Ann Acad Med Singap
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Sep 2003
Review Comparative StudyPublic disclosure of healthcare performance information and its application to the Singapore context.
The increasing worldwide trend towards publicly and actively disclosing healthcare provider performance information requires that healthcare professionals in Singapore understand the relevant issues and implications. The current evidence suggests that there needs to be caution in any related move here in Singapore, since the benefits have not been entirely established and the associated problems not inconsequential. This article identifies public accountability and the commercial need to demonstrate value as possibly the main drivers for local public disclosure. It concludes that a proper needs analysis and true stakeholder involvement are necessary in contemplating such an initiative locally.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Sep 2003
Validity and reliability of the EQ-5D self-report questionnaire in Chinese-speaking patients with rheumatic diseases in Singapore.
We assessed the psychometric properties of a Singaporean Chinese version of the EQ-5D, a health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument. ⋯ The Singaporean Chinese EQ-5D self-classifier appears to be a valid measure of HRQoL in Singaporeans with rheumatic diseases; however, the reliability of the EQ-VAS requires further investigation. These data provide a basis for further studies of the Singaporean Chinese EQ-5D.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Sep 2003
Comparative StudyCritically ill elderly who require mechanical ventilation: the effects of age on survival outcomes and resource utilisation in the medical intensive care unit of a general hospital.
Advanced age has been a criterion for denying admission to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) due to the perceived poorer outcome and increased resource utilisation. We studied the relationship between age and outcome of the critically ill mechanically-ventilated patients admitted to the MICU. ⋯ Severity of acute illness and chronic co-morbidities, but not age, are predictors of MICU and hospital mortality in elderly ventilated patients.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Sep 2003
Emergency department usage by community step-down facilities--patterns and recommendations.
This study examines the interface between institutional community step-down facilities (CSDFs) and acute hospital's Emergency Department (ED). It also provides a comprehensive description of the usage of an ED's services by CSDFs in its vicinity. ⋯ Residents from CSDFs are transferred to the ED for a variety of medical reasons. The most appropriate role of the ED in evaluation of residents of CSDFs is not yet clearly defined. There is increasing need to streamline processes in acute hospitals to cope with an increasing ageing population and to ensure that quality care is delivered to the institutionalised sick.