Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore.

Introduction: We sought to explore healthcare providers (HCPs)' perceptions of and experiences with stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and Singapore.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study (May 2020-February 2021) with HCPs in Canada and Singapore and developed a semi-structured interview guide rooted in the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework (HSDF). We recruited participants online and through word of mouth via newsletters, blogs and social media.

A qualitative study on health stigma and discrimination in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learnt from a public health perspective.

Background: Stigmatisation, misinformation and discrimination have been magnified globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The healthcare sector was not spared from this. We conducted a transnational study, using the Health Stigma and Discrimination framework (HSDF) to explore public perception and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic in a multicultural context.

Absolute Neutrophil Count in Cases of Pancytopenia.

Pancytopenia is a common cause of hematological consultation. Common underlying causes include vitamin deficiency (vitamin B12, folic acid), drugs (hydroxyurea, phenytoin, methotrexate), and bone marrow failure syndrome. Aplastic anemia is one of the rarest hematological diseases and presents as pancytopenia.

Acute Diarrhoeal Disease in Children Aged 6 Months to 24 Months: An In-Hospital Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Diarrheal disease comes second among the causes of death in children under 5 years of old. We are well aware that this common disease is preventable and treatable. But the practice of preventive strategies is not as efficient as it should be.

The Experience of Counseling Among a Singaporean Elderly Population: A Qualitative Account of What Clients Report as Beneficial.

Adjustments that accompany ageing pose a challenge to the mental health of the elderly. Psychologically based counseling has been documented in Western societies as an appropriate intervention for elderly persons with depressive episodes. There is however very little research documenting how Asian elderly populations experience and benefit from counseling.

Assessment and comparison of culturally based explanations for mental disorder among Singaporean Chinese youth.

Background: Culture is important to how populations understand the cause of mental disorder, a variable that has implications for treatment-seeking behaviour. Asian populations underutilize professional mental health treatment partly because of their endorsement of supernatural causation models to explain mental disorders, beliefs that stem from their religious backgrounds.

Aims: This study sought to understand the dimensions of explanatory models used by three groups of Singaporean Chinese youth (n = 842)--Christian, Chinese religionist, no religion--and examined their responses to an instrument that combined explanations from psychological and organic perspectives on mental disorder with approaches from Asian and Western religious traditions.

Determinants of the need for homophily in referral criteria: the case of clergy referrals to mental health professionals in Singapore.

Homophily, the tendency to seek out those who are similar, is a powerful force in structuring the relations that people have in a variety of social settings including the selection of partnerships. Despite this, attitudinal homophily has seldom been discussed in relation to referral practices, an important consideration in health care delivery. In this paper Christian clergy in Singapore are examined as to the extent they impose homophily as a selection criteria for referrals to mental health professionals.