Proxy medical decision-making: national survey.

Objectives: Population ageing and increased care needs lead to adults making consequential medical decisions for others, potentially impacting treatment and end of life. We aim to describe the prevalence of medical decision-making by proxy among the national population and associated demographic and care factors.

Methods: We designed a cross-sectional online survey with a nationally representative adult cohort with an 80% participation rate.

Effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring in patient management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: an umbrella review of systematic reviews from 2011 to 2024.

Background: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is increasingly popular for managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Many systematic reviews have reported on CGM's effectiveness, but with heterogeneous methodologies and objectives. We aim to conduct an umbrella review (UR) to consolidate a most contemporaneous and comprehensive evidence base comparing CGM with self-monitoring of blood glucose or usual care (SMBG/UC).

Sustainability of health outcomes of patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus after completing 6 months of remote tele-monitoring: Two-year results from a randomised controlled trial (OPTIMUM).

Introduction: Meta-analysis shows that home tele-monitoring (HTM) improves glycaemic control in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) up to 12 months, but their health outcomes after HTM cessation remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the health outcomes of these patients 18 months after completing 6 months of HTM, compared to standard care.

Methods: Patients with T2DM were enrolled in an open-labelled randomised controlled trial, aged 26 to 65 years, and suboptimal glycaemic control (HbA1c = 7.

Foot care behaviours and associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

Background: As numerous studies highlighted the importance of maintaining proper foot care (FC) behaviours among individuals with diabetes to prevent complications, we sought to assess FC behaviours among patients with diabetes and to identify the factors associated with the practice of diabetic FC.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional design and collected data through self-reported questionnaires administered to a sample of 586 patients from five medical centres. We conducted descriptive and inferential analyses to explore the relationships between potential risk and protective factors and FC behaviours.

Cost-Effectiveness of a Home Telemonitoring System for Asian Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Telemonitoring programs have been found to be effective in improving diabetic control by promoting patients' self-management of diabetes through medication adherence, dietary modifications, and exercise. Nonetheless, few studies have assessed the cost-effectiveness of telemonitoring for the self-management of diabetes based on real-world data. A randomized controlled trial entitled Optimizing care of Patients via Telehealth In Monitoring and Augmenting their control of Diabetes Mellitus was conducted among adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Singapore.

Comparative policy analysis of national rare disease funding policies in Australia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States: a scoping review.

Background: Rare diseases pose immense challenges for healthcare systems due to their low prevalence, associated disabilities, and attendant treatment costs. Advancements in gene therapy, such as treatments for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), have introduced novel therapeutic options, but the high costs, exemplified by Zolgensma® at US$2.1 million, present significant financial barriers.

Cost-of-illness studies of inherited retinal diseases: a systematic review.

Background: While health care and societal costs are routinely modelled for most diseases, there is a paucity of comprehensive data and cost-of-illness (COI) studies for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). This lack of data can lead to underfunding or misallocation of resources. A comprehensive understanding of the COI of IRDs would assist governmental and healthcare leaders in determining optimal resource allocation, prioritizing funding for research, treatment, and support services for these patients.

Preferences and willingness-to-pay for a blood pressure telemonitoring program using a discrete choice experiment.

This study aimed to elicit the preferences and willingness-to-pay for blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring programs. This study also investigated the different factors or participant characteristics that could influence preferences and choice behaviors. Participants with hypertension were identified from an online survey panel demographically representative of Singapore's general population.

Implementation and use of technology-enabled blood pressure monitoring and teleconsultation in Singapore's primary care: a qualitative evaluation using the socio-technical systems approach.

Background: Telemedicine is becoming integral in primary care hypertension management, and is associated with improved blood pressure control, self-management and cost-effectiveness. This study explored the experiences of patients and healthcare professionals and their perceived barriers and facilitators in implementing and using a technology-enabled blood pressure monitoring intervention with teleconsultation in the Singapore primary care setting.

Methods: This was a qualitative study embedded within the Primary Technology-Enhanced Care Hypertension pilot trial.

Telemedical Interventions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Management: Umbrella Review.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a growing epidemic, with a heavy associated economic burden. Education, physical activity, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs are important aspects of the management of COPD. These interventions are commonly delivered remotely as part of telemedicine interventions.

Trust and Uncertainty in the Implementation of a Pilot Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Program in Primary Care: Qualitative Study of Patient and Health Care Professional Views.

Background: Trust is of fundamental importance to the adoption of technologies in health care. The increasing use of telemedicine worldwide makes it important to consider user views and experiences. In particular, we ask how the mediation of a technological platform alters the trust relationship between patient and health care provider.

Developing integration among stakeholders in the primary care networks of Singapore: a qualitative study.

Background: Integrating healthcare services across and between the different health system levels can be achieved in a few ways; however, examining the social side of integration is essential and challenging. This paper explores the concept of integration perceived by general practitioners (GPs) and primary care network (PCN) representatives from the regional health systems (RHS) in a GP-RHS PCN and their perceived partnership success.

Methods: In this study, we explored three GP-RHS PCNs in Singapore.

Reply to Ngoh et al. Comment on "Surendran et al. The Missed Opportunity of Patient-Centered Medical Homes to Thrive in an Asian Context. 2021, , 1817".

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Revisiting the four core functions (4Cs) of primary care: operational definitions and complexities.

Background: The four primary care (PC) core functions (the '4Cs', ie, first contact, comprehensiveness, coordination and continuity) are essential for good quality primary healthcare and their achievement leads to lower costs, less inequality and better population health. However, their broad definitions have led to variations in their assessment, in the innovations implemented to improve these functions and ultimately in their performance.

Objectives: To update and operationalise the 4Cs' definitions by using a literature review and analysis of enhancement strategies, and to identify innovations that may lead to their enhancement.

Medical and social domains of ageing research in Singapore (2008-2018): a scoping review.

Introduction: This scoping review examined the number, types and characteristics of journal publications on ageing in Singapore from 2008 to 2018 to determine how ageing research in medical and social domains in Singapore has transformed over time.

Methods: Using relevant search terms, articles were extracted from multiple databases and then screened and reviewed for eligibility and inclusion by independent reviewers. Data such as article title, authors, year of publication, name of journal, type of journal, study design and the kind of data used were charted from the included articles for evidence synthesis.

Women's Usage Behavior and Perceived Usefulness with Using a Mobile Health Application for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Mixed-Methods Study.

The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing, and only a few mobile health (mHealth) applications are specifically designed to manage GDM. In this mixed-methods study, a follow-up study of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) analyzed a largely automated mHealth application-based lifestyle coaching program to (a) measure the application's usage behavior and (b) explore users' perceptions of its usefulness in GDM management. Quantitative data were collected from the 170 application users who had participated in the intervention arm of the RCT.

Perceived facilitators and barriers to chronic disease management in primary care networks of Singapore: a qualitative study.

Objective: The increasing chronic disease burden has placed tremendous strain on tertiary healthcare resources in most countries, necessitating a shift in chronic disease management from tertiary to primary care providers. The Primary Care Network (PCN) policy was promulgated as a model of care to organise private general practitioners (GPs) into groups to provide GPs with resources to anchor patients with chronic conditions with them in the community. As PCN is still in its embryonic stages, there is a void in research regarding its ability to empower GPs to manage patients with chronic conditions effectively.

Stroke Rehabilitation Use and Caregiver Psychosocial Health Profiles in Singapore: A Latent Profile Transition Analysis.

Objectives: To identify and describe caregiver profiles based on their psychosocial health characteristics over a 12-month period and transitions among these profiles, to determine if stroke rehabilitation use at 12 months post-stroke differed by caregiver profile transition patterns, and to investigate if caregiver profiles at 3 months post-stroke moderate the association of stroke rehabilitation use at 3 months and 12 months post-stroke after accounting for covariates.

Design: Latent profile transition analysis of caregiver psychosocial health with stroke rehabilitation use at 12 month post-stroke as outcome.

Setting And Participants: A total of 149 stroke patient-caregiver dyads from the Singapore Stroke Study.

Primary Care Networks and Starfield's 4Cs: A Case for Enhanced Chronic Disease Management.

The primary care network (PCN) was implemented as a healthcare delivery model which organises private general practitioners (GPs) into groups and furnished with a certain level of resources for chronic disease management. A secondary qualitative analysis was conducted with data from an earlier study exploring facilitators and barriers GPs enrolled in PCN's face in chronic disease management. The objective of this study is to map features of PCN to Starfield's "4Cs" framework.

The Missed Opportunity of Patient-Centered Medical Homes to Thrive in an Asian Context.

In recent years, there is growing interest internationally to implement patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), and Singapore is no exception. However, studies understanding the influence of contextual policy factors on the implementation of PCMHs are limited. We conducted 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews with general practitioners working in seven out of the nine PCMHs.

Discordance Between Advanced Cancer Patients' Perceived and Preferred Roles in Decision Making and its Association with Psychological Distress and Perceived Quality of Care.

Objective: We investigated patient-reported roles of families, physicians, and patients themselves in treatment decision making and whether discordance between perceived and preferred roles is associated with psychological distress and perceived quality of care among patients with cancer.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional survey data from 599 adults with stage IV solid malignancy in Singapore. Stuart-Maxwell tests were used to compare patients' perceived and preferred roles in decision making.

The accuracy of healthcare worker versus self collected (2-in-1) Oropharyngeal and Bilateral Mid-Turbinate (OPMT) swabs and saliva samples for SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Self-sampling for SARS-CoV-2 would significantly raise testing capacity and reduce healthcare worker (HCW) exposure to infectious droplets personal, and protective equipment (PPE) use.

Methods: We conducted a diagnostic accuracy study where subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 (n = 401) and healthy volunteers (n = 100) were asked to self-swab from their oropharynx and mid-turbinate (OPMT), and self-collect saliva. The results of these samples were compared to an OPMT performed by a HCW in the same patient at the same session.

Promoting BioPsychoSocial health of older adults using a Community for Successful Ageing program (ComSA) in Singapore: A mixed-methods evaluation.

BioPsychoSocial health promotion is increasingly emphasized for Successful Ageing. Few programs are known to target BioPsychoSocial health of older adults and their community. The Community for Successful Ageing: Community Development program (ComSA CD) was developed in Singapore for this purpose.