Stewards TTSH

29/05/2026

🔬 New Research Findings: 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲

This cross-sectional study conducted on residents from two neighbourhoods in central Singapore, explored the factors associated with willingness to receive health information from non-healthcare services, such as food and beauty establishments.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
• 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: Out of 339 respondents who had never received health information from non-healthcare services before, nearly one-third (31.3%) indicated they would be willing to receive it in the future.
• 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: Respondents with high health information orientation and greater trust were more willing to receive health information from food and beauty services. Younger age groups (21–34 and 35–49 years) and men who trusted the non-healthcare services were significantly more likely to be willing to receive health information from these sources.

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
The findings highlight the potential of non-healthcare services, especially food and beauty establishments, as avenues for public health messaging. Further research is required to explore the age- and gender- specific approaches that can foster trust and willingness to receive health information from these sources, particularly among adults aged 50 years and above and women.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://publichealth.jmir.org/2026/1/e86435

Background: Although health care providers are the most trusted sources of health information, service establishments within communities represent important, yet underused, sources of health information. Specifically, food and beauty establishments can act as alternative settings for health communic...

11/05/2026

🔬 New Research Findings: 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 (𝐊𝐀𝐏) 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞: 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲.

This cross-sectional study conducted on 127 primary care physicians (PCPs) from private primary care clinics, explored the knowledge, attitudes and their antibiotic prescribing practices for patients with uncomplicated cystitis. It also shed light on potential areas of intervention to encourage appropriate antibiotic prescription for patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Singapore.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
• Knowledge: Only 45% (N=57) of PCPs correctly identified all UTI symptoms, and those with greater reliance on urine dipsticks as a diagnostic test tended to experience greater anxiety due to diagnostic uncertainty.
• Attitudes: PCPs who showed greater interest in improving clinical practice were 45% less likely to prescribe antibiotics inappropriately for uncomplicated UTIs whereas experienced PCPs were 4 times more likely to prescribe antibiotics inappropriately for uncomplicated UTIs after adjusting for confounders.
• Practices: Majority of PCPs (N=120, 94%) communicated clearly to their patients on antibiotic prescribing decisions and the options for UTI treatment, but only one-third (N=39, 31%) involved their patients in shared decision-making.

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
Though more research is needed to assess effectiveness, actively promoting clinical guidance through national guidelines for management of UTI especially among experienced PCPs may help to improve appropriate prescribing of antibiotics for uncomplicated cystitis in the future.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12875-026-03298-2

The incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been on a constant rise for urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study aimed to assess the knowledge,

01/05/2026

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐓𝐒𝐇 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐲 - 𝟐𝟑 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 – 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Last week, at the TTSH Academic Health Day 2026, our Senior Consultant Dr Angela Chow presented insights on population health research at the panel discussion focusing on “Bringing Discoveries into Everyday Care”. She delved into the key areas of the Health4All@ToaPayoh Strategic Research Programme, which included understanding the biopsychosocial determinants of health, examining the social networks within the community that can be leveraged, and co-designing interventions to improve the health of all.

The event also featured discussions on other topics, such as bench-to-bedside translation and the value of research-clinical partnerships, offering meaningful perspectives on bridging the gap between scientific discoveries and meeting the needs of patients and the population at large.

Our Principal Epidemiologist, Dr Guo Huiling, was also awarded the NHG Health-LKC Medicine Clinician-Scientist Career Scheme (CSCS), for her project titled “Co-SteWARdS @ ED – Involving patient voices in the co-design of an educational intervention on antibiotic use for patients presenting to the emergency department with upper respiratory tract infections”.

27/04/2026

🔬 New Research Findings: 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐬 (𝐌𝐑𝐒𝐀) 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐑𝐒𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

This matched case–control study evaluated risk factors for hospital‑onset (HO) MRSA bacteraemia among patients with and without prior MRSA colonisation at two tertiary hospitals between 2016 and 2022. Stratified analyses identified common and colonisation status‑specific risk factors, highlighting heterogeneity in patient risk profiles relevant to infection prevention.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
• Risk factors differed by MRSA colonisation status, with PICC presence unique to colonised patients, and prolonged hospital stay and chronic haemodialysis unique to non‑colonised patients.
• Several major risk factors were common to both groups, including immunosuppressive therapy, fluoroquinolone and glycopeptide exposure, and thrombophlebitis.
• Non‑colonised patients contributed substantially to HO‑MRSA bacteraemia, challenging prevention strategies focused solely on known carriers.

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
HO‑MRSA bacteraemia risk is not uniform and varies by colonisation status, indicating that prevention strategies should extend beyond previously colonised patients. Tailored approaches, including strengthened catheter care and enhanced surveillance for high‑risk non‑colonised patients such as those with prolonged hospitalisation or haemodialysis exposure, enhance the prevention of HO‑MRSA bacteraemia.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2026.03.009

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05/04/2026

Hoppy Easter! Wishing everyone a day filled with blessings, happiness and joyful moments with your loved ones ✨️🐰

21/03/2026

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! May this festive season bring happiness, health and countless blessings to you and your loved ones ✨💚🌙

16/02/2026

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Wishing everyone prosperity, health, and happiness in the Year of the Horse ✨️🐴

11/02/2026

🔬 New Research Findings: 𝐍𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 30 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 30-𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤

Nomogram models of plasma albumin (PA) and C-reactive protein (CRP), in patient cohorts from Singapore and Denmark with bloodstream infection (BSI), showed that PA level in the pre-infection and infection periods is a strong prognosticator of 30-day mortality risk.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
• PA levels showed consistent positive correlations with D0 (day of BSI) across all earlier time points, indicating that albumin is a stable prognostic biomarker in the pre-infection period.
• PA levels measured on D0 and days prior to D0, showed strong associations with 30-day mortality risk, while CRP levels did not show significant associations.
• Nomogram models demonstrated that the earliest PA level was the most significant contributing factor to mortality risk, while other variables including CRP were not associated with 30-day mortality risk.

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
Strong associations between PA levels and mortality risk throughout multiple time points, especially during the pre-infection period, potentially allows for early warning for negative outcomes. Nomogram-based analysis also provides a distinguishable graphical representation for clinicians to assess patients’ prognosis and detect a suspected BSI early.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-34710-z

This study aimed to assess the prognostic impact of plasma albumin (PA) and C-reactive protein (CRP), measured up to 30 days before a bloodstream infection (BSI), on 30-day mortality risk using nomogram models. Two cohorts comprising 5,221 inpatients from Singapore (SG) and 15,710 from Denmark (DK)....

04/02/2026

🩺 Highlights from Society of Behavioural Health Singapore Annual Scientific Meeting 2026: Advancing Behavioural Health, Caring for Self, Others & Community

Last week, our Senior Consultant and Principal Investigator, Dr Angela Chow, shared findings from our research on increasing flu vaccine uptake through leveraging individuals' health information health information orientation and relationships with a regular doctor and friends in tropical Singapore.

In addition, our research assistants shared their posters on the effect of factors such as personality traits, health activation and technological acceptance on the willingness of COPD and Asthma patients to adopt mHealth tools.

Our team also attended talks by professionals from various fields and gained valuable insights on how our behaviours and choices affect the way we care for ourselves and others. We also learned about how we can bridge across disciplines to empower and motivate ourselves to take charge of our own health and foster meaningful connections with others to improve our collective wellbeing.

01/12/2025

🔍 New Research Alert: 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

This quasi-experimental study conducted in four large adult emergency departments between January 2021 and December 2023 evaluated the effectiveness of physician feedback and patient education in reducing antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) that typically do not require antibiotics.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
• Physician feedback alone showed significant decline in the weekly antibiotic prescribing trend
• The patient education using health professional-developed information leaflets did not reduce antibiotic prescribing
• Weekly antibiotic prescribing trend increased during the post-intervention period indicating that the intervention effect is not sustained

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
Simple, systematic feedback and audit mechanisms can drive meaningful physician behaviour change. Further research into multimodal patient education approaches is warranted.

📙: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14121196

Objectives: Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) is a significant problem in emergency departments (EDs) worldwide. In this study, we separately evaluated the effectiveness of physician feedback and patient education in reducing antibiotic prescri...