Singapore medical journal
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Chronic cough is one of the most common reasons for referral to a respiratory physician. Although fatal complications are rare, it may cause considerable distress in the patient's daily life. ⋯ A detailed history-taking and physical examination will provide a diagnosis in most patients, even at the primary care level. Some cases may need further investigations or specialist referral for diagnosis.
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Singapore medical journal · Nov 2015
ReviewCurrent evidence for endolymphatic sac surgery in the treatment of Meniere's disease: a systematic review.
This paper aims to identify emerging evidence for endolymphatic sac surgery (ESS) in the treatment of Meniere's disease since the landmark study by Thomsen et al, published in 1998 (conducted from 1981 to 1989). Using the MEDLINE database (PubMed), a systematic review of the literature published from January 1990 to June 2014 was performed. We included all English-language, peer-reviewed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled studies. ⋯ There currently exists a low level of evidence for the use of ESS in the treatment of Meniere's disease. Further studies, in particular RCTs and/or controlled studies, are required to fully evaluate this modality. However, there are difficulties in designing a valid placebo and achieving adequate blinding of observers and investigators.
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Singapore medical journal · Aug 2015
Implementation of an obstetric cell salvage service in a tertiary women's hospital.
Intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) is an important aspect of patient blood management programmes. An ICS service was introduced at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, from 2 May 2011 to 30 April 2013 to aid in the management of massive obstetric haemorrhage. ⋯ The implementation of an obstetric ICS service in our institution was successful. Future studies should seek to address the cost-effectiveness of ICS in reducing allogeneic blood utilisation.
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Singapore medical journal · Aug 2015
The 11-item Medication Adherence Reasons Scale: reliability and factorial validity among patients with hypertension in Malaysian primary healthcare settings.
The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a modified Malaysian version of the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale). ⋯ The validated modified MAR-Scale (Malaysian version) was found to be suitable for use among patients with hypertension receiving treatment in primary healthcare settings. However, the comprehensive measurement of other factors that can also lead to non-adherence requires further exploration.