Explore the vast range of titles available.

BackgroundAlthough the deleterious impact of psychological distress on patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) is recognized, few studies have examined the influence of change in psychological distress on health outcomes over time. This study investigated whether three common manifestations of distress (depression, anxiety, and perceived stress) and their changes predicted the decline in physical functioning in CHD patients over 12 months. In addition, perceived social support was examined as a buffer of psychological distress or a direct predictor of physical functioning.MethodsParticipants were 255 CHD patients with a mean age of 63 (SD = 8.65) years, including 208 men and 47 women. Psychological distress and physical functioning were assessed at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the influences of psychological factors on physical functioning over 12 months. All models were adjusted for baseline physical functioning, age, gender, marital status, education, BMI, and length of participation at a wellness center.ResultsFor each psychological distress variable (depression, anxiety, or perceived stress), both the baseline (βs = − 0.19 to − 0.32, ps = 0.008 to < 0.001) and its respective change over time (βs = − 0.17 to − 0.38, ps = 0.020 to < 0.001) independently and significantly predicted greater decline in physical functioning at 6 and 12 months, after adjusting for covariates. Perceived social support predicted greater improvement in physical functioning at 12 months (β = 0.13, p = 0.050), but it did not buffer impact of psychological distress.ConclusionsFindings underscore the importance of monitoring various forms of psychological distress continuously over time for CHD patients.

Precision medicine (PM) aims to revolutionise healthcare, but little is known about the role religion and spirituality might play in the ethical discourse about PM. This Perspective reports the outcomes of a knowledge exchange fora with religious authorities in Singapore about data sharing for PM. While the exchange did not identify any foundational religious objections to PM, ethical concerns were raised about the possibility for private industry to profiteer from social resources and the potential for genetic discrimination by private health insurers. According to religious authorities in Singapore, sharing PM data with private industry will require a clear public benefit and robust data governance that incorporates principles of transparency, accountability and oversight.

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is a barrier for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk screening and a determinant of poor CVD outcomes. This study examined the associations between access to health-promoting facilities and participation in a CVD risk screening program among populations with low SES residing in public rental flats in Singapore. Data from Health Mapping Exercises conducted from 2013 to 2015 were obtained, and screening participation rates of 66 blocks were calculated. Negative binomial regression was used to test for associations between distances to four nearest facilities (i.e., subsidized private clinics, healthy eateries, public polyclinics, and parks) and block participation rate in CVD screening. We also investigated potential heterogeneity in the association across regions with an interaction term between distance to each facility and region. The analysis consisted of 2069 participants. The associations were only evident in the North/North-East region for subsidized private clinic and park. Specifically, increasing distance to the nearest subsidized private clinic and park was significantly associated with lower [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80-0.98] and higher (IRR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.15-3.25) screening participation rates respectively. Our findings could potentially inform the planning of future door-to-door screenings in urban settings for optimal prioritization of resources. To increase participation rates in low SES populations, accessibility to subsidized private clinics and parks in a high population density region should be considered.

Research on the underlying structure of sleep measures in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) is lacking. Existing research on sleep and health outcomes primarily focused on only one dimension of sleep (e.g., sleep duration), leaving other aspects unexamined. To address this gap, this study examined the measurement structure of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and its associations with health-related quality of life among CHD patients. Participants were 167 CHD patients from a cardiac wellness program. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the two-factor structure with sleep efficiency and perceived sleep quality best fitted the data. Concurrent validity analyses with structural equation modeling showed that, when considered simultaneously, perceived sleep quality, but not sleep efficiency, was significantly associated with emotional, physical, and social quality of life. Findings demonstrated that the PSQI consists of two moderately correlated factors that are differentially associated with separate health domains in cardiac patients.

IntroductionCardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves mortality, morbidity and quality of life of cardiovascular patients. However, its uptake is poor especially in the hospitals due to long travel distances and office hours constraints. Community-based CR is a possible solution.ObjectivesTo understand the type of community-based CR preferred and identify patient characteristics associated with certain programme combinations.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was administered to a randomised list of patients at risk for or with cardiovascular diseases at two community-based CR centres. Participants were presented with nine hypothetical choice sets and asked to choose only one of the two alternative programme combinations in each choice set. Attributes include support group presence, cash incentives, upfront deposit and out-of-pocket cost. The counts for each combination were tallied and corrected for repeats. Chi-square test and logistic regression were performed to understand the characteristics associated with the preferred CR combination.ResultsAfter correcting for repeats, patients most (85.2%) prefer CR programmes with new group activities, support group, cash rewards, deposit and out-of-pocket cost, and few exercise equipment with physiotherapist presence without the need for monitoring equipment. Patients with more than three bedrooms in their house are less likely (OR 0.367; CI 0.17 to 0.80; P=0.011) to choose the choice with no physiotherapist and few equipment available.ConclusionThis is the first study to explore patients’ preferences for different types of community CR. Higher income patients prefer physiotherapist presence and are willing to settle for less equipment. Our study serves as a guide for designing future community-based CR programmes.

Background Various kinds of clinical characteristics predispose patients receiving voriconazole therapy to high variability of serum voriconazole level. However, little is known about the predictors of drug level variability among critically ill patients. Methods This retrospective study was executed to investigate the associated factors. Between January 2020 and June 2021, all adult patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis receiving parenteral voriconazole for more than four days during their stay in intensive care were recruited. The enrolled subjects were classified into within- and beyond-therapeutic group based on their serum voriconazole trough levels. Results A total of 34 patients were studied; serum voriconazole levels ranged from < 0.1 to 11.38 mg/L, and 35.3% were categorized as beyond-therapeutic group. The all-cause in-hospital mortality rate was 17.7%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that lower body mass index (BMI) value [odds ratio (OR), 15.16; 95% CI, 2.10–109.51; p  = 0.007] and increase in total bilirubin level (OR, 9.23; 95% CI, 1.16–73.21; p  = 0.035) were independently associated with variability of serum voriconazole troughs. Conclusions Further investigation of appropriate prescribing doses of voriconazole, likely with regards to BMI value, might be needed to attain target drug concentrations to achieve better clinical effectiveness and avoid drug-related toxicity.

Background and Objectives: Hip fractures are associated with mortality and poor functional outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected patterns of care and health outcomes among fracture patients. This study aimed to determine the influence of COVID-19 infection on hip fracture recovery. Materials and Methods: We prospectively collected data on patients with hip fractures who presented at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital between 9 March 2022 and 9 September 2022. The data included demographic information and functional scores taken before, during, and after surgery. The patients were divided into two groups: COVID-19 (+) and COVID-19 (−). Results: This study recruited 85 patients, 12 of whom (14.12%) were COVID-19 (+). No significant differences in preoperative or perioperative parameters between the two groups were observed. The postoperative Barthel index score was significantly impacted by COVID-19 infection (p = 0.001). The incidence of postoperative complications was significantly correlated with general anesthesia (p = 0.026) and the length of stay (p = 0.004) in hospital. Poor postoperative functional scores were associated with lower preoperative Barthel index scores (p < 0.001). Male sex (p = 0.049), old age (p = 0.012), a high American Society of Anesthesiologists grade (p = 0.029), and a high Charlson comorbidity index score (p = 0.028) were associated with mortality. Conclusions: Hip fracture surgeries were not unduly delayed in our hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the patients’ postoperative Barthel index scores were significantly influenced by COVID-19 (+). The preoperative Barthel index score may be a good predictive tool for the postoperative functional recovery of these patients.

Background People with dementia receive differential access to palliative care services despite suffering from a significant burden of the disease in the advanced stage. Professional and familial caregivers may not view dementia as a terminal illness and are less likely to engage in end-of-life care discussions. Healthcare providers also face challenges coordinating palliative care in the community for dementia, demonstrating a lack of understanding of the needs of patients living with advanced dementia, and resources available to support them within the community. Aim The aim of this study is to implement a transmural model of care in a tertiary care setting where patients living with advanced dementia (PLAD) at risk of deterioration in one year are identified early to receive tailored palliative care interventions using a predictive algorithm. Methods/Design The updated medical research council (MRC) framework for complex interventions is used to guide the development and implementation of the transmural model which incorporates a predictive algorithm in clinical practice, with interventions tailored for at risk PLAD both within, and beyond the tertiary care setting. The PRO gnostic M odel for A dvanced DE mentia (PRO-MADE) developed to predict one-year all-cause mortality in PLAD presenting to an acute care hospital was embedded into the electronic health records of the tertiary care setting as a mathematical equation. Predictive modeling markup language in the digital records platform is used to calculate the risk score for PLAD by inputting the predictors. The clinical team is alerted of at risk PLAD through timed directive prompts, with advice on management given through tailored care bundles. The study will adopt a mixed methods approach in a Type 1 effectiveness-implementation study design to concurrently study the effectiveness of the transmural model in practice, and the barriers and facilitators to its implementation. Conclusion The implementation of a transmural model of early palliative care for patients with advanced dementia requires the coordination between clinicians in the tertiary care setting and community, together with health information technologists. This study protocol describes its development and implementation, and the study design to evaluate its outcomes.

Precision medicine promises to transform healthcare for groups and individuals through early disease detection, refining diagnoses and tailoring treatments. Analysis of large-scale genomic–phenotypic databases is a critical enabler of precision medicine. Although Asia is home to 60% of the world’s population, many Asian ancestries are under-represented in existing databases, leading to missed opportunities for new discoveries, particularly for diseases most relevant for these populations. The Singapore National Precision Medicine initiative is a whole-of-government 10-year initiative aiming to generate precision medicine data of up to one million individuals, integrating genomic, lifestyle, health, social and environmental data. Beyond technologies, routine adoption of precision medicine in clinical practice requires social, ethical, legal and regulatory barriers to be addressed. Identifying driver use cases in which precision medicine results in standardized changes to clinical workflows or improvements in population health, coupled with health economic analysis to demonstrate value-based healthcare, is a vital prerequisite for responsible health system adoption. This Perspective article discusses Singapore’s efforts to implement a National Precision Medicine Strategy through the integration of genomic, clinical and lifestyle data of up to one million Singaporean individuals.