Measuring the Maturity of Integrated Care in Singapore with the SCIROCCO Exchange Tool.

Background: How have we progressed and where are the gaps of integrated care in Singapore? Social-health care provision in the context of an ageing population is critical in the city-state's management of the unprecedented demand as the proportion of seniors with multiple complex medical needs have almost doubled in the past decade. Objective: This study measures the maturity level of Singapore's integrated care, identifies key gaps and discusses their implications using the SCIROCCO Exchange tool, an online self-assessment tool consisting of the 12 dimensions necessary for the provision of integrated care. Methods: A three-step mixed method Delphi study was used to derive expert consensus. Participants across the social-healthcare sector as well as representatives from all three public healthcare delivery networks with at least five years of experience were included. Participants rated each of the twelve dimensions of the SCIROCCO Exchange tool on a six-point ordinal scale and provided justifications for each rating. Criteria from the RAND UCLA appropriateness method and thematic analysis were adopted for the analysis. Results: All participants completed the study. The study found five dimensions in the "Initial" maturity level and five dimensions in the "Progressing" maturity level. There were two dimensions which were "Uncertain" because of split responses, possibly due to their differing vantage points and conceptualisations of integrated care. The overall medians were plotted on a spider diagram. The absence of a systematic approach for integrated care was the most common subtheme across all dimensions. This is foundational for integrated care as this would enable stakeholders across health and social care to identify with a common goal. Implications: The findings emphasise the imperative to reshape social-health care delivery by focusing on foundational dimensions (such as structure, governance and citizen empowerment) to enable progress in other dimensions. Following the conclusion of this study, Singapore initiated a primary care reform with the launch of Healthier SG in July 2023. Future research may wish to explore the impact of Healthier SG on maturity of integrated care in Singapore.

COVID-19 and Singapore: From Early Response to Circuit Breaker.

Singapore, an island country with 5.6 million population and a large volume of tourists from mainland China, was one of the first countries to report imported COVID-19 cases and had the highest number of cases outside mainland China for a time in February 2020. The government responded with a series of broadscale public health measures and managed to contain this first wave of infection. Notwithstanding that, an evolving pandemic situation in other countries eventually triggered a second, and much larger, wave of infection. This case study narrates the developments, influencing factors, and outcomes related to events starting from Singapore's first response to COVID-19 and up to the point of its entry into Circuit Breaker. It serves as a reference for the understanding and analysis of developments in an evolving pandemic and a nation's response from a systems level perspective.

Potential Rapid Diagnostics, Vaccine and Therapeutics for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): A Systematic Review.

Rapid diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics are important interventions for the management of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. It is timely to systematically review the potential of these interventions, including those for Middle East respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV, to guide policymakers globally on their prioritization of resources for research and development. A systematic search was carried out in three major electronic databases (PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library) to identify published studies in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Supplementary strategies through Google Search and personal communications were used. A total of 27 studies fulfilled the criteria for review. Several laboratory protocols for confirmation of suspected 2019-nCoV cases using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) have been published. A commercial RT-PCR kit developed by the Beijing Genomic Institute is currently widely used in China and likely in Asia. However, serological assays as well as point-of-care testing kits have not been developed but are likely in the near future. Several vaccine candidates are in the pipeline. The likely earliest Phase 1 vaccine trial is a synthetic DNA-based candidate. A number of novel compounds as well as therapeutics licensed for other conditions appear to have in vitro efficacy against the 2019-nCoV. Some are being tested in clinical trials against MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, while others have been listed for clinical trials against 2019-nCoV. However, there are currently no effective specific antivirals or drug combinations supported by high-level evidence.

Weight management during pregnancy: a qualitative thematic analysis on knowledge, perceptions and experiences of overweight and obese women in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: The effect of maternal weight on pregnancy and birth outcomes is of great public health concern. For example, overweight and obesity among pregnant women is associated with adverse reproductive health outcomes including gestational diabetes, birth defects, macrosomia and infant mortality. OBJECTIVES: To understand the knowledge, perceptions and experiences during pregnancy among overweight and obese women in Singapore. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study which employed qualitative techniques. The inclusion criteria is as follows: (1) Women who were overweight or obese before or during first trimester of pregnancy, (2) are able to report their specific pre-pregnancy or first trimester Body Mass Index (BMI), or weight and height, (3) had singleton pregnancy when overweight, are post-delivery for the pregnancy in which they were overweight, and (4) are 21 to 55 years old. Fifteen interviews were voice-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Then, two researchers independently performed the thematic analysis of the transcripts. RESULTS: The findings revealed that women had gaps in knowledge on the adverse effects of maternal overweight and obesity during pregnancy, and various misconceptions on diet and weight management during pregnancy were prevalent. Conflicting data was obtained for perceptions on the importance, difficulty and levels of motivation for weight management during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: There is a pressing need to address knowledge gaps and misconceptions of pregnant women who are overweight or obese. The importance of weight management during pregnancy should be emphasized, and enabling factors put in place.