Training Nurses to Provide Care Beyond Inpatient Settings Given Push for Community Care

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health given the push for community care (a) whether the Ministry will incorporate cross-disciplinary allied health modules into the nursing curriculum to support nurses' roles beyond inpatient settings; and (b) whether similar holistic care perspectives can be included in the training of family and rehabilitation physicians to enhance upstream inter-professional collaboration.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is working with the Institutes of Higher Learning, healthcare institutions and Agency for Integrated Care to incorporate relevant cross-disciplinary competencies into nursing education to support community care. For example, topics on nutrition intervention have been incorporated into general nursing curricula to provide guidance on appropriate dietary choices for patients with chronic health conditions. Community nurses are also trained to detect patients with functional problems early, such as impaired mobility or vision, for prompt escalation.

Similarly, residency training for family and rehabilitation physicians includes supporting care in the community, such as identifying available community rehabilitation and support services to refer patients to. This facilitates inter-professional collaboration to deliver holistic care.