Singapore medical journal
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Singapore medical journal · Aug 2023
Awareness and attitudes of elderly Southeast Asian adults towards telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.
We aimed to understand the awareness and attitudes of elderly Southeast Asians towards telehealth services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in this study. ⋯ Our results showed poor overall awareness of the range of telehealth services available among elderly Asian individuals, with many harbouring erroneous views regarding their use. These data suggest that public health education campaigns are needed to improve awareness of and correct negative perceptions towards telehealth services in elderly Asians.
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Singapore medical journal · Aug 2023
Comparison of awareness, attitudes and knowledge on human papilloma virus vaccination in Singapore: 2019 versus 2013.
This study aimed to assess the changes in the awareness, attitudes and knowledge regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among the local population. The secondary aims were to identify barriers and to evaluate the effectiveness of national HPV vaccination campaigns over a six-year period in Singapore. ⋯ The Singapore government's efforts to improve cervical cancer awareness through national campaigns and policy changes have led to an improvement in knowledge of HPV infection. However, this has not translated into improvements in the vaccine acceptance rates. The decision for vaccine uptake is complex, and there are multiple factors to be addressed to ensure cost-effective implementation of the strategies. Our study highlights the need for effective dissemination of vaccine information, additional subsidies and consideration of a mandatory school-based vaccination programme.
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Singapore medical journal · Aug 2023
Feasibility of nonoperative treatment of acute appendicitis in children: a prospective cohort study.
The management of acute appendicitis is a matter of debate even in contemporary era. Non-operative management is proposed as a valid treatment option for acute appendicitis in children. ⋯ Among children with uncomplicated acute appendicitis, a non-operative approach resulted in resolution of symptoms in 87.3% of patients at the initial admission. Failure of non-operative treatment and recurrence of disease after discharge from the hospital occurred in 9.4% of patients after successful initial treatment. Thus, the overall success rate at a mean follow-up of 3 months was about 78%.
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Singapore medical journal · Aug 2023
Presenting characteristics, histological subtypes and outcomes of adult central nervous system tumours: retrospective review of a surgical cohort.
The most recent local study on the incidence of histological subtypes of all brain and spinal tumours treated surgically was published in 2000. In view of the outdated data, we investigated the presenting characteristics, histological subtypes and outcomes of adult patients who underwent surgery for brain or spinal tumours at our institution. ⋯ This study serves as a comprehensive update of the epidemiology of brain and spinal tumours and could help guide further studies on brain and spinal tumours.