The discriminative power of the EuroQol visual analog scale is sensitive to survey language in Singapore

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Existing evidence for validity of the visual analog scale of the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire (EQ-VAS) is weak in Chinese-speaking respondents in Singapore. We therefore investigated the validity of the Chinese (Singapore) version of EQ-VAS in patients with diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a cross-sectional survey, patients with type 2 diabetes seen in a primary care facility completed an identical Chinese or English questionnaire containing the EQ-5D-3L and questions assessing other health and disease-related characteristics. Convergent and known-groups validity of the EQ-VAS was examined for Chinese- and English-speaking respondents separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The EQ-VAS was correlated with the EQ-5D-3L health index and a 5-point Likert-type scale for assessing global health in both Chinese-speaking (N = 335) and English-speaking respondents (N = 298), suggesting convergent validity. The mean EQ-VAS scores differed between English-speaking patients with differing duration of diabetes (< 10 years versus ≥ 10 years), comorbidity status (absence versus presence), and complications of diabetes (absence versus presence), providing evidence for known-groups validity. However, the EQ-VAS scores for Chinese-speaking respondents known to differ in these characteristics were similar, even among subgroups of relatively younger patients or those with formal school education.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Chinese- and English-speaking Singaporeans respond differently to the EQ-VAS. The Chinese version of EQ-VAS appears less sensitive than its English version for measuring global health in patient populations in Singapore.</p

Roles and recommendations from primary care physicians towards managing low-risk breast cancer survivors in a shared-care model with specialists in Singapore-a qualitative study.

BackgroundBreast cancer is prevalent and has high cure rates. The resultant increase in numbers of breast cancer survivors (BCS) may overwhelm the current oncology workforce in years to come. We postulate that primary care physicians (PCPs) could play an expanded role in comanaging survivors, provided they are given the appropriate tools and training to do so.ObjectiveTo explore the perspectives of PCPs towards managing BCS in a community-based shared-care programme with oncologists.MethodsEleven focus groups and six in-depth interviews were conducted with seventy PCPs recruited by purposive sampling. All sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded by three independent investigators. Thematic data analysis was performed and the coding process facilitated by NVivo 12.ResultsMajority of PCPs reported currently limited roles in managing acute and non-cancer issues, optimizing comorbidities and preventive care. PCPs aspired to expand their role to include cancer surveillance, risk assessment and addressing unmet psychosocial needs. PCPs preferred to harmonize cancer survivorship management of their primary care patients who are also BCS, with defined role distinct from oncologists. Training to understand the care protocol, enhancement of communication skills, confidence and trust were deemed necessary. PCPs proposed selection criteria of BCS and adequacy of their medical information; increased consultation time; contact details and timely access to oncologists (if needed) in the shared-care programme.ConclusionsPCPs were willing to share the care of BCS with oncologists but recommended role definition, training, clinical protocol, resources and access to oncologist's consultation to optimize the programme implementation

Younger adult type 2 diabetic patients have poorer glycaemic control: A cross-sectional study in a primary care setting in Singapore

10.1186/1472-6823-13-18BMC Endocrine Disorders13-BEDM

Identifying heterogeneous health profiles of primary care utilizers and their differential healthcare utilization and mortality – a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background Heterogeneity of population health needs and the resultant difficulty in health care resources planning are challenges faced by primary care systems globally. To address this challenge in population health management, it is critical to have a better understanding of primary care utilizers’ heterogeneous health profiles. We aimed to segment a population of primary care utilizers into classes with unique disease patterns, and to report the 1 year follow up healthcare utilizations and all-cause mortality across the classes. Methods Using de-identified administrative data, we included all adult Singapore citizens or permanent residents who utilized Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) primary care services in 2012. Latent class analysis was used to identify patient subgroups having unique disease patterns in the population. The models were assessed by Bayesian Information Criterion and clinical interpretability. We compared healthcare utilizations in 2013 and one-year all-cause mortality across classes and performed regression analysis to assess predictive ability of class membership on healthcare utilizations and mortality. Results We included 100,747 patients in total. The best model (k = 6) revealed the following classes of patients: Class 1 “Relatively healthy” (n = 58,213), Class 2 “Stable metabolic disease” (n = 26,309), Class 3 “Metabolic disease with vascular complications” (n = 2964), Class 4 “High respiratory disease burden” (n = 1104), Class 5 “High metabolic disease without complication” (n = 11,122), and Class 6 “Metabolic disease with multi-organ complication” (n = 1035). The six derived classes had different disease patterns in 2012 and 1 year follow up healthcare utilizations and mortality in 2013. “Metabolic disease with multiple organ complications” class had the highest healthcare utilization (e.g. incidence rate ratio = 19.68 for hospital admissions) and highest one-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = 27.97). Conclusions Primary care utilizers are heterogeneous and can be segmented by latent class analysis into classes with unique disease patterns, healthcare utilizations and all-cause mortality. This information is critical to population level health resource planning and population health policy formulation

Clinical Audit on Hypoglycaemic Symptoms in Type 2 Diabetic Patients in SingHealth Polyclinics

Introduction: Hypoglycaemia is an important complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment, because it causes recurrent physical and psycho-social morbidity, and it is sometimes fatal. Achieving target glycaemic goals while avoiding hypoglycaemia is a major challenge in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Awareness of hypoglycaemia is a function of the knowledge and experience of an individual, as well as the physiological responses to low glucose concentrations. Our team conducted an audit to identify the prevalence and underlying causes of hypoglycaemic symptoms among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients seen in SingHealth Polyclinics. This data was collected as part of our efforts to improve diabetes care and increase awareness. Methods: Audit in the form of nurse-administered interviews were carried out on 120 type 2 diabetic patients seen in the Family Physician Clinic; they were 20 consecutive patients seen in each of 6 polyclinics. The questionnaire included both patient and nurse components, identifying hypoglycaemic symptoms, causes, related hospital admissions, self-management, current treatment and control. Results: Of the 120 patients audited, 31 (26%) reported hypoglycaemic symptoms. These patients with hypoglycaemic symptoms were more likely to be on insulin treatment than those without symptoms (p=0.000). Majority of patients with symptoms did not use the glucometer when they experienced these symptoms (19/31). The cause of hypoglycaemic symptoms was often meal-related. For patients not on insulin, those with hypoglycaemic symptoms were more likely to own a glucometer than those without symptoms (p=0.033). Conclusion: Hypoglycaemia is a common complication of diabetic treatment, and efforts should be focused especially on insulin-treated patients to prevent hypoglycaemia, including education on hypoglycaemia awareness, self-monitoring of blood glucose and dietary advice

Roles and recommendations from primary care physicians towards managing low-risk breast cancer survivors in a shared-care model with specialists in Singapore-a qualitative study.

BackgroundBreast cancer is prevalent and has high cure rates. The resultant increase in numbers of breast cancer survivors (BCS) may overwhelm the current oncology workforce in years to come. We postulate that primary care physicians (PCPs) could play an expanded role in comanaging survivors, provided they are given the appropriate tools and training to do so.ObjectiveTo explore the perspectives of PCPs towards managing BCS in a community-based shared-care programme with oncologists.MethodsEleven focus groups and six in-depth interviews were conducted with seventy PCPs recruited by purposive sampling. All sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded by three independent investigators. Thematic data analysis was performed and the coding process facilitated by NVivo 12.ResultsMajority of PCPs reported currently limited roles in managing acute and non-cancer issues, optimizing comorbidities and preventive care. PCPs aspired to expand their role to include cancer surveillance, risk assessment and addressing unmet psychosocial needs. PCPs preferred to harmonize cancer survivorship management of their primary care patients who are also BCS, with defined role distinct from oncologists. Training to understand the care protocol, enhancement of communication skills, confidence and trust were deemed necessary. PCPs proposed selection criteria of BCS and adequacy of their medical information; increased consultation time; contact details and timely access to oncologists (if needed) in the shared-care programme.ConclusionsPCPs were willing to share the care of BCS with oncologists but recommended role definition, training, clinical protocol, resources and access to oncologist's consultation to optimize the programme implementation

Management of hypertension and multiple risk factors to enhance cardiovascular health in Singapore: The SingHypertension cluster randomized trial

Abstract Background Hypertension is a serious public health problem in Singapore and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) with considerable implications for health-care resources. The goal of the trial is to compare a multicomponent intervention (MCI) to usual care to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the MCI for lowering blood pressure (BP) among adults with uncontrolled hypertension in Singapore primary-care clinics. Methods/design The study is a cluster randomized trial in eight polyclinics in Singapore: four deliver a structured MCI and four deliver usual care. The components of the MCI are: (1) an algorithm-driven antihypertensive treatment for all hypertensive individuals using single-pill combination (SPC) and lipid-lowering medication for high-risk hypertensive individuals, (2) a motivational conversation for high-risk hypertensive individuals, (3) telephone-based follow-ups of all hypertensive individuals by polyclinic nurses, and (4) discounts on SPC antihypertensive medications. The trial will be conducted with 1000 individuals aged ≥ 40 years with uncontrolled hypertension (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg, based on the mean of the last two of three measurements) in eight polyclinics in Singapore. The primary outcome is change in systolic BP from baseline to follow-up at 24 months post-randomization. The incremental cost of MCI per CVD disability adjusted life years (DALY) averted and quality adjusted life years (QALY) saved will be computed. Discussion The demonstration of an effective and cost-effective hypertension control program that is implementable in busy polyclinics would provide compelling evidence for upscaling the program across all primary-care centers in Singapore, and possibly other regional countries with a similar health-care structure. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02972619. Registered on 23 November 2016

Clinical spectrum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with diabetes mellitus.

BackgroundNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly widespread with an overall global estimated prevalence of 25%. Type 2 diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a key contributor to NAFLD progression and predicts moderate-severe liver fibrosis and mortality. However, there is currently no uniform consensus on routine NAFLD screening among T2DM patients, and the risk factors of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis among T2DM patients remain to be clarified fully.AimWe explored the prevalence, clinical spectrum, and risk factors of NAFLD and liver fibrosis among T2DM patients.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study that enrolled subjects from a primary care clinic and a diabetes centre in Singapore. Subjects aged 21 to 70 years of all ethnic groups with an established T2DM diagnosis were included. Subjects with chronic liver diseases of other aetiologies were excluded. All subjects underwent transient elastography for hepatic steatosis and fibrosis assessment. Their demographics, anthropometric measurements and clinical parameters were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA/SE16.0 software.ResultsAmong 449 enrolled T2DM subjects, 436 with complete data and valid transient elastography results were analysed. Overall, 78.72% (344/436) of the T2DM subjects had NAFLD, of which 13.08% (45/344) had increased liver stiffness. Higher ALT level (OR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03-1.14; p = 0.004), obesity (BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2, OR = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.28-5.44; p = 0.008) and metabolic syndrome (OR = 4.36; 95% CI 1.40-13.58; p = 0.011) were independent factors associated with increased CAP (NAFLD). Higher AST level (OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02-1.11; p = 0.008), CAP value (OR = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.00-1.03; p = 0.003), lower platelet count (OR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.98-1.00; p = 0.009) and concomitant hypertension (OR = 4.56; 95% CI: 1.18-17.62; p = 0.028) were independent factors associated with increased liver stiffness.ConclusionsOur study demonstrated a considerably high prevalence of NAFLD among T2DM patients, with the proportion of advanced liver fibrosis among T2DM NAFLD patients much higher than the general population. Given that NAFLD is largely asymptomatic, increased awareness and vigilance for identifying NAFLD and increased liver stiffness among T2DM patients should be advocated

Implementing a community-based shared care breast cancer survivorship model in Singapore: a qualitative study among primary care practitioners.

BackgroundThe adaptability of existing recommendations on shared care implementation to Asian settings is unknown. This qualitative study aims to elicit public- and private-sectors primary care practitioners' (PCPs) perspectives on the sustainable implementation of a shared care model among breast cancer survivors in Singapore.MethodsPurposive sampling was employed to engage 70 PCPs from SingHealth Polyclinics, National University Polyclinics, National Healthcare Group Polyclinics, and private practice. Eleven focus groups and six in-depth interviews were conducted between June to November 2018. All sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Guided by the RE-AIM framework, we performed deductive thematic analysis in QSR NVivo 12.ResultsPCPs identified low-risk breast cancer survivors who demonstrated clear acceptability of PCPs' involvement in follow-up as suitable candidates for shared care. Engagement with institution stakeholders as early adopters is crucial with adequate support through PCP training, return pathways to oncologists, and survivorship care plans as communication tools. Implementation considerations differed across practices. Selection of participating PCPs could consider seniority and interest for public and private practice, respectively. Proposed adoption incentives included increased renumeration for private PCPs and work recognition for public PCPs. Public PCPs further proposed integrating shared care elements to their existing family medicine clinics.ConclusionsPCPs perceived shared care favorably as it echoed principles of primary care to provide holistic and well-coordinated care. Contextual factors should be considered when adapting implementation recommendations to Asian settings like Singapore. With limited competitive pressure, the government is then pivotal in empowering primary care participation in survivorship shared care delivery