Ann Acad Med Singap
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Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with about 85% occurring in low-middle income countries (LMIC) and an age-standardised incidence rate of more than 15 per 100,000. It is largely preventable through HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. In Singapore, 18% of the foreign domestic workforce hail from Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and India. However, there is no data on preinvasive cervical disease and cervical cancer in foreign domestic workers (FDWs) and the aim of this pilot programme is to determine the baseline screen positive rate of high-grade intraepithelial in this population. ⋯ The findings of this pilot programme suggest that there is public health value in providing cervical cancer screening to FDWs. Improving cervical cancer screening by increasing awareness and including routine cervical cancer screening as part of the employment medical examination should be studied.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Feb 2021
Chronic disease self-management competency and care satisfaction between users of public and private primary care in Singapore.
Primary healthcare providers play a crucial role in educating their patients on chronic disease self-management (CDSM). This study aims to evaluate CDSM competency and satisfaction in patients receiving their healthcare from public or private healthcare providers. ⋯ Polyclinics and GPs provide quality primary care as evidenced by high and comparable levels of CDSM competency. Redistribution of patients from public to private clinics may result in improvements in healthcare service quality.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Feb 2021
Causes, functional outcomes and healthcare utilisation of people with cerebral palsy in Singapore.
A voluntary cerebral palsy (CP) registry was established in 2017 to describe the clinical characteristics and functional outcomes of CP in Singapore. ⋯ Optimisation of pre- and perinatal care to prevent and manage prematurity could reduce the burden of CP and their overall healthcare utilisation.
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Recent research in atopic dermatitis (AD) has identified it to be a heterogeneous inflammatory skin disorder of different endotypes (immune polarisation of T-cell subsets and genetic mutations) underlying various phenotypes (age of onset, ethnicity, disease severity, etc.). The corresponding heterogeneity in underlying patho-mechanisms of the disease has resulted in an impetus towards an endotype-driven management of AD. We propose a practical approach that is based on classifying AD patients into intrinsic and extrinsic phenotypes and their corresponding underlying endotypes. This approach aims to provide a practical method that integrates recent understanding of AD pathogenesis for a targeted endotype-driven management of AD.