Patient journey guides

Not sure which specialty to see, second opinions, moving between public and private care and handing over records, preparing to see a doctor, and the steps after a cancer diagnosis: the process and what to prepare only, no diagnosis.

• An older person has several chronic conditions: which doctor should coordinate their care?An older person has heart disease and several other chronic conditions: which doctor should coordinate their care? What the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine says about the scope of Family Medicine and Geriatric Medicine, how the Primary Healthcare Blueprint describes the family doctor's role, and what to prepare before seeing the doctor.Updated 2026-10-25
• Worried your child has a developmental delay? Who to see first, and how autism and ADHD are assessedWorried your child has a developmental delay, autism or attention deficit? Who to see first, the referral routes and assessment team of the Department of Health's Child Assessment Service, and the follow-up after assessment described in Government replies to the Legislative Council.Updated 2026-10-25
• Requesting your medical records, reports and images in Hong Kong: how to apply through the Hospital Authority, private hospitals and eHealth, and the feesWant to get your own records, medical reports and images? This page explains the difference between a data access request and a medical report, how to apply at the Hospital Authority and private hospitals, the fees and how long it takes, and what records eHealth covers.Updated 2026-10-14
• After a diagnosis, should I choose the doctor or the hospital first?Choosing the doctor or the hospital after a diagnosis: in the private sector these are two decisions — a hospital must credential a doctor before they may admit there, and the same doctor may be approved at several hospitals; the hospital decides whether it offers the service you need. In the public sector a referral goes to a specialty, not a named doctor.Updated 2026-10-09
• Bringing previous tests to a new doctor in Hong Kong: reports, imaging discs and pathology slidesTransferring hospital, getting a second opinion, or coming from the mainland to see a new doctor: beyond the report, bring the original images and pathology material to reduce repeat tests. Who to ask for each, what eHealth covers, and that the treating doctor decides whether to repeat a test.Updated 2026-10-09
• Community care after discharge: nasogastric-tube care, residential homes and community supportNeeding care after discharge: assessment and referral through a medical social worker or the Social Welfare Department's Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism; community care (service voucher, home-based, day care) and residential care options are on the SWD site; for nursing skills, ask the ward or medical social worker before discharge.Updated 2026-10-09
• Done with surgery in Hong Kong, following up in the mainland: which discharge records to getAfter surgery or treatment in Hong Kong and following up in the mainland or elsewhere, what to collect at discharge — the discharge summary, medication record, follow-up and suture-removal arrangements, and test reports. Who to ask for each, and how it differs from a medical report.Updated 2026-10-09
• How do I arrange a non-emergency ambulance? The 999 ambulance vs non-emergency ambulance transfer service (NEATS) on transfer day, and the feesArranging transport on the day of a transfer, discharge or follow-up: a 999 emergency ambulance is for emergencies, while a transfer is non-emergency transport (NEATS) arranged by the hospital or clinic — the Hospital Authority serves patients meeting its criteria, the Auxiliary Medical Service is free, and other services charge.Updated 2026-10-09
• Transferring hospital while admitted or with surgery already scheduledWanting to transfer hospital during an admission or after surgery is scheduled: who to tell first, whether the new hospital must have a doctor accept you, whether scheduled surgery is re-queued, and how to confirm the referral reached the new hospital. Actual arrangements: ask the hospital.Updated 2026-10-09
• What a family companion can do in the consultation: joining, interpreting and recordingWhat a companion can do once inside the consultation room: whether they can join, interpret for the patient, record the doctor's explanation, and how to help when the patient has cognitive impairment. It mainly depends on the clinic or hospital's rules and the patient's consent — ask the institution.Updated 2026-10-09
• What to ask your cancer doctor and care team: a checklist by diagnosis, treatment, side effects, cost and supportA checklist of questions to prepare before a cancer follow-up visit, grouped by diagnosis, tests, treatment, side effects, cost and support, each marked with whether to ask the treating doctor or the relevant staff. This site does not answer for you; your treating doctor explains your individual case.Updated 2026-10-09
• When will my test report be ready? What if there is a problem with it, and can I get it before the follow-up?After a test, waiting for the report: when it comes out, whether you must wait for the follow-up to learn the result, whether you can get a copy early, and what to do if the report is out but the follow-up is far off. Getting a report is not the same as having it interpreted.Updated 2026-10-09
• How to prepare for a second opinion: which reports and images to bringWhat should you prepare for a second opinion? This page explains what the Medical Council's Code says, and how to prepare the medical reports, test reports, images and list of medicines to bring.Updated 2026-10-05
• The doctor says I need surgery — can I ask a second doctor first? What a doctor must explain before you consentThe doctor recommends surgery and you want to ask another doctor first? This page explains the conditions under which consent is valid, which items a doctor must explain before obtaining consent, how much time you have to decide, and the practical routes in the public and private systems.Updated 2026-10-05
• Two doctors give different advice — what should I compare? The items a doctor must explain before you consent to treatmentTwo doctors give different advice — what should you compare? This page uses the items a doctor must explain before obtaining consent as a comparison table: the recommended treatment, the other options, the risks, and what you have the right to know and to decide.Updated 2026-10-05
• Breast cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for breast cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Follow-up after an abnormal screening result, referral to a surgeon, the multidisciplinary team, cancer case managers, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Colorectal cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for colorectal cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Referral after a positive screening test, tests and diagnosis, the multidisciplinary team, cancer case managers, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Liver cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for liver cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Imaging and biopsy, treatment decided by stage, multidisciplinary teams, cancer case managers, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Lung cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for lung cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Tests and diagnosis, molecular markers, the Hospital Authority's related departments and multidisciplinary teams, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Not sure which specialty to see? How family doctors, Family Medicine Clinics and A&E differNot sure which specialty to see? What the Government's primary healthcare policy says about seeing a family doctor first, how private doctors differ from Hospital Authority Family Medicine Clinics, how A&E triage works, and the helpline for emotional distress.Updated 2026-10-03
• Pancreatic cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for pancreatic cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Scans, endoscopy and biopsy, treatment decided by stage and overall health, palliative treatment, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Prostate cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for prostate cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Assessment after a raised PSA, biopsy and staging, treatment decided by risk, cancer case managers, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Stomach cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for stomach cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Gastroscopy, staging by ultrasound and CT, treatment decided by stage, cancer case managers, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Thyroid cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?What are the usual steps for thyroid cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment? Fine needle aspiration and scans, surgery, arrangements before and after radioactive iodine treatment, regular follow-up, and pages on the related specialties, fees and financial support.Updated 2026-10-03
• Transferring from a public hospital to a private hospital, or private to public: what to prepare? Referral letters, handing over medical records, and eHealthWhat documents do you need to move from private to public care, or from public to private? Referral letters, how to request medical reports and records and what they cost, eHealth sharing consent, and private hospital arrangements for public patients.Updated 2026-10-03
• What should I prepare for my first doctor visit? How can a family member help as a companion?What documents, medicine list and reports should you bring to a first doctor visit? How family members accompanying a patient can help organise information and ask questions, and the rules for collecting reports or medical records on a patient's behalf.Updated 2026-10-03