We are thrilled to announce that a COVID-19 study led by Prof. Eng-kiong Yeoh stood out from nearly 80 competitors and won the Best Poster Award at the Health Research Symposium organized by the Health Bureau in Hong Kong on 26 November 2024 (Tuesday).
Entitled “Investigation of Hong Kong’s Early Detection, Assessment, and Response (S-EDAR) System to the New Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreak COVID-19,” the project was jointly conducted by nine outstanding scholars from the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care under Prof. Yeoh’s leadership.
The project investigated how Hong Kong’s S-EDAR system can be enhanced to control the COVID-19 epidemic across different transmission scenarios, informing further preparedness and response.
The research team deployed a sequential multi-level mixed method, which included but was not limited to a comparative study of responses in 6 jurisdictions in Asia, and interviews and focus groups with more than 80 key local informants and participants, as well as insight from local and overseas experts.
At the center of their research toolkit was the Delphi Method, a consensus-seeking approach that involves multiple rounds of anonymous questionnaires with structured communication, which modifies the validity, clarity, and feasibility of strategies throughout the process.
The study also assessed the effectiveness of control measures through analysis of infection surveillance data from the Centre for Health Protection and the Hospital Authority.
The research team developed an S-EDAR framework comprising Preparedness, Readiness, Response, and Recovery, covering 14 domains and 37 enhancements. This framework emphasizes tripartite collaboration among the government, the community, and the health system, forming the core of a resilient, rapid response system.
Based on a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, the enhanced S-EDAR framework applies to different emergency management phases, strengthening the health system and community resilience in a pandemic and enhancing recovery.
The project is one of over 50 commissioned research projects on COVID-19 funded by the Health Bureau’s Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) (Project No.: COVID190105). (Learn more: About HMRF)
On behalf of the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Yeoh and his team for this remarkable achievement.
About Prof. Eng-kiong Yeoh
Professor Yeoh is the Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Policy Research at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care. His research is in health systems, services, and policy with an interest in applying systems thinking in studying how the complex components of health systems interact and interrelate to improve health. Internationally, he is involved in collaborative work with research networks such as the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and the Asia Pacific Network for Health Systems Strengthening (ANHSS) in studies on health systems and policy training. Before joining The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Yeoh was Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region between 1999 and 2004. From 1990 to 1999, Professor Yeoh was the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority. (Learn more: Prof. Eng Kiong YEOH 楊永強教授 | CUHK JCSPHPC | Hong Kong)
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