MPS-HKUMed Patient Safety and Ethics Essay Prize
MPS-HKUMed Patient Safety and Ethics Essay Prize
This Prize was established with the support of the Medical Protection Society Limited to encourage medical students to promote patient safety, clinical risk management, and medical ethics. The Prize shall be open to MBBS students.
Each year, a total of four prizes shall be awarded, with two prizes (i.e. one to the winner and one to the runner-up) to the Junior Group (MBBS I – III students) and two prizes to the Senior Group (MBBS IV – VI students), who submit the best original essays on any of the following topics:
▪ Clinical Risks Prevention
▪ Ethics and Medical Professionalism
▪ Professional Well-being
Each essay is shared with author’s permission, with the aim of triggering an open and meaningful conversation to promote patient safety, clinical risk management, and medical ethics.
2024-25 Awardees
Winner (Senior Group – MBBS IV-VI): CHENG Chun Chit Eugene
The Ethics and Practical Considerations of Restraint Application on Fall Prevention in Elderly Patients
Physical Restraints are a common way for fall prevention for elderly patients in Hong Kong due to its convenience. However, application for the sole purpose of fall prevention has not been shown to be effective; has led to increased rates of complications and length of hospital stay; and may have negatively affected patient autonomy and dignity. Therefore, this essay aimed to highlight the application of restraint on fall prevention, 1) the possible challenges of patient autonomy, 2) its lack of efficacy and its many downsides, and 3) highlight the possible scenarios that led to overuse of physical restraints and offer some possible solutions for restraint reduction.
Runner-up Prize (Senior Group – MBBS IV-VI): NG Hei Yue
(Re)considering Human Dignity in the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Where Does It Stand?
Available soon
Winner (Junior Group – MBBS I-III): WONG Kelly Likiu
Your Doctor’s Burnout Could Be Your Problem
This essay argues that burnout among medical staff erodes empathy, increases medical errors, and drives disengagement from patient care. Compassion fatigue, often arising from burnout, can pave the way for negative behavioural intentions as workers reach a state of emotional exhaustion. Additionally, lapses in judgement due to mental distress or overload can pose significant risks to patient safety. Lastly, psychological health burdens can result in medical professionals withdrawing from their roles, further straining healthcare resources and compromising patient outcomes. Preventing burnout and prioritising the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers must be an urgent priority of healthcare systems, not only as a matter of individual health but also as the foundation of safe and effective patient care.
Runner-up Prize (Junior Group – MBBS I-III): YIP Ka Wai Ernest
Student Shadowing in Hong Kong Public Hospitals: An Opportunity for Improving Patient Safety and Ethical Practices
Medical shadowing is a critical component of medical education, yet in Hong Kong’s (HK) public hospitals, a lack of a standardized shadowing process raises significant ethical, psychological and justice concerns. Patients may unknowingly consent to student involvement, compromising autonomy, privacy, and safety. This essay examines these ethical dilemmas from the perspective of patients and medical students and proposes reforms, including tiered consent models, clearer role differentiation, structured supervision, visible and multilingual disclosures (including digital prompts), and equity safeguards for elderly and non–Cantonese-speaking patients. By prioritizing patient safety and ethical oversight, HK can balance medical education with patient rights, fostering transparency, trust, and excellence in clinical care while setting a global example for over-burdened healthcare systems.
2023-24 Awardees
Winner (Senior Group – MBBS IV-VI): Kyle HUI
Do Not Conceal Your Child’s Autism Diagnosis
This essay explores the ethical implications of parents concealing their children’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. It argues that non-disclosure is unethical as it limits self-advocacy, causes harm, and damages trust. Self-advocacy for children with ASD is important in obtaining opportunities to ensure an open future. In addition, the idea that nondisclosure protects children from social stigma is challenged, as concealed stigma can cause distress. Finally, non-disclosure causes the breakdown of trust between patients, family, and healthcare providers, impeding management. There is a need for transparency about ASD diagnoses, with healthcare professionals providing support to parents in navigating these conversations.
Runner-up Prize (Senior Group – MBBS IV-VI): CHAN Yu Kiu Elkie
Knowledge is not the sole culprit of poor hand hygiene compliance: What factors affect it and what evidence-based interventions exist?
Hand hygiene is the cornerstone of infection control in hospitals. However, compliance with hand hygiene recommendations, including among medical students, has been difficult to achieve. This review examines the factors that contribute to poor hand hygiene practices among medical students and presents evidence-based strategies to mitigate risks. It highlights factors other than the lack of knowledge, including convenience, and behavioral preferences. Predicated on the assumption that factors apart from knowledge influence hand hygiene compliance, it recommends interventions such as clinical scenarios and reminder mechanisms. By adopting these strategies, healthcare workers can create a safer environment.
Winner (Junior Group – MBBS I-III): Hei Yue NG
Exploring the Hidden Curriculum in Cadaveric Dissection: A Literature Review and the Pedagogical Implications for Hong Kong Medical Schools
So much as it is a space for anatomy teaching, dissection lab is simultaneously a space where medical students confront the concept of death and grapple with ethical considerations, subsequently developing moral and professional values. This essay serves as a literature review to discuss the “hidden curriculum” within cadaveric dissection, which encompasses the exploration of death, ethical considerations, and professional growth. It highlights the pedagogical potential of cadaver lab to impart humanistic values and fosters the development of medical professionalism among students. Finally, it emphasizes the implication of this aspect for medical schools in Hong Kong.
Runner-up Prize (Junior Group – MBBS I-III): Yu-Hau Artemis CHEN
AI in Clinical Medicine: Benefits and Potential Risks of Patient Safety and Ethics
Over the last decade, there has been a whirlwind of development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The main focus of this essay is to review the potential ethical and legal concerns of patients’ safety if AI technologies are used in clinical settings. Equity, autonomy, accountability, and explicability are the most common four ethical principles in the context with AI. With increasingly rapid advances in AI, extra care is needed when developing clinical AI applications. Government, insurance sectors, AI developers, and healthcare professionals should work closely to optimise the well-beings of medical professionals and patients.