Digital records that are faster than paper.
Many care homes and home care teams in Hong Kong still rely on paper logbooks. Going digital often fails because typing is slower than writing. With voice, digital becomes faster than paper.
service units subsidised to procure or rent over 13,000 technology products (about HK$520 million approved by May 2023)
Source: GovHK press release on the I&T Fund, May 2023requires service units to keep accurate and current records of service operations and activities, and produce statistical reports for the SWD
Source: SWD, Service Quality Standards and Criteriasubvented residential care homes for the elderly, with 15,284 subsidised places (31 March 2025)
Source: SWD, Residential Care Services statistics 2024-25Thousands of technology products have already been introduced in Hong Kong care services with public funding. Paper records are often the next step, and voice input makes the switch easier for staff.
The government set aside HK$1 billion in December 2018 for the I&T Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care, which subsidises eligible service units to procure, rent or trial technology products. By May 2023, about HK$520 million had been approved for some 1,600 units and more than 13,000 products. The government has since injected an additional HK$1 billion.
GovHK, I&T Fund progress (May 2023)SWD, I&T Fund Manual (July 2026)
SWD-funded service units are assessed against 16 Service Quality Standards. SQS 3 requires accurate and current records of service operations and activities (criterion 3.1), accurate statistical reports for the SWD (3.2) and periodical performance reports accessible to the public (3.3). Records written days after the event, or scattered across notebooks, make these criteria harder to evidence.
Paper survives because it is fast and familiar; many digital systems are slower than a pen. Voice input changes the comparison: speaking a note is quicker than writing it. Teams can run paper and digital side by side for a few weeks, then retire the logbooks once staff trust the new records.
Speaking a note takes less time than writing it.
Records are stored securely and searchable.
No more binders to store, search and archive.
The care worker describes the visit or observation out loud.
The note is transcribed, categorised and given a priority level.
The coordinator and the next shift see it immediately.
Teams usually start recording on the first day of the trial.
Yes, many teams run both for a few weeks.
Figures checked in November 2026. Please refer to the official sources for the latest data.