News & Stories

辅导员：助青少年以健康方式取代吸电子烟愉悦感 (Counsellor: Helping youth replace the pleasure of vaping with healthy alternatives)

​Dr See Kay Choong, Head & Senior Consultant, Division of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, NUH, said that e-cigarettes would expose users to nicotine, flavourings and other chemicals mixed in the e-cigarette solution. Dr See added that although the cancer risk of vaping may be lower than that of conventional cigarette smoking, e-cigarettes carry other risks, which may not be less harmful than cigarettes overall.

弃法从医 向着目标直奔 (Pursuing goals after switching from law to healthcare)

​Ms Tan Si Lea, Respiration Therapist, Respiration Therapy, NTFGH, shared how she chose to pursue a career in healthcare after a year of studying law in university. She explained her job responsibilities of providing care for patients who require breathing support, and elaborated how she was moved by a patient who progressively recovered after staying in the intensive care unit for almost a year. With four years of experience, she does not regret her decision of switching course from law to healthcare.

女皇镇保健区 助年长者 原地健康养老 (Health District @ Queenstown aids elderly to age in place)

​The Health District @ Queenstown pilot programme was announced in October 2021 and was being implemented in collaboration with Housing Development Board, National University Health System, National University of Singapore and a number of public and private organisations. Minister of State for National Development, and Communications and Information Tan Kiat How said at the World Ageing Festival on 25 May that the initial vision for the Health District was to improve preventive health care by improving the planning and design of the built environment, and encouraging residents to follow guidelines on health screening, vaccinations and lifestyle.

Hot In The City

Straits Times reported that doctors have cautioned the public against heat-related health risks as Singapore would be facing weeks-long heat and drier weather that was expected to persist till September. Healthcare providers, including the National University Polyclinics (NUP), observed an increase in patients with heat-related injuries and have been seeing a rise in patients with mild conditions such as heat rashes and eczema flare-ups.

A/Prof Jason Lee from Department of Physiology, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, urged that outdoor workers, which include cleaners and construction workers, should be given more rest breaks, cooling options and shelter.

Several experts shared tips to avoid heat stress as well as common treatments for heat injury cases. These included Dr Keith Ho, Head, Urgent Care Centre, Alexandra Hospital and Senior Consultant, Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital, and Dr Loh Jun Hao, Family Physician, Jurong Polyclinic, NUP.

• Straits Times Online, 25 May 2022, Singapore doctors caution against heat-related health risks as mercury rises

• The New Paper, 25 May 2022, Singapore doctors caution against heat-related health risks as mercury rises

• Asia News Day, 25 May 2022, Singapore doctors caution against heat-related health risks with sweltering heat expected for rest of the month

眩晕未必就是耳水不平衡 (Vertigo isn’t necessarily caused by fluid in the ear)

Ms Diong Huey Ting, Senior Audiologist, Audiology, NTFGH, explained that not all cases of vertigo are due to fluid in the ear. Most of it are caused by disorders of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She also pointed out that dizziness is a sensation of light-headedness, while vertigo is a feeling as though your surroundings are spinning.

疗法正确 可缩短耳右症康复期 (Proper treatment can shorten recovery period of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)

Liver condition suffered by non-drinkers can lead to cardiovascular diseases

​A new study estimated that 40% of the population in South-east Asian countries, including Singapore, have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The team of researchers was led by Asst Professor Christine Cheung from Nanyang Technological University's (NTU)Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and comprised researchers from NTU, National University Health System and A*Star.

புதிய மருந்துகளை மனிதர்களிடம் சோதிக்கும் நடுவமாகும் சிங்கப்பூர் (Singapore sets sights on being regional centre for clinical trials)

​Singapore has set its sights on becoming a regional centre for clinical trials as this would give Singaporeans early access to new treatments and drugs. The report featured a photo of A/Prof David Tan, Senior Consultant, Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute Singapore, in a lab at National University Cancer Institute Singapore.

掌握家人服药信息 妥善上心管理药物 (Understanding family’s medications for effective management)

Ms Syatirah Harun, Pharmacist, JCH, shared that caregivers can help to prevent medication errors by ensuring that the five “rights” of medication administration are followed: right patient, right medication, right time, right dose and right route. She added that patients or caregivers who are more IT savvy can make use of phone apps such as HealthHub to keep track of medication lists. Another option is to take pictures of all the medications with clear labels and keep them in an album in the phone. Otherwise, a note in the phone or a handwritten medication list would suffice. She also mentioned that some patients may be overwhelmed or confused if they have many different conditions and medications. To simplify medication-taking, it is advisable to separate long term medications from those which are taken on a “when necessary” basis. This will avoid inappropriate administration of medication.

头晕 vs 眩晕 与耳有关？(Dizziness vs vertigo: are they linked to the ear?)

Dr Gary Lee, Senior Principal Audiologist & Head, Audiology, NTFGH, and Ms Diong Huey Ting, Senior Audiologist, Audiology, NTFGH, contributed an article to explain the connection between the ear and the feeling of dizziness and vertigo. The article mentioned that the three components of balance comprise of the visual system, proprioceptive system and the vestibular system located in the inner ear. Through a case study, the authors listed the symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and stated that the condition can be managed without long-term effects if treated properly.

No monkeypox in S’pore but doctors urged to be vigilant

​When asked if monkeypox could become the next pandemic, A/Prof Alex Cook, Vice-Dean of Research, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that at the early stage of any outbreak, there is uncertainty on the nature of the epidemic. However, there is no cause for alarm so far. A/Prof Cook added that if any cases do appear in Singapore, the approach will be to isolate, contact trace and quarantine them.

 In a separate article in TODAY, Prof Dale Fisher, Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, National University Hospital, said that transmission of the monkeypox virus is traditionally through animal-to-human contact, and that "human-to-human transmission is known to occur but is not common".

• TODAY Online, 23 May 2022, Explainer: Why is monkeypox spreading around the world and should Singapore beconcerned? 
  

Clinical trials evolving as they advance treatment. S'pore sets sights on being regional centre for clinical trials, from diabetes to cancer

​In view of World Clinical Trials Day on 20 May, Straits Times spotlighted three different trials in Singapore and explored how the nature of clinical trials has changed over the years.

Dr Sue-Anne Toh, adjunct associate professor of medicine at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, who is also leading some clinical trials on diabetes at National University Hospital, conducted one of the world's largest comprehensive scientific studies on the progression to diabetes in Asian populations.

Prof Goh Boon Cher, Deputy Director of Research, National University Cancer Institute Singapore, said that cancer diagnosis could be catastrophic for Asian households who were unable to afford it, and there needs to be a way to optimise costs that were borne by insurance and the government. Prof Goh added that one solution would be to review the dose of the drug given, as the drugs were sometimes given at higher doses in hopes of a better outcome. Prof Goh and his team started a trial to find out if halving the dose for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant lung cancer would achieve the same clinical benefits. Prof Goh said that such trials were hugely beneficial to patients, but has faced the lack of funding. Prof Goh said that they have hence turned to philanthropy.

Straits Times also interviewed Ms Tang, a young healthy volunteer participant in the National University Hospital diabetes study who found out she had pre-diabetes through the study, and 83 year-old Mdm Hee Poh Lian who has nasopharyngeal cancer and had gone for two clinical trials – an immunotherapy trial and later an oral chemotherapy type. Her condition has improved after both trials.

Straits Times highlighted that an ongoing study, NURTURE (NUh Repository of TissUe and data for Research in Endocrinology), is an National University Hospital initiative to build a secure biorepository of tissue and health records data for research in National University Health System. This provided resources to National University Health System' investigators for diabetes-related studies ranging from genetics and diagnosis to diets/lifestyles and clinical care treatment.

Singapore Today – Graphic novel about SG nurses “Licence to Care”

​Writer Ms Lydia Shah and illustrator Mr Dan Wong of “Licence to Care”, a graphic novel published by Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (NUS Nursing) at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), shared about their thoughts, preparation and creative process for the book. 

并肩解烟瘾 (Relieve smoking addiction alongside patients)

​In conjunction with World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, Lianhe Zaobao interviewed Ms Loh Jing Ying, Senior Pharmacist, NTFGH, on her experiences running smoking cessation clinics. She mentioned that to help patients quit smoking, it is important to find out their challenges and fight the addiction alongside with them. She elaborated that she is proud of patients who manage to quit the addiction, and shared how an 80-year-old stroke patient who has been smoking for 60 years quitted the bad habit.

In reviewing the Dorscon framework, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater

​In a commentary by A/Prof Hsu Li Yang, Vice Dean of Global Health and Programme Leader of Infectious Diseases, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, he looked into the relevance of the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) for Singapore's current situation. A/Prof Hsu pointed out that it has made (and still makes) intuitive sense to have an easily understandable public alert system for infectious diseases of pandemic potential, in addition to its primary role in focusing governmental outbreak responses.