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More than 700 health care professionals from over 20 countries or regions attended the First Cochrane Hong Kong Symposium organised by The Nethersole School of Nursing (the School) of the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today (23 May). The symposium runs for two days (23-24 May), followed by post-symposium workshops on 27-28 May.

The theme of the symposium is “Paving the Way for and Achieving Excellence in Evidence-informed Health Care in the Belt and Road Regions”. This symposium aims to provide an international multidisciplinary platform for health care providers, policy makers, academics and researchers from the Belt and Road regions and worldwide to discuss contemporary strategies and issues in evidence-informed health care and policy formulation. Cochrane evidence is regarded internationally as a powerful tool to enhance health care knowledge and practice. Through this symposium, participants are expected to examine strategies and challenges in advancing the use of reliable evidence, in particular Cochrane evidence, to inform practice to address some of the world’s most concerning diseases and health conditions.

The opening ceremony was held today at the CUHK campus, officiating guests include Dr. CHUI Tak Yi, Under Secretary for Food and Health, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Professor FOK Tai Fai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and Choh-Ming Li Professor of Paediatrics; Professor CHAIR Sek Ying, Director and Professor of The Nethersole School of Nursing of Faculty of Medicine at CUHK; Professor Martin J. BURTON, Director, of Cochrane UK and Co-Chair of the Cochrane Board; Mr. Mark G. WILSON, Chief Executive Officer of Cochrane; Dr. LAM Ching-choi, Chairman of the Elderly Commission; Dr. Tony P. S. KO, Director (Cluster Services), Cluster Services Division, Hospital Authority; Mr. Lawrence Y. W. POON, Chief Manager (Nursing) / Chief Nurse Executive, Hospital Authority; Dr. HO Tzu Leung, Director of The S. H. Ho Foundation Limited and Professor Joseph J. Y. SUNG, Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine of CUHK. During the ceremony, the plaque of Cochrane Hong Kong was unveiled to commemorate its establishment at the School as the second nursing-led Cochrane affiliate in the world.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Under Secretary for Food and Health Dr. CHUI Tak Yi said the Hong Kong government has long supported evidence-based research through its Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF). He said, “The HMRF supports investigator-initiated research guided by thematic priorities and commissioned research in areas of policy interest. Last year, the government strengthened its approach to guiding evidence-based research by establishing Expert Advisory Panels which comprise local experts in five areas: cancer, infectious diseases, mental health, primary healthcare and non-communicable disease, and implementation science to drive the research agenda in these key areas. Of particular importance is the new thematic priority of ‘implementation science’, which aims to support initiatives to translate evidence-based research findings into improved healthcare practices.”

Mr. Mark G. WILSON, Chief Executive Officer of Cochrane said that Cochrane’s 72,000 members and supporters are from more than 130 countries. They aim to provide high quality, relevant and accessible systematic reviews and research evidence for effective and efficient health decisions and policy making. Mainland China is among the branches already set up in Asia. He was glad to see the Cochrane network extended to Hong Kong this year.

Professor CHAIR Sek Ying, Director and Professor of The Nethersole School of Nursing of Faculty of Medicine at CUHK expressed what an honour it was for the School to help set up a branch in Hong Kong for Cochrane, “With this establishment, the School is committed to collaborating closely with Cochrane centres around the world towards a shared vision for better health, and this symposium is one of our key initiatives to achieve this vision.”

Following the opening ceremony, Professor Martin J. BURTON, Director, Cochrane UK and Co-Chair of the Cochrane Board delivered an inspiring keynote presentation on the use of Cochrane evidence to inform practice and health care policy. The second keynote presentation will be delivered tomorrow (24 May) by Professor Linda P. SARNA, Dean and Professor, School of Nursing, The University of California, Los Angeles, United States about using evidence to develop clinical practice guidelines on smoking cessation for patients with cardiovascular diseases. In addition, seven distinguished international health care scholars and experts from all over the world were invited to deliver plenary lectures at the symposium.

A round table discussion was also held today, with eight renowned evidence-based health care experts from mainland China invited as speakers to discuss the use of systematic review evidence in mainland China. Post-symposium workshops are designed for participants to learn more about interpreting systematic reviews and using Cochrane reviews in practice. During the symposium, a total of 210 scientific abstracts will be presented, either orally or in poster format.

For more information about the symposium, please visit the symposium website at http://1stcochranehksym.nur.cuhk.edu.hk or contact The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK (Tel: 3943 1121).

Remarks:
Project title: Paving the Way for and Achieving Excellence in Evidence-informed Health Care in the Belt and Road Regions
This material/event is funded by the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material/any event organised under this project do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the Vetting Committee of the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme.