Visual stimulation as pain relief for Hong Kong Chinese patients with leg ulcers

Analgesic potential of visual stimulation was examined in 33 patients with leg ulcers in a randomized, controlled, crossover clinical trial. Patients were alternating between wearing an eyeglass display with soundless VCD broadcast (V-sessions) and a static blank screen (B-sessions) while receiving superficial debridement and wound dressing for their leg ulcers. A significant reduction in pain scores was found during V-sessions (VAS 67.7 ± 28.4 vs. 25.6 ± 29.8 when V-sessions vs. B-sessions, with p < 0.01). Age was positively correlated with the improvement in VAS, whereas gender, residency, and the underlying medical conditions were not correlated with the improvement in pain score. The use of visual stimulation might be beneficial to both genders, in an older age group regardless of the underlying medical conditions. This is the pioneer use of visual stimulation as a non-pharmacological adjuvant to pain relief among a local Chinese population. The study will certainly add knowledge to the existing pain relief methods.published_or_final_versio

Effect of an infection control programme in enteral feeding bacterial contamination in nursing homes

School of NursingRefereed conference pape

The effect of visual stimulation via the eyeglass display and the perception of pain

Hospitalization involves anxiety and pain for many people. Unfamiliar hospital settings, various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and the sight and sounds of medical procedures exacerbate pain and anxiety. By blocking off the anxiety-inducing sights and sounds of the hospital surroundings and creating a pleasant environment, an eyeglass display might be able to change the sensation and perception of pain. In this randomized, controlled, crossover study, 72 healthy university student volunteers were asked to wear a light-weight eyeglass that projected a feeling of watching a 52-inch television screen at 6 1/2 feet in distance while pain was produced by a modified tourniquet technique. Subjects were randomly assigned to participate in a V-session or B-session first, with subsequent cross-over. In a V-session, subjects were instructed to wear the eyeglass and watch the soundless display of natural scenery during the inflation. In a B-session, the eyeglass that subjects wore would project a static blank screen. During V-sessions, there was a significant increase in pain threshold (p < 0.001) and pain tolerance (p < 0.001). The degree of immersion was positively correlated with improvement in pain threshold, whereas the anxiety level was negatively correlated with improvement in pain threshold. These findings have implications for using visual stimulation as a positive adjunct to other methods of pain relief and for different pain conditions. This study was considered to be the pioneer use of visual stimulation in the local Chinese community as an adjunct to pain relief.published_or_final_versio

Cerebral involvement in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders among Hong Kong Chinese

published_or_final_versionThe 16th Medical Resarch Conference (MRC), The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, 22 January 2011. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2011, v. 17, suppl. 1, p. 55, abstract no. 8

视觉分散和视听分散对接受结肠镜检病人焦虑和接受性的影响

2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Pathway to mental health recovery: a qualitative and quantitative study on the needs of Chinese psychiatric inpatients

published_or_final_versio

Floor transfer test for assessing people with chronic stroke

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Thymomatous myasthenia gravis

BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder targeting skeletal muscle acetylcholine receptor. Thymoma is associated with MG in some patients, the majority of whom present with symptoms of MG before detection of underlying thymoma. This study aimed to study clinical and serological characteristics of Chinese thymomatous MG patients …published_or_final_versio