Longitudinal Study Comparing Mental Health Outcomes in Frontline Emergency Department Healthcare Workers through the Different Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As countries transition from the COVID-19 pandemic to endemic status, healthcare systems continue to be under pressure. We aimed to quantify changes in depression, anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) between 3 cohorts (2020, 2021 and 2022) of our Emergency Department (ED) healthcare workers (HCWs) and those who had worked through all 3 phases of the pandemic; and identify factors associated with poorer mental health outcomes (MHOs). In this longitudinal single-centre study in Singapore, three surveys were carried out yearly (2020, 2021 and 2022) since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Bundled Payments for Hip Fracture Surgery Are Associated With Improved Access, Quality, and Health Care Utilization, but Higher Costs for Complex Cases: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

Objectives: To study the impact of bundled payments for surgically managed hip fractures on care access, care quality, health care resource utilization, clinical impact, and acute care cost.

Design: An observational retrospective cohort study using a quasi-experimental design comparing prebundled and postbundled payments through an interrupted time series analysis.

Setting: A public acute care general hospital.

A One-Year Longitudinal Study: Changes in Depression and Anxiety in Frontline Emergency Department Healthcare Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) fighting COVID-19 have been associated with depression and anxiety, but there is limited data to illustrate these changes over time. We aim to quantify the changes in depression and anxiety amongst Emergency Department (ED) HCWs over one year and examine the factors associated with these changes. In this longitudinal single-centre study in Singapore, all ED HCWs were prospectively recruited face-to-face.

Outcomes of direct and indirect medical intensive care unit admissions from the emergency department of an acute care hospital: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine if the risk of adverse outcomes (in-hospital and 60-day mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) and total hospital length of stay (LOS)) was greater for medical ICU (MICU) or high dependency unit (HDU) patients indirectly admitted from the emergency department (ED) than for directly admitted patients.

Setting: This study was conducted at a large public acute care hospital in Singapore.

Participants: In this retrospective cohort study, hospital records of patients who were admitted directly from the ED, or initially admitted to the general wards from the ED and subsequently transferred to the MICU/HDU within 24 h, were reviewed.

Geriatric syndromes and depressed mood in lower-income Singaporeans with diabetes: implications for diabetes management and health promotion.

Introduction: This study aims to determine the association of geriatric syndromes and depressed mood among respondents with diabetes in a lower income community; and their association with self-management, lifestyle behaviour, and healthcare utilisation. This paper focuses primarily on the 114 respondents with diabetes aged 50+ to inform policy formulation at the community level.

Materials And Methods: A pilot community health assessment was conducted in 4 blocks of 1- and 2-room apartments in Toa Payoh district from July to November 2009.

The evolving role of the community pharmacist in chronic disease management - a literature review.

Introduction: We appraised the roles and responsibilities assigned to community pharmacists internationally and in Singapore.

Materials And Methods: A systematic search of international peer-reviewed literature was undertaken using Medline. Grey literature was identified through generic search engines.

Review of studies and guidelines on fasting and procedural sedation at the emergency department.

Aim: Procedural sedation and analgesia allows urgent procedures to be performed safely by preserving patients' airway reflexes. Fasting, which is required before deeper levels of sedation, and where the airway reflexes are not preserved, is difficult to impose in emergencies. This paper aims to synthesise evidence on the need for pre-procedure fasting to minimise aspiration among adults undergoing procedural sedation and analgesia for emergency procedures.

Global trends in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery--an opportunity or a threat?

Coronary heart disease is currently the leading cause of death globally, and is expected to account for 14.2% of all deaths by 2030. The emergence of novel technologies from cardiothoracic surgery and interventional cardiology are welcome developments in the light of an overwhelming chronic disease burden.

Venous thromboembolism at the National Healthcare Group, Singapore.

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including its most serious clinical subtype, pulmonary embolism (PE), is a potentially preventable disease. While current assessment tools do not include ethnicity as a risk factor, studies suggest that Asians have lower risk of VTE compared to Caucasians. This study aims to describe 2006 in-hospital and projected population based incidence rates of VTE and PE in Singapore.