What Advance Medical Directives (AMD) Professional Guidelines May Mean for Frontline Health Workers, Patients and Caregivers:
A Reading of the HKAM Best Practice Guidelines on AMD
《解读香港医学专科学院关于“预设医疗指示”的最佳实践指南》
香港于2024年11月正式颁布《维持生命治疗的预作决定条例》。香港医学专科学院（HKAM）制定的最佳实践指引是重要的配套措施。大众普遍以为，针对医生的专业指引纯粹是关乎医务上的实践与伦理。然而就“预设医疗指示”议题而言，未必是这样。指南是重要的专业规范，但部分内容对其他专业领域、患者及照顾者也有相干。“预设医疗指示”本质上是病人的自主工具，而非医疗程序。这次「读·思」会将会提供一个较为宽阔的解读。
| 23 July 2025 (Wed) 5:30 pm– 6:45 pm |
| Lecture Theatre 5, Cheng Yu Tung Building, CUHK |
| Register now← (Deadline: 18 July 2025) |
Date & Time 
Venue
Registration
Speaker | Discussant |
Dr. Derrick AU (Click the photo to see the Biography) |
Professor Helen CHAN (Click the photo to see the Biography) |
| Dr. Derrick AU, with long involvement in advance directives (now AMD in the legislation) development in the Hospital Authority, will provide highlights of the HKAM BPG, to point out their significance for the wider public. | Professor Helen CHAN, an academic, educator and a champion of advance care planning, will provide a discussion and commentary. |
About the Meeting | After years of preparation, Hong Kong has enacted the Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance. Passed by the Legislative Council on 20 November 2024 and gazetted on 29 November 2024, this legislation establishes a comprehensive framework for advance healthcare decisions, including Advance Medical Directives (AMD). The implementation includes an 18-month transition period, allowing medical institutions and organizations to update their protocols and conduct training. The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM) Best Practice Guideline (BPG) on AMD is one such supporting initiative.
This meeting provides a reading of the newly promulgated (April 2025) HKAM BPG on AMD – interpretating its meaning for frontline health workers and (formal and informal) caregivers. Traditionally, we assume that professional guidelines for doctors (as this one is) are concerned solely with best practice and ethical conduct of doctors. On the topic of AMD, however, this may not be true. The HKAM BPG is indeed a comprehensive set of guidelines important to all doctors, but some of the messages also have significant meanings and implications for other professional disciplines, patients and caregivers. Indeed, AMD may be better understood as a tool for patients, rather than a medically defined procedure. |
About the Bioethics Journal Club | This was initiated in May 2017 (but interrupted by COVID-19) as a forum for reading, discussing and reflecting on salient topics in bioethics and health care ethics. Cross-disciplinary exchange and sharing between professionals and informed lay participants enrich understanding of issues that are current and of significance. With the re-launch of this Journal Club, we are delighted to give it a Chinese name: 生命倫理「讀．思」會which may even better describe its nature – the meeting is certainly not limited to journal reading! |
Suggested Readings | The HKAM BPG for AMD can be accessed at: https://www.hkam.org.hk/en/news/best-practice-guidelines-advance-medical-directives
A succinct legal reading of the legislation is available from this legal website: [English] https://www.minterellison.com.hk/news/establishing-legal-basis-for-advance-medical-directives/ [Chinese] 為預設醫療指示建立法律框架 – MinterEllison HK |
