Browsing by Author "Tam, Chen Hee"

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    Perceived facilitators and barriers to chronic disease management in primary care networks of Singapore: a qualitative study.
    (BMJ open, 2021-05-04) Foo, Chuan De; Surendran, Shilpa; Tam, Chen Hee; Ho, Elaine; Matchar, David Bruce; Car, Josip; Koh, Gerald Choon Huat

    Objective

    The increasing chronic disease burden has placed tremendous strain on tertiary healthcare resources in most countries, necessitating a shift in chronic disease management from tertiary to primary care providers. The Primary Care Network (PCN) policy was promulgated as a model of care to organise private general practitioners (GPs) into groups to provide GPs with resources to anchor patients with chronic conditions with them in the community. As PCN is still in its embryonic stages, there is a void in research regarding its ability to empower GPs to manage patients with chronic conditions effectively. This qualitative study aims to explore the facilitators and barriers for the management of patients with chronic conditions by GPs enrolled in PCN.

    Design

    We conducted 30 semistructured interviews with GPs enrolled in a PCN followed by a thematic analysis of audio transcripts until data saturation was achieved.

    Setting

    Singapore.

    Results

    Our results suggest that PCNs facilitated GPs to more effectively manage patients through (1) provision of ancillary services such as diabetic foot screening, diabetic retinal photography and nurse counselling to permit a 'one-stop-shop', (2) systematic monitoring of process and clinical outcome indicators through a chronic disease registry (CDR) to promote accountability for patients' health outcomes and (3) funding streams for PCNs to hire additional manpower to oversee operations and to reimburse GPs for extended consultations. Barriers include high administrative load in maintaining the CDR due to the lack of a smart electronic clinic management system and financial gradient faced by patients seeking services from private GPs which incur higher out-of-pocket expenses than public primary healthcare institutions.

    Conclusion

    PCNs demonstrate great promise in empowering enrolled GPs to manage patients with chronic conditions. However, barriers will need to be addressed to ensure the viability of PCNs in managing more patients in the face of an ageing population.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Reply to Ngoh et al. Comment on "Surendran et al. The Missed Opportunity of Patient-Centered Medical Homes to Thrive in an Asian Context. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 1817".
    (International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022-04-13) Surendran, Shilpa; Foo, Chuan De; Tam, Chen Hee; Ho, Elaine Qiao Ying; Matchar, David Bruce; Car, Josip; Koh, Gerald Choon Huat
    We carefully read the comment [...].
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    ItemOpen Access
    The Missed Opportunity of Patient-Centered Medical Homes to Thrive in an Asian Context.
    (International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021-02-13) Surendran, Shilpa; Foo, Chuan De; Tam, Chen Hee; Ho, Elaine Qiao Ying; Matchar, David Bruce; Car, Josip; Koh, Gerald Choon Huat
    In recent years, there is growing interest internationally to implement patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), and Singapore is no exception. However, studies understanding the influence of contextual policy factors on the implementation of PCMHs are limited. We conducted 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews with general practitioners working in seven out of the nine PCMHs. Audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed by two study team members in NVivo 12 Software using grounded theory techniques. Power dynamics between the stakeholders and lack of shared decision-making among them in selecting the locale of the PCMH and formulating the practice fee and pharmacy structure were the key factors which negatively affected the implementation of PCMHs on a larger scale. Over time, lack of funding to hire dedicated staff to transfer patients and misalignment of various stakeholders' interest to other right-siting programs also resulted in low number of patients with chronic conditions and revenue. Countries seeking to implement a successful PCMH may benefit from building trust and relationship between stakeholders, engaging in shared decision-making, ongoing cost-efficiency efforts, and formulating a clear delineation of responsibilities between stakeholders. For a healthcare delivery model to succeed in the primary care landscape, policies should be developed keeping mind the realities of primary care practice.