Yet Hong Khor

It was my great honour to receive a 2021 American Thoracic Society and Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Award to attend the 2021 American Thoracic Society Virtual Conference. I had the pleasure to get connected with researchers and clinicians from around the world through the virtual platform, despite not being able to be together in person.

During the conference, I presented my study, “Nocturnal Hypoxemia in Interstitial Lung Disease: A Systematic Review”. Nocturnal hypoxaemia is common with a pooled prevalence of 37%, which is associated with reduced diffusion capacity of the lung and the presence of pulmonary hypertension. It is also a potential prognostic factor in patients with interstitial lung disease. However, the diagnostic criteria of nocturnal hypoxaemia are variable, and no long-term studies have evaluated the therapeutic effects of nocturnal oxygen therapy in this population. This is the first comprehensive systematic review summarising current evidence regarding nocturnal hypoxaemia in interstitial lung disease, highlighting the key evidence gaps for future research. This study is now in press at Thorax.

In addition, I supported Dr Hui Li Ang, a resident whom I have supervised, to present our study – “Online patient information on domiciliary oxygen therapy: an evaluation of quality, suitability, and readability”. We found that currently available online patient resources for domiciliary oxygen therapy are often not reliable, as well as being inaccurate and incomplete, with low readability for the general population. Our study highlights the pressing need and the critical areas that need to be addressed in developing high-quality online patient information on DOT, as well as creating awareness among healthcare professionals about the limitations of the current online resources.

The American Thoracic Society virtual conference was very informative, with a diverse range of talks where key experts shared their views and provided the latest updates in the fields. Attending these sessions helped to keep my knowledge on different aspects of respiratory medicine up to date from both clinical and research perspectives. Among those, the Special Events on “Outpatient Management: Post COVID-19 Patients” and “COVID-19: Regional Approaches to Vaccination” offered live interactions between the speakers and attendees from different countries, which shared the global experience and strategies for tackling this pandemic. There were also many fantastic abstract sessions that showcased a breadth of work spanning basic, clinical, translational, and public health research. I was truly inspired by the exciting range and depth of presentations, as well as the dedication and commitment of the researchers in the midst of the unprecedented disruption by COVID-19.

I really enjoyed attending the 2021 American Thoracic Society Virtual Conference. I would like to thank the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology for this valuable opportunity and ongoing support for early-career researchers.