, and attention deficit and
hyperactivity disorder. Treatments Hand-writing programmes for children
include sensory integration therapy,
visual-perceptual training, pre-writing readiness and writing information day for the general public. In the meantime, we have
training. In April we conducted free talks on specific learning begun to actively collaborate with paediatricians, schools and
disabilities, as well as a handwriting assessment and an self-help parties, and to deliver health care services for children
and parents. These programmes have
been essential in raising public
awareness of the importance of healthy
development among children.
In the coming summer, we will
be conducting summer programmes for
children and their care-givers in areas
such as attention training, weight
management, sensory integration, and
emotional and social intelligence.
At the same time, we will be working
closely with schools and child-care
services through outreach and support
programmes. We will directly treat
students with learning disabilities,
assist them in coping with their daily
academic work and improve their learning
abilities. In addition, we will offer
professional training courses to teachers
and staff in order to foster school
readiness in teaching students with
developmental disabilities.
Occupational therapist conducts sensory integration therapy
21
 SUMMER / 2009

Activities & Ceremonies

News

VISITORS to OUR department

MOU signing with Chang Gung University, 3 March 2009

09
3 February 20 11 February 2009
6 March 2009
Hong Kong PHAB Association ber of
the standing mem
SAHK Mr Fang Chaogui, ress
le's Cong
Guangdong Peop

Scholarship students sharing tea reception - 24 March 09

Congratulations
PolyU Long
Service Award
h 2009 Mr Siu Sik Cheung
6 Marc
6 February 2009 Mrs Dicker Lam
12 February 20 Dr Margaret Mak
Guangzhou U 09
niversity of Ch ip
New President - Prof Timothy W. Tong inese Medicin llowsh
e ond Fe
Richm

Quality Education Fund

Dr Hector Tsang (HK$1,290,000)
Research Project:
Stress Management and Mental Health Promotion for Teachers in
Hong Kong

NEW Staff Editors’ Corner

2009 Editors: Ms Sharon M H Tsang &
11 February
Ms Daphne Ip
Mr Calvin Yip,
wan 17 February 2009 11 March 2009 Department of
man, Dr K Clinical Associate
ard Chair Prof Inger Schroeder, De Rehabilitaion Sciences
HK OT Bo Prof Robert Kane, University of Minnesota, USA an of Faculty of Ms Daphne Ip,
Occupational Therapy, The Hong Kong
Metropolitan Universit
College of Copenhagen y Clinical Associate Polytechnic University
, Denmark
Ms Grace Lung, Tel: 2766 4332
Occupational Fax: 2330 8656
Therapy I Email: rsstsang@polyu.edu.hk

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