Life@SGH Campus Issue Jan/Feb 2013

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 MICA (P) 158/04/2012

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Extraordinary blooms from the same soil

Three sisters who gave 120 years of service to SGH

Hard hat and heels

Meet Christine Low and her team at Campus Development

A move that transforms The Academia prepares to open its doors

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

extraordinary blooms from the same soil

Three sisters who gave a combined 120 years of service to SGH

bench press

Academic Medicine journey on track, says DGCEO Prof Soo Khee Chee

class act

Pharmacist educator Chen Li Li believes in franchising continuous learning

rising to the challenge

President’s Challenge 2012

03 05 06 08 10 12 14

a move that transforms

The Academia prepares to open its doors

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s

hard hat and heels

A move that transforms

Christine Low and her Campus Development team

the case for consistent, coordinated care

The long-awaited move into new premises at the Academia will be the main event on Campus in 2013, as the twin towers prepare to open their doors and be fully operational before the end of the year.

Use of Coordinated Clinical Pathways gain momentum

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mong them, the relocation of the SGH pathology laboratories will be the most vital to hospital operations. These laboratories, now scattered at various locations, such as the Pathology Building, SGH Block 6 and Block 3, will come under one roof at the Diagnostic Tower.

A peek inside the atrium which makes generous use of natural lighting and greenery.

in every issue 16 18 19 22 23 24

quality pulse spree in action campus buzz time out your take the last page

contents

Advisor Tan-Huang Shuo Mei Contributors Doreen Lau, Yeo Su Qian, Estee Chan, Geoffrey Gui, Chia Kuok Wei, Ratna Abdul Rahman, Vanessa Peters, Jennifer Wee, Claudia Yeo, Carol Ang, Michelle Scully, Goh Sai Luan On The Cover Christine Low tells us about the role of her Campus Development team in the building of The Academia, in Up Close on page 5.

“The move is an opportunity to look at our processes afresh, to think about what we can transform, to be more efficient, to be safer, to be the best,” said CEO Prof Ang Chong Lye at a meeting with staff of the Pathology Department.

The Academia will also house offices for clinicians, as well as education and research facilities for researchers, faculty members and students from across SingHealth.

Simulation training will feature prominently among the training facilities.

Designed to foster cross-functional and multidisciplinary interaction, the Academia will provide staff with additional social space, in the form of common areas, food and beverage outlets and meeting rooms.

Together with the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, this latest addition will enhance the Campus’ standing as the seat of medical education in Singapore.

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

up close

focus Perspectives by CPG Consultants Pte Ltd

A move that transforms (Continued from page3)

Why is The Academia special?

“The Academia brings together our three missions – patient care, education and research – in one building.

To make this happen, management took the hard decision to take out carpark spaces and put in offices so that we could continue our recruitment efforts. This gave us the opportunity to create a rich environment for our clinicians to have research and education facilities within proximity of their offices. The spaces that we created will give the Campus common areas to interact and have some fun.”

— CHRISTINE LOW, Deputy Director, Campus Development

Hard hat and heels I don’t wear make-up. We’re construction people!” laughed Christine Low, SingHealth’s Deputy Director of Campus Development, at the photoshoot for this issue’s cover. A surprising answer, considering she is probably the snazziest dresser in hardhat on Campus.

Combining the practical with the aesthetic, Ms Low is no mere project manager, but a facilitator and change agent rolled into one.

Q. What is the role of the Campus Development team?

A. At the moment, we are facilitating the construction of The Academia. This covers project and cost management, attending to users’ requirements and liaising with the contractors and various consultants – architects, engineers, etc.

Q. How did you get into this career?

A. I am a Quantity Surveyor by training. I look after

construction budgeting and estimating, and also contract management and construction law. Some of my past projects include shopping malls and condos.

After teaching in NUS for two years, I decided that I wanted to be in a place where I could directly impact people and the organisation. That was when I joined SGH Operations Division.

Q. What did you do when you were with SGH? A. I was involved in master planning and our many applications for funding of our projects. It’s fortunate that I “grew up” in SGH, where I was closer to issues on the ground. The support and advice of my friends in SGH help me stay connected, to better understand users’ needs and translate them to the architects.

Q. Does building The Academia pose any special challenges?

A. It is actually a change management project. The

challenge for the design team was to introduce new technology to the occupants that is so different from their current convention in their present premises. For example, the idea of a common gas farm instead of independent units for each laboratory section.

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The team from Campus Development and project manager PM Link (from left): Chang Siew Leng, Lee Ren Min, Christine Low, Jimmy Loo (PM Link), Valerie Yeong (PM Link) and Ashley Yong.

Q. What gives you the greatest satisfaction working on The Academia?

A. It’s the meeting of the minds, the "a-ha! moments."

There are times when requirements are bigger than the space available. But working with the users, architects and builders, we are able to come up with a collaborative solution that makes everyone happy.

Q. What do you do in your personal time?

A. I like being in the sun and the outdoors, so I usually

swim or walk. For a bit of escapism, I read historical and fantasy fiction.

This summer, I went on a 100km walking tour in Spain. It was a special birthday treat, combining the things I love best – travel, spending time with friends, walking and reading (at night as there was nothing else to do!)

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

focus

Physiotherapist Ong Peck Hoon uses data from CCPs for her research.

Brought to you by Quality Management

About Coordinated Clinical Pathways (CCP)

The case for consistent, coordinated care

The multidisciplinary team at Ward 74 uses CCP as an integral part of its management of stroke patients.

What is a CCP?

Why do we use CCPs?

To improve the coordination of care for patients who suffer from congestive cardiac failure, a team comprising of doctors from SGH and the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), as well as nurses and allied health professionals, have come together to revise the Coordinated Clinical Pathway (CCP) used to care for this group of patients.

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aunched in October 2012, this CCP serves as a guide in coordinating care from inpatient to outpatient settings and including right-siting of patients from primary care to tertiary care. As congestive cardiac failure patients are admitted to different wards, this is the first CCP in SGH to be implemented across five wards – 73, 63C, 53C, 54D and 74.

This is also the first CCP to use a checklist format, which reduced its length from 32 to three pages.

“Our nurses find the checklist format easy to understand and simple to use – a good reference guide for the care team,” said Christine Gan Siew Gek, Senior Nurse Manager, Ward 63C.

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“We decided to revise this CCP as congestive cardiac failure patients have complex care needs and require coordinated multi-disciplinary care to improve clinical outcomes. This is particularly relevant following the re-organisation of the delivery of internal medicine service to our patients,” said A/Prof Chow Wan Cheng, Chairman of the Division of Medicine, and former Head of the Department of Internal Medicine.

“We have also sought the input from our colleague in NHCS, Dr David Sim, who has a special interest in congestive cardiac failure. The review of this CCP, with inputs from an expert in this subspecialty field, will ensure consistency and

A/Prof Yue Wai Mun finds CCPs helpful in training junior staff.

optimal standard of care within the Department of Internal Medicine (DIM) for all patients with the same condition. It also allows us to establish a common understanding with our NHCS colleagues for the referral of patients who will benefit from augmented subspecialty care. This helps to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care delivery without compromising patients’ clinical outcome."

“We look forward to the development of more CCPs by the Department of Internal Medicine, in collaboration with other subspecialty departments, for other medical conditions that are commonly seen in the department,” said A/Prof Chow.

Using CCPs in the care of patients ensures that they receive consistent and coordinated care for common clinical conditions. This will lead to better clinical outcomes.

It helps doctors in their work by reminding them what needs to be done and what to look out for. In a teaching institution like SGH, where junior staff are rotated to different departments all the time, it is helpful in their training too.”

— A/PROF YUE WAI MUN, Senior Consultant, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Some of our registered nurses will be taking on an expanded role to perform complex care on patients in the urology, colorectal, general surgery and orthopaedic departments. Known as Resident Nurses, they will play a key role in the development and utilisation of the specialtyspecific CCPs within their disciplines. The CCPs will be the main tools used in the management and delivery of evidence-based quality healthcare in an organised and effective manner.”

— DR TRACY CAROL AYRE, Director, Nursing

Patient care without a CCP is like an orchestra missing a conductor: The players can still play the music, but the outcome may lack synchrony. Information collected from the CCPs is also valuable. We have used data from the knee replacement CCP to improve on our patient care and for research purposes. This has led to one published paper with two under review.”

CCPs are structured, multi-disciplinary plans of care designed to support the implementation of clinical guidelines and protocols for specific clinical conditions.

CCPs come in different designs, such as a complete document of exact items to be performed including the clerking sheets, a flowchart as a reminder of what needs to be done or a checklist.

Variance forms are included in many of our CCPs to collect data for measuring clinical outcomes and performance. This provides a platform for care practice review to improve the quality of care delivered.

CCPs in SGH CCPs were initiated in SGH in 1997 and we have 33 CCPs to date. CCPs were first introduced in the early 1990s in the UK and the USA. Since then, CCPs have been used not just in the developed world, but in developing countries like China. In fact, senior management from a number of hospitals in China and Hong Kong have visited Quality Management to learn more about SGH’s experience in developing CCPs. Our hospital-wide CCP utilisation rate is 93.1% from January 2009 to June 2012.

Notably, the stroke CCP and breast reconstruction CCP have achieved impressive utilisation rates of 99.3% and 100% in the same time period.

— ONG PECK HOON, Principal Physiotherapist, Department of Physiotherapy.

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

feature in the wards before joining the Specialist Outpatient Clinic.

Extraordinary blooms from the same soil Three sisters joined SGH as nurses some 40 years ago. Grown from the same fertile soil at home and at work, each showed pluck and spirit as they grew meaningful careers.

Q. Tell us about your family.

Ah Biah: Ah Lin and I are twins, and we are a year older than Ah Pang.

We come from a family of four girls and four boys. We are the first set of twins in the family, but since then we have three more pairs among our nieces and nephews and grandchildren!

Q. How did you come to join SGH? Ah Biah: After our “O” levels, Ah Lin and I worked temporarily in a factory. Our family was poor then – our father was selling chicken rice while our mother was a housewife.

One day, there was a newspaper advertisement for nurses. So we applied to SGH for the positions, together with a few friends and a cousin.

Ah Pang: I joined nursing a year later. In school, I was already active in the St John’s Ambulance Brigade, and a hospital attachment in secondary three opened my eyes to the healthcare industry.

It was the practice then to pay a security bond if you wanted to

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join a company to become an accountant or architect. No bond was needed for nursing, which made it even more attractive.

Q. Did you make joint career decisions?

Ah Biah: Unknown to each other, Ah Lin and I both applied to be in the pioneer group of female

(From left) The Tan sisters – Ah Biah, Ah Pang and Ah Lin.

ambulance officers with the Singapore Fire Brigade. The 25 of us were the first women nurses in a man’s world. We were in our 20s, young and restless, and keen to try new, exciting things.

Ah Lin: We were seconded to the Fire Brigade for about five years, and that was where Ah Biah met her husband!

The twins as ambulance officers, with their Chief Fire Officer.

Can you tell who’s who?

Receiving their Long Service Awards in 2012.

Who’s Who Tan Ah Biah SENIOR STAFF NURSE, OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY (O&G) CENTRE Sister # 2, older twin Tan Ah Lin SENIOR STAFF NURSE, SOC CLINIC J Sister # 3, younger twin Tan Ah Pang DEPUTY DIRECTOR NURSING, ALICE LEE INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED NURSING Sister #4

Q. How do you regard each other as professionals?

Ah Pang: I have the highest regard for Ah Lin’s skills in plastic surgery and burns wound care. I have watched her in action, and know that I cannot do what she does so well.

Ah Pang: Ah Lin followed that up by volunteering for a humanitarian mission at the Thai-Cambodian border. She spent three months with a Singapore Red Cross team, caring for Cambodian refugees fleeing fighting in their country. For this, she was given the Guinness Stout Effort Award in 1980.

Ah Lin: It gave me a chance to work with doctors and nurses from all over the world, as there were other international medical teams there.

Ah Pang: My specialty was in intensive care (Cardiac Surgery).

Under the mentorship of Associate Professor Lim Swee Hia, I moved into administration where I was in charge of nursing education and training.

Q. How did each of you choose your areas of expertise?

Ah Biah: I helped to deliver babies when I was with the ambulance service. After returning to SGH, I applied for and completed a course in Midwifery, Paediatric and Communal Health. Since then, I’ve been in this specialised field. About three years ago, I was given the opportunity to run the lactation clinic at the O&G Centre, teaching new mothers to breastfeed and attending to patients with breastfeeding problems.

Ah Lin: After the ambulance service, I returned to SGH where I was posted to the Plastic Surgery and Burns unit. I fell in love with it, and was awarded a scholarship to pursue the Burns and Plastic Surgery course in the UK in the 1980s. I then worked

Ah Biah, too, has taken her passion for helping patients further when she started the lactation clinic. At home, she has become the go-to person for advice among the young mothers in our family.

Ah Biah and Ah Lin: We are most proud of Ah Pang, for having won the prestigious President’s Award for Nurses in 2003.

Q. What is the best thing about having sisters as colleagues?

Ah Pang: We have access to a wealth of knowledge in each of our different disciplines. It makes it easier to keep ourselves current and updated.

We also have a better understanding of the joy and woes at work. For example, it’s fun to attend Dinner & Dance together.

It is also very encouraging to note that when anyone of us is down with sickness, we can count on each other for strength and encouragement.

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

bench press

On the right track W

e are attracting bright young researchers from around the world, as we make progress in creating the right environment for Academic Medicine," says Deputy Group CEO Prof Soo Khee Chee.

“What is happening here is noticed by the rest of the world. They are seeing changes in Singapore, and in Duke-NUS with SingHealth; which are making it an interesting and attractive proposition for them to relocate,” says Prof Soo at the launch of the Academic Medicine Research Institute (AM.RI) on 5 November 2012.

Prof Soo highlights how the hard work of the senior staff bore fruit in luring three young people who want to join us.

Success in attracting talents

A young professor from Princeton is among the researchers heading to our Campus.

Prof Soo met him at a European cancer conference in October.

“He is a scientist who is trained at Duke University, and at age 40, he has an endowed professorship at Princeton! His work was on breast cancer and metastasis. He just had two cancer cell papers published and he’s on the front page."

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"It’s not the easiest thing to do, if you have an endowed position in Princeton, to think about leaving that to come to Singapore. But I painted a picture of what is happening in Singapore, what is happening in our campus, our relationship with Duke."

"It got him curious enough to say he was prepared to come for one week next year to see for himself, as a visiting professor. So, clearly, some of what is happening here has gone right, for him to say he wants to come here.”

Another American-Chinese researcher planning to work in Singapore came to see Prof Soo. Trained in Harvard and Berkeley, the young professor at Rutgers University wanted to explore opportunities to work with SingHealth.

“He made a point to come see us at SingHealth, because he has heard of what’s happening here.”

Another talent successfully courted is epidemiologist Associate Professor Koh Woon Puay, who joined SingHealth from NUS.

Pieces of the puzzle in place

Addressing his audience, Prof Soo said, “You are the future of the collaboration (between Duke-NUS and SingHealth). What we, the older ones have done, is to put

the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle for an environment to exist which would make it an attractive draw for the brightest minds in the industry. "He went on to list the pieces:

About the AMRI

1. The Academic Clinical Programmes, which are being rolled out

A joint institute between Duke-NUS and SingHealth, AMRI is set up to provide scientific support needed to develop research careers, by providing mentoring, education and training opportunities. Its purpose is also to foster collaboration between different domain experts on Campus.

2. Establishing the focus areas of our research “We, with Duke-NUS, are working to identify these.

The Academic Medicine Advisory Committee has recommended that we identify our focus, if we want to make an impact in the world of research and academia.

We are trying to get in place a structure that allows a university and a health system to work very closely together to be research-competitive.”

3. Grant funding from National Medical Research Council “For the next four years, nearly all of the healthcare institutions will be eligible for Centre grant funding. This will allow us to get much of our core research infrastructure in place and allow many of our research scientists to be adequately funded for us to be globally competitive."

4. Protected time and right career structure “The leadership at SingHealth and Duke-NUS are very clear that these need to be provided in order for research to succeed. We are able to persuade the Ministry of Health to agree, to say that going forward, careers in the healthcare systems are going to be based on how much you contribute not just as a clinician, but also how much you contribute in terms of teaching and research. So we are changing the career plans to allow that to happen.”

5. Creating infrastructure for research “For the longest time, we just did not have the lab space to be competitive in research. In the next six months, we will have many new research labs in the Discovery Tower of the Academia. Going forward, as the new National Heart Centre and the new National Cancer Centre come on board, there will be even more research infrastructure put in place.”

6. The research institute “The last piece that comes together in making such an environment viable and thriving for us is AMRI (Academic Medicine Research Institute). Because AMRI provides the training and faculty development, which is so essential for the future of research.”

(Academic Medicine Research Institute)

AMRI's Five Cores

Its programmes are delivered through five areas of focus:  Education, Training and Career Development  Quantitative Sciences  Clinical and Behavioural Assessment  Post-Award Guidance  Laboratory Sciences Coordination

Membership

It is open to all clinicians and Doctorate degree holders with a serious commitment to research as part of their careers. Master’s degree holders with an involvement in research may also apply as Associates.

For more information, visit http://www.singhealth.com. sg/IAM/researchinstitute/Pages/Home.aspx

“What is happening here is noticed by the rest of the world. They are seeing changes in Singapore, and in Duke-NUS with SingHealth; which are making it an interesting and attractive proposition for them to relocate.”

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

class act

“When I teach, I learn from my students as well.”

Franchising the love for learning A

fter taking a year off to pursue a Master of Science in Clinical Pharmacy degree, Chen Li Li is back at work, energised and raring to share what she has learnt. The Senior Clinical Pharmacist aims to impart not just technical know-how but also to inspire her juniors to embrace continuous learning.

Putting her belief into action, the pharmacist educator recently attended two faculty development workshops jointly organised by the SGH-Postgraduate Allied Health Institute and the Academic Medicine

Influencing the team

Apart from guiding junior pharmacists, participating in ward rounds, and research planning and case discussion with trainee pharmacists, Ms Chen trains specialist pharmacists. In SGH, these include those in the medication management service, rheumatology monitoring clinic and anticoagulation clinic.

“I believe in a ‘franchise’ system. One person doing the right thing for our patients is not impactful enough. We need to influence the team to keep up with the latest medical updates so that they remain relevant and can help even more patients get better.”

Blending new media into education

Ms Chen organises learning workshops, and drives an education series that is a showcase of blended education in action. It includes weekly didactic lectures, the use of the Blackboard Apps for mobile learning and Twitter Apps for clinical prompts, updates on the top interacting drugs and cost savings, and the sharing of clinical articles via email.

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It is a joint institute between the DukeNUS Graduate Medical School and SingHealth that brings together educational expertise from both institutions to develop a pool of clinician educators.

Education Institute (AM•EI). From the sessions, she learned tips on how to be a better teacher by leveraging on advances in technology and collaborative efforts of an interdisciplinary team.

The only clinically certified Geriatric Pharmacist in SGH, Ms Chen hopes to help another 10 of her staff obtain certification next year.

Chen Li Li trains specialist pharmacists such as those running the medication management service.

About the AM•EI

“It is crucial for us to continuously upgrade our knowledge and maintain competency. When I see my student trainees better able to advise patients on medication management, my passion to teach is refueled.”

Learning alongside her students

Taking cues from the learning challenges she faced as a recent student, Ms Chen aims to be an inspiring and motivational educator. “It’s hard to keep everyone motivated, and unrealistic to believe you will have 100% attention all the time. You need to run with the runner, and persist against resistance. My trainees know that rain or shine, I’ll be there!”

Other than verbal encouragement, sharing feedback from patients, and making sure her trainees get opportunities to attend conferences, Ms Chen sponsors food for lessons that take place early in the morning or during lunch. “I treat it as paying tuition fees to my students because when I teach, I learn from them as well.”

“I believe in a ‘franchise’ system.

One person doing the right thing for our patients is not impactful enough. We need to influence the team to keep up with the latest medical updates so that they remain relevant and can help even more patients get better.”

Developing faculty

Tailored to the needs of clinician educators of all levels, it offers faculty development programmes to sharpen teaching skills, spur innovation in pedagogical methods and curriculum, and promote and support educational research to improve teaching methodologies.

The AM•EI supports the academic advancement of outstanding clinician educators by providing resources and opportunities for them to increase their competency and academic impact.

Essentially, it is to equip educators with the best teaching practices that would draw out the best from students, and also inspire educators to transform tomorrow’s healthcare education.

Inter-profession learning

The AM•EI welcomes all doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and all who are contributing to education. With multi-disciplinary and inter-profession learning, the AM•EI encourages exchange and cross-fertilisation of ideas and facilitates the development of innovative methods of teaching.

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president's challenge

LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013 SGH held Cycle for a Cause, with $10 raised for every kilometre ridden.

Rising to the challenge

Rebels with a common cause

Five months’ worth of fundraising efforts by the various institutions in SingHealth netted a record-breaking $388,000 for the annual President’s Challenge campaign.

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n addition to raising money, the President urged Singaporeans to give "time, skills, and talent for the less fortunate" this year.

Taking to heart this message, the National Dental Centre, National Heart Centre and SingHealth polyclinics conducted outreach programmes with various groups of children.

President Tony Tan met beneficiaries.

We also invited beneficiaries to the finale carnival, Symphony for Health, at Punggol Waterway on 14 October.

Putt for a cause at Singapore National Eye Centre.

This year, we had a few creative moneymakers although the annual pledge cards and charity bazaars remained staples.

Staff at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital washed their colleagues’ cars for a donation.

National Heart Centre staff brought young beneficiaries out for a special treat.

The funds raised will benefit Bright Vision Hospital, Life Community Services Society and St John’s Home for Elderly Persons.

The way to Sengkang

Beer for sale at Singapore National Eye Centre’s Oktoberfestthemed fair.

Sugar rush

On a bright, sunny morning, more than 200 volunteers descended upon Punggol Waterway Park on 14 October for the President’s Challenge finale event, Symphony for Health.

Good job!

Foot feat

They played host to more than 1000 visitors, including beneficiaries and residents of Sengkang, where SingHealth will be managing the future Sengkang hospitals. An art competition for 11 schools in Sengkang drew 880 creative pictorial wishes for My Sengkang Hospital and the Community.

Jump start Sengkang visions

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Wheel power

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

quality pulse

QI Chat

Brought to you by Service Operations, a unit of Operations and Performance Management

Assistant Director of Nursing Norhayati Ahmad heads Quality Improvement (QI) in the Division of Nursing.

Among her achievements was a project that has been shared at international conferences and won her a national Outstanding QC Manager award.

F F A ST SS PA

1. You have been in SGH for 27 years. How has the QI culture changed?

A pass with a plus

HR team cuts wait time for staff passes.

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ew staff members no longer have to wait a long time for their staff passes, thanks to a group of HR professionals who call themselves the CARD-iographers.

Previously, a new staff could wait for as long as 30 days to get their passes.

The pass serves as an identification, medical benefit and access card.

The delay became an issue when the Automated Visitor Management System was implemented in January 2012.

The CARD-iographers from HR Division, with the card printer.

Without the pass, staff were unable to gain entry to the main areas of the hospital’s premises.

Working with the IT and security departments, the team introduced the following “treatments”:

More than 70%

of new employees get their staff passes on their first day of work, up from 3%.

Fix the person or the process?

When things go wrong, fingers usually point to the person(s) involved.

But how about making the system or process error-proof instead?

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1. Obtain and enter data of new staff prior to their start date.

2. Take staff photo and print the pass in-house, instead of waiting for staff to submit photo and vendor to print the pass.

3. Security Department configures the card’s access remotely.

You forgot to turn off the tap again!

Early on in my career, I did not think QI was important, which was the common mindset then. That has totally changed, especially after the hospital was restructured in 1989. Being corporatised meant we needed to stay competitive, to continuously improve. We needed change agents, and so I embarked on my first quality training back in 1997. Today, more staff are being trained in QI, and many are embracing QI.

2. Which project(s) have left an impression on you?

In 2004, I led a QI team in the orthopaedic ward to reduce the length of stay for patients following surgery.

We discovered that it was important for patients to ambulate on the first day after surgery. The team developed a walking frame, with an attachment mounted on wheels for medical devices, to help the patients ambulate. As a result, the length of stay for these patients was reduced by an average of two days.

3. What has happened to the project since then?

We obtained a grant to further develop the frame, and continued to spread the best practice to other wards.

The project was showcased at international QI conventions in 2004 and 2006; and won an Asian Hospital Management Award in 2005. It was also featured as an example of public service innovation in 2006, which won me the Outstanding QC Manager award at the PS21 ExCEL Convention.

4. What qualities does a person need to make a QI project successful?

Passion, an open mind and continuous learning.

I fervently believe in these attributes to deliver a successful project.

With a closed mind, even if an idea is shared, the person is not likely to listen and make plans for improvements.

Passion is a must-have, and the drive for continuous learning opens up opportunities for improvement.

5. Describe your typical day at work.

We should just get a sensor tap, then this will not happen again!

I get to work at about 6.30am and start to plan and prioritise things to accomplish for the day.

I look after the Orthopaedic and General Surgery wards as well as the Same Day Admission Centre. I do my ward rounds in the morning, talk to staff and observe events on the ground. After that, I attend meetings and get around to my other tasks. At the end of the day, I spend some time to reflect on the day’s events.

I jog about five times a week - to exercise my heart and limbs, but also to de-stress. I also enjoy traveling to catch up with my close friends overseas in Japan, UK and the USA. Check out the full interview at QI Net http:// mysinghealth/SGH/Quality/QI-net/

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campus buzz

spree in action

Service with a Heart Award Medical Officers/Resident (April to September 2012) On 3 December 2012, the Service with a Heart Award was awarded to the following four young doctors who had demonstrated outstanding service commitment.

(From left) Associate Dean Assoc Prof Tay Sook Muay, Dr Tan Yong Cheng, Dr Joel Lim, Dr Mohammad Taufik, Dr Andy Chua and Chairman of Medical Board Prof Fong Kok Yong.

NAME

DESIGNATION

DEPARTMENT

Dr Andy Chua Jian Kai

Medical Officer

Otolaryngology

Dr Joel Lim Wei-An

Resident

Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr Mohammad Taufik

Resident

Diagnostic Radiology

Dr Tan Yong Cheng

Medical Officer

Pathology

AN SGH MOMENT Louie Ross Cani, Function Supervisor, leads his team to work behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of our events.

He consistently demonstrates professionalism and efficiency in his work. Being familiar with event setups, AV equipment and logistics has allowed him to optimise the use of resources, especially when several events are held concurrently.

Teams UP! Award Ward 55 and Urology Centre were honoured with the Teams UP! Award for their outstanding performance in patient care and teamwork excellence.

WINNERS FOR APRIL – SEPTEMBER 2013 Urology Centre

Louie often goes the extra mile to clean up the venues on his own accord just to ensure that the events run smoothly.

Thank you Louie, for your dedication and for always practising the SPREE qualities of Efficiency and Professionalism.

“Louie’s positive attitude has amazed many and his dedicated commitment has made significant contributions to the smooth operations of many events at SGH," said his supervisor, Wong Meiyun, Assistant Manager, Housekeeping.

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Ward 55

LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

New job titles for frontliners

New titles have boosted morale, said Senior Associate Executive Hamidah Hamin (left).

O

ur frontline staff have been given new job titles to improve public perception of their roles.

Instead of Patient Services Clerks, Patient Services Assistants and Team Leaders, they are now called Patient Service Associates, Senior Patient Service Associates and Associate Executives.

“My old title Team Leader used to confuse the public, who wondered why I was managing patients,” said Senior Associate Executive Hamidah Hamin, at Clinic A. “The new titles have certainly boosted morale among members of my team and renewed their pride in their work.”

This group of about 600 staff works at the counters in the wards, clinics, Business Office or Admissions Office.

Their duties include registration of patients, booking of appointments and collection of payment.

A committee is now developing a common framework to define technical and service competencies required for these frontline jobs. This means more systematic recruitment and training. There is also wider scope for career development, as staff can move across different units or vertically as they grow in their jobs.

Have you heard the news?

We love posting, tagging and commenting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, among others.

At the same time, engaging in social media comes with social responsibility. Here are some pointers.

1. A ll communication should be respectful, courteous and constructive. Where the subject is potentially controversial, exercise caution when posting.

2. O nline platforms are not appropriate places to air your grievances about workrelated or service issues. Instead, raise them through channels like Service Quality or Human Resource.

3. Be respectful and professional to fellow employees, business partners, competitors and patients.

4. You may not provide any content or make comments that construe endorsement or cast aspersions on any healthcare product or service (taken from the SingHealth Social Media Policy.)

For more tips, please check out the complete Social Media Policy found on the SingHeath Intranet’s home page, under ‘quick clicks’.

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LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

campus buzz

Woman of substance Esther Lim, Head of Medical Social Services at SGH, won the Outstanding Social Worker Award, the highest accolade in the field awarded by the President of Singapore.

Nursing a childhood dream

P

rincipal Enrolled Nurse Chua Lee Yan from Ward 42 has always harboured a dream of being a nurse since primary school. She fulfilled her calling and now, after 10 years of service, it has borne sweet fruit in the form of the Tan Chin Tuan Nursing Award, the highest accolade for enrolled nurses in Singapore.

Ms Chua attends to patients with acute and chronic kidney disorders while training junior nurses and nursing students.

Known for her endless quest in seeking ways to raise patient care standards, she is also involved in a research project which studies fatigue in final stage renal failure patients on dialysis and the developmental factors involved.

In 2008, Ms Chua set up a journal club for enrolled nurses to share their working knowledge and practices with each other.

Her enthusiasm and dedication shines when asked what allows a nurse to excel. With great confidence she answers, "It is her passion and strong commitment to the vocation."

all work and all play In October and November, SGH scored two work-life related awards.

We won the Work-Life Excellence Award this year for the fourth time in a row, from the Ministry of Manpower. In addition, after three consecutive Gold awards for Workplace Health Promotion, this year we received the Platinum Award from the Health Promotion Board.

Our dedicated Work-Life Unit continually delivers a range of activities for staff such as:  Talks on various topics like parenting and financial matters  Specialised courses, such as Hair Cutting, Chinese brush painting and other art classes  Exercise classes, such as Belly Dancing, Zumba, Kickboxing and Yoga  Evening interest groups, such as the Running, Badminton and Table tennis groups  Occasional short term vacations, such as farm stays  The annual Dinner & Dance  Free health screening Do check their complete list of services and activities on the Intranet.

Fertility programme gets quality stamp SGH’s fertility treatment programme and its in-vitro fertilisation laboratory (IVF lab) have successfully met the standards of the international certification body, Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC). This satisfies MOH’s new regulatory requirement for all such facilities to be certified by January 2013.

• Principal Enrolled Nurse Clarice Chong from Ward 72 (with special commendation) • Principal Enrolled Nurse Teng Hwee Siang, from Ward 42 Colleagues from our HR Department

Ms Lim is a certified Master and Consultant in ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and pioneered the programme in SGH in 2003 for healthcare and social work professionals

The auditors reviewed documentation and policies of the Centre for Assisted Reproduction (CARE) and observed procedures in the IVF Lab. They also looked into the process of counseling provided by our psychiatrists and Medical Social Workers for the patients and procedures for drug recall and traceability.

celebrating our clinician scientists SGH clinicians active in research have won honours and grants at the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Awards in October 2012.

Dr Ling Khoon Lin, Senior Consultant and Head of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at SGH, received the NMRC Clinician Scientist Award. He will spend at least 70% of his time on research for the next three years, funded by the award.

CERTIFICATES OF MERIT WERE ALSO AWARDED TO:

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An advocate for high standards in the profession, Ms Lim has been contributing to the continuous education of social workers for the past 17 years.

She provides training in areas like suicide and crisis intervention, mental health first-aid and evidencebased social interventions to Medical Social Workers.

Dr Chong Tsung Wen, Senior Consultant in Urology and Dr Leung Ying Ying, Consultant in Rheumatology & Immunology, received the new NMRC Transition Award for budding clinician scientists.

Other NMRC Award recipients from SingHealth: Singapore Translational Research Investigator (STaR) Award Prof Stuart Cook, National Heart Centre Singapore Clinician Scientist Award Dr Mohammad Kamran Ikram, Singapore Eye Research Institute and Singapore National Eye Centre Transition Award Dr Charumathi Sabanayagam, Singapore Eye Research Institute

21

LIFE at SGH Campus | Jan/Feb 2013

y o ur t a k e

time out

Cross Culture “

T

he Vietnamese are addressed by our given name, even in formal situations. So I would be called Miss Phuc (“fu” which means 福), even though Nguyen is my family name. But please, call me Emmy,” said Emmy, or Nguyen Tri Khue Phuc, a Guest Relations Executive with IMS at SGH.

A special corner on campus "My favourite place on campus is the OUR PICK! O & G ward because Noor Aini Binte Mohammed, it deals with please contact the wonderful us to collect your $20 prize motherhood voucher. journey. The team ensures safe and delightful delivery of bundles of joy, including my very own."

Vietnamese rice paper rolls (goi cuon) “This a healthier and lighter version of spring rolls and it's easy to make. You can buy the rice paper wraps in dried form from any local supermarket. Use your fingers to apply water on each wrapper to soften it just before wrapping. Form it just like spring rolls (popiah).”

FISH SAUCE DIP (MAKES ABOUT 120 ML)

THE ROLLS

 60ml water  1 tsp rice vinegar  3 tsp sugar  1 finger-length Thai bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you prefer a milder sauce)  2 garlic cloves, crushed  1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice  2 tbsp fish sauce

 Rice paper wraps (1 packet)  200 g prawn – peel, devein and slice into half  200g pork belly – boil and slice thinly against the grain  200 g laksa rice noodles – boil for 3 to 5 minutes or until al dente  Egg – fry into omelette and cut into shreds  Fresh mint leaves and Thai basil  Fresh cilantro sprigs (Chinese parsley or yan sui)  1 cucumber – peel and cut into short thin strips  Lettuce leaves

Mix the vinegar, sugar and water till sugar dissolves.

Combine with the chilli, garlic and lime juice and stir in the fish sauce.

10 TIPS to keep your voice healthy FROM LAURA CHUA, SPEECH THERAPIST

DO: 1. D rink water frequently to keep your vocal tract hydrated. It is recommended that you drink at least two litres of water a day.

2. Balance your voice use throughout the day. If you have a vocally demanding day ahead, avoid talking when it is not necessary.

3. R est your voice if your throat feels tired, dry or sore.

4. S ing only in a comfortable range for your voice.

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5. A void foods which can promote acid reflux – oily and spicy foods, dairy products, and caffeinated or carbonated drinks.

DON’T: 1. W hisper – it can cause strain and muscle tension in your voice box.

2. T alk or sing when you have a respiratory tract disorder, such as cold or flu.

3. Talk or shout above high noise levels or across large spaces.

Instead, go nearer to the person you are talking to.

4. C ough or clear your throat excessively, which can contribute to vocal cord injury.

Swallow your saliva and take sips of water instead.

5. S tay in dusty, dry and smoky environment.

— NOOR AINI BINTE MOHAMMED KASSIM, Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 53

"Our special corner on campus is the little garden area at Block B, former School of Nursing.

We love the peaceful and quiet environment and the soothing water feature surrounded by the pretty flowers and trees."

— SURULIYAPPAN INDHUMATHI, Staff Nurse, Ward 76 and KRISHNAMOORTHY VITHYA, Staff Nurse, Ward 68

"My favourite cosy place on campus is the Worklife booth at Block 6. When I have free time during lunch, I like to visit the booth to learn crafts like how to make beaded sunflowers or hand phone pouches. Worklife staff Maria is very patient and meticulous in her teaching. I also look forward to coming here on Thursday evenings to mingle with other members of the brisk walking club before we start our weekly walks."

— JEANNE LIM, Senior Patient Services Associate, Ward 63C

NEXT:

50 SHADES OF GREEN

It’s Earth Day come April. Show us your favourite shot of Mother Nature and explain what it means to you. Most interesting entry wins a prize. Send it to mysgh@sgh.com.sg. Closing date: 31 January 2013.

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st a l theage p

“...a time before dodo birds were extinct. I think they would taste delicious.“ — VINIENNE HU WEILING, Respiratory Therapist

“...over 200 million years back to see real life dinosaurs and how prehistoric cavemen lived. I would love to take many photos with them!“ — VICTORIA GONZALVES, Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 55B, Urology

“Having been a student of art history, I would like to travel to the Renaissance. It was a period of innovation and creativity and some of the greatest breakthroughs in the arts and the science. Fancy being at the same time and place as great masters such as da Vinci and Michelangelo! “ — BEN YAP, Museum Assistant, SGH Museum

You have just discovered a time machine. You use it to travel to...

“... the time when I was four or five years old. During my childhood, I enjoyed playing, eating and sleeping all the time without any worries. I really enjoyed the carefree life of a child and would love to experience it again.“ — NG YIT JUN, Medical Technologist, Cytogenetics Laboratory

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“... see my hero, that is my grandfather. I wish to witness how he fought the sea as a fisherman and how he captured the black panther in his village! These are things that we can never accomplish in an urbanised city. “

“ ... 100 years ago, to the Titanic and experience it as a passenger.

To witness such a historic and amazing moment in time. Live or die – I would not hesitate! My Heart Will Go On~ “

— THENG JENN CHIANG, Human Resource Executive, Talent Management

— MUHAMMAD HAFIZ HADI, Senior Nurse, Ward 63C

“...back to the 1950s where jukeboxes and gramophones were popular.

We now live in a digitised world where even music has to be refined.

I think music from vinyl records retain its purest and raw form. To me, that’s how music should be.“ — ANGELA LIM, Physiotherapist