Heat and acupuncture restore mobility in knee osteoarthritis (HARMOKnee): A pragmatic integrated care, randomized controlled study.

Background: Acupuncture has increasingly gained popularity as alternative approach to conventional care for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) management. We conducted a pragmatic randomized controlled study to evaluate the clinical and health utility outcomes of acupuncture and heat therapy in conjunction with standard care for KOA.

Methods: Community-ambulating KOA patients of 45 years or older were randomly assigned to the intervention or control (SC) group.

Randomised controlled trial evaluating the impact of different methods of HPV DNA testing for cervical cancer screening in Singapore's primary care settings: a study protocol.

Introduction: Cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern in Singapore, with current screening rates at 43%, well below the national target of 70%. In 2019, human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing was introduced into the national cervical cancer screening programme, but barriers to participation include embarrassment, privacy concerns and discomfort with clinician-sampled tests. Self-sampled HPV DNA testing offers a promising alternative by providing more privacy and convenience.

Quality of Care and Stakeholders' Perceptions of PEC Implementation in Singapore: A Mixed-Methods Study Protocol.

Purpose: Primary eye care (PEC) model aims to facilitate right-siting of care for patients with stable and non-complex conditions by upskilling optometrists. However, there is 1) a lack of examination on PEC's quality of care (measured as degree of agreement in plan of care between upskilled optometrists and ophthalmologists) and 2) no comprehensive real-world evaluation on operational viability and stakeholders' perception of the community-based PEC model. Holistic evaluation is important as in-depth understanding of stakeholders' experience in implementation will be key to ensure the long-term sustainability and scalability of this PEC model.

Unravelling ChatGPT's potential in summarising qualitative in-depth interviews.

Background/objectives: Qualitative research can be laborious and time consuming, presenting a challenge for practitioners and policymakers seeking rapid, actionable results. Data collection, transcription and analysis are the main contributors to the resource-intensive nature. OpenAI's Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), have demonstrated potential to aid in data analysis.

Association of social isolation and depressive symptoms with workplace productivity loss in a multi-ethnic Asian study.

The association of health-related productivity loss (HRPL) with social isolation and depressive symptoms is not well studied. We aimed to examine the association of social isolation and depressive symptoms with productivity loss. Data on employed adults aged 21 years and above were derived from the Population Health Index (PHI) study conducted by the National Healthcare Group (NHG) on community-dwelling adults, residing in the Central and Northern residential areas of Singapore.

Objective Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Differentiation of Patients With Diabetes and Prediabetes: Protocol for a Nonrandomized, Exploratory, Observational Case-Control Study Using Digitalized Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Tools.

Background: Diabetes and prediabetes are diagnosed differentially by Western and Chinese medicine. While Western medicine uses objective laboratory analysis of biochemical parameters to define the severity of diabetes and prediabetes, Chinese medicine uses a comprehensive approach that integrates observation, inquiry, pulse palpation, and tongue diagnosis. The medical information collected is then categorized into different syndromes.

Collaborative model of care between orthopaedics and allied healthcare professionals (CONNACT) in knee osteoarthritis: Effectiveness-implementation hybrid randomized controlled trial of a community-based, multidisciplinary, stratified intervention.

Objective: To compare the clinical and cost effectiveness of the Collaborative Model of Care between Orthopaedics and Allied Healthcare Professionals (CONNACT), a community-based, stratified, multidisciplinary intervention consisting of exercise, education, psychological and nutrition delivered through a chronic care model to usual hospital care in adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Pragmatic, parallel-arm, single-blinded superiority RCT trial. Community-dwelling, ambulant adults with knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade > 1; Knee Injury and OA Outcome Score (KOOS) ≤75) were enrolled.

Achieving satisfactory functional outcomes in conservatively treated proximal humerus fractures: relationship between shoulder range of motion and patient-reported clinical outcome scores.

Background: Proximal humerus fractures are common osteoporotic fractures. Postinjury outcome measures include objective clinician-measured range of motion (ROM) and subjective patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), but the relationship between both has not been established. This study aimed to determine the relationship between shoulder ROM and PROMs and establish which ROMs correlated most with PROMs.

Heat and Acupuncture to Manage Osteoarthritis of the Knee (HARMOKnee): Protocol for an Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of most prevalent and fastest-growing causes of pain, impaired mobility, and poor quality of life in the rapidly aging population worldwide. There is a lack of high-quality evidence on the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), particularly acupuncture, and a lack of KOA practice guidelines that are tailored to unique population demographics and tropical climates.

Objective: Our HARMOKnee (Heat and Acupuncture to Manage Osteoarthritis of the Knee) trial aims to address these gaps by evaluating the short- and medium-term clinical and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture with heat therapy in addition to standard care, compared to standard care alone.

Study on proximal humerus evaluation of effective treatment (SPHEER) - what is the effect of rehabilitation compliance on clinical outcomes of proximal humerus fractures.

Introduction: Proximal humeral fractures (PHFs) are 3 commonest fragility fractures and cause significant functional impairment. This paper sought to determine impact of rehabilitation compliance on the clinical outcomes for non-surgically managed PHFs, while ascertaining reasons for non-compliance which can be addressed to improve compliance.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of patients undergoing non-surgical treatment for PHFs from August 2017 to April 2020 in a tertiary trauma centre was performed.

Discordance Between Self-Reported and Performance-Based Physical Function in Patients Who Have Knee Osteoarthritis: Associations With Pain Intensity and Negative Affect.

Background: Although self-reported measures of physical disability are strong indication criterion for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in painful knee osteoarthritis (OA), some patients may report greater-than-observed disability. Contributing factors to this discordance are relatively unexplored. We aimed to examine whether pain and negative affect, including anxiety and depression, were associated with the discordance of self-reported measures with performance-based measures (PPM) of physical function.

Singapore KneE osTeoarthritis CoHort (SKETCH): protocol for a multi-centre prospective cohort study.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of global disability. The understanding of the role of psychosocial factors in knee OA outcomes is still evolving particularly in an Asian context. The primary aim of this study is to explore psychosocial factors that prognosticate short and long-term clinical outcomes, productivity, and healthcare utilization in patients with knee OA.

Chronic low back pain and its impact on physical function, mental health, and health-related quality of life: a cross-sectional study in Singapore.

Chronic low back pain, defined as low back pain lasting more than 3 months, is a globally prevalent health problem with significantly high medical and economic burden on individuals and the society. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of chronic low back pain and examine its association with health outcomes including physical function, mental health, and quality of life among adult population in Singapore. Cross-sectional secondary data analysis was performed using baseline data of the 1941 adults (mean age: 52.

Bundled Payments for Hip Fracture Surgery Are Associated With Improved Access, Quality, and Health Care Utilization, but Higher Costs for Complex Cases: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

Objectives: To study the impact of bundled payments for surgically managed hip fractures on care access, care quality, health care resource utilization, clinical impact, and acute care cost.

Design: An observational retrospective cohort study using a quasi-experimental design comparing prebundled and postbundled payments through an interrupted time series analysis.

Setting: A public acute care general hospital.

Emergency department interventions for frailty (EDIFY): improving functional outcomes in older persons at the emergency department through a multicomponent frailty intervention.

Objectives: emergency department interventions for frailty (EDIFY) delivers frailty-centric interventions at the emergency department (ED). We evaluated the effectiveness of a multicomponent frailty intervention (MFI) in improving functional outcomes among older persons.

Design: a quasi-experimental study.

Emergency Department Interventions for Frailty (EDIFY): Front-Door Geriatric Care Can Reduce Acute Admissions.

Objectives: The EDIFY program was developed to deliver early geriatric specialist interventions at the emergency department (ED) to reduce the number of acute admissions by identifying patients for safe discharge or transfer to low-acuity care settings. We evaluated the effectiveness of EDIFY in reducing potentially avoidable acute admissions.

Design: A quasi-experimental study.

Collaborative model of care between Orthopaedics and allied healthcare professionals in knee osteoarthritis (CONNACT): study protocol for an effectiveness-implementation hybrid randomized control trial.

Background: Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of global disability. The Collaborative Model of Care between Orthopaedics and Allied Healthcare Professionals (CONNACT) Model of Care (MoC) was developed by optimizing evidence-based non-surgical treatments to deliver value-based care for people with knee OA. The primary aim of this study is to determine the clinical effectiveness of the CONNACT MoC (3 months) compared to usual care.

Collaborative model of care between Orthopaedics and allied healthcare professionals trial (CONNACT) - a feasibility study in patients with knee osteoarthritis using a mixed method approach.

Background: Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of global disability resulting in significant morbidity and cost to the healthcare system. Current guidelines recommend lifestyle changes such exercises and weight loss as first line treatment prior to surgical consideration. Our current model of care is inefficient with suboptimal allied health intervention for effective behaviour changes.

The ideal implant for Mayo 2A olecranon fractures? An economic evaluation.

Background: The ideal implant for stable, noncomminuted olecranon fractures is controversial. Tension band wiring (TBW) is associated with lower cost but higher implant removal rates.On the other hand, plate fixation (PF) is purported to be biomechanically superior, with lower failure and implant removal rates, although associated with higher cost.

Integrated palliative homecare in advanced dementia: reduced healthcare utilisation and costs.

Objectives: To determine the economic benefit of an integrated home-based palliative care programme for advanced dementia (Programme Dignity), evaluation is required. This study aimed to estimate Programme Dignity's average monthly cost from a provider's perspective; and compare healthcare utilisation and costs of programme patients with controls, accounting for enrolment duration.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study.

An Investigation of Self-reported Health-related Productivity Loss in Office Workers and Associations With Individual and Work-related Factors Using an Employer's Perspective.

Objective: Office workers have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions. This can be a significant economic burden due to health-related productivity loss. Individual and work-related factors related to office worker health-related productivity were investigated.

Inter-rater reliability of an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for office workers.

Objectives: To establish the inter-rater reliability of an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for computer workers.

Methods: A 37-item (38-item if a laptop was part of the workstation) comprehensive observational ergonomics assessment checklist comparable to government guidelines and up to date with empirical evidence was developed. Two trained practitioners assessed full-time office workers performing their usual computer-based work and evaluated the suitability of workstations used.

The impact of onsite workplace health-enhancing physical activity interventions on worker productivity: a systematic review.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of onsite workplace health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) programmes on worker productivity. The PROSPERO registration number is CRD42014008750. A search for controlled trials or randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of onsite workplace HEPA programmes on productivity levels of working adults was performed.