3) Pre-flight screening - CCOUC - Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response

Use of pre-flight screening in elderly to prevent in-flight medical emergencies: a pilot study

Previous studies indicated that in-flight medical emergencies were common in Hong Kong and the elderly were at a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, while some studies have suggested that pre-flight medical clearance may be effective in reducing in-flight medical events.

This project aims to achieve three objectives:

To screen and detect elderly passengers with chronic medical illness which may give rise to medical emergencies during commercial flights and travel;
To reduce the number of in-flight medical emergencies among elderly passengers; and
To promote the concept of pre-travel preparation and increase awareness among the general population about the hazards of air travel.

The goal of this pre-flight screening research project is to reduce in-flight medical emergencies through a pre-flight screening programme.

Project Duration
3 Years (2011-2013)

Funding
This project was supported by the CCOUC seed grant.