The healthcare system in Singapore is transforming to meet the challenges of a population that is not just ageing – but rapidly. By 2030, almost one in four Singaporeans will be over 65 years old.
At the same time, the country is grappling with low fertility rates and severe manpower shortage in the sector, making it an imperative to create innovative digital solutions to proactively tackle the rising demand for healthcare.
“However, we need to keep in mind that technology is not a silver bullet,” says Ms Lee Chen-Ee, Group Director, Innovation & Transformation, Singhealth. She raised the example of a mobile app that allows patients to register for their medical consultations, or to access their test results. “It may sound like a great idea. But there are people in the population who are not as tech-savvy, and they may not want to use it.”
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Ms Lee Chen Ee, Group Director, Innovation & Transformation, Singhealth
Ms Lee adds, “In all the innovation that we want to do, we need to meet patients where they are.”
She was speaking at a panel discussion themed “Catalyst of change: Envisioning the future of care” held at the NUS-ISS Learning Festival in October 2023. Moderated by Ms Shailaja Suresh Kumar, Chief of NUS-ISS Smart Health Leadership Centre, the session delved into the complexities of healthcare in Singapore and the role of technology in solving the evolving challenges in the sector. Other speakers included Mr Jeremy Lim, Managing Director of smart solutions provider Quantum Leap Incorporation, and Mr Harry Chan, Assistant Vice President of IT at IHH Healthcare.
Ms Suresh Kumar concurred with Ms Lee, adding, “Technology is a key enabler in healthcare transformation – but you can’t just roll it out and expect it to work. We have to take a patient-centric approach to solving the challenges ahead.”
Patient- vs People-centred care
What does it mean to be patient-centric? Ms Suresh Kumar says, “It’s not innovation for innovation’s sake. We need to be clear about what problems we are trying to solve, and who is benefiting from this."
For example, a robot assistant that delivers medication, snacks or other items to patients can help lighten the workload of medical staff – in turn giving them more time to focus on the core duties of caring for a patient.
Within the healthcare sector, the emphasis has been shifting from solely focusing on patients, to a more holistic form of people-centred care. “From caregivers to patients and family members, there is a whole ecosystem of people involved in the care, education, and prevention of illnesses. Population health is a key focus moving forward, and we want to engage individuals even before they become a patient,” Ms Lee explains.
Mr Chan also highlights the high attrition rate of nurses around the world. “Healthcare worker burnout is becoming more prevalent, and with the shift towards people-centred care, we can better address this alarming issue.”
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Mr Jeremy Lim, Managing Director, Quamtum Leap Incorporation Pte Ltd; and Mr Harry Chan, Assistant Vice president, IHH Healthcare
He shares that IHH Healthcare has been looking into the development of robotic process automation (RPA) solutions to alleviate the mundane tasks of the nurses. “It’s not just about automating clicks, but also combining it with generative AI for more intelligent automation.”
In particular, IHH Healthcare is experimenting with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), which can augment the results of a Large Language Model (LLM) such as ChatGPT. How does that work? “We feed the repository with our standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the result is a generative AI system that can provide more contextually appropriate answers to prompts. The chatbot then becomes a ‘self-service portal’ and is able to answer any questions that our employees have regarding the SOPs.”
Bringing healthcare closer to home
As Singapore’s population ages, the number of elderly people being diagnosed with dementia will increase. “Given the shortage of caregivers and volunteers to assist with medical transports, the elderly may have difficulty accessing healthcare services when they need it,” Mr Lim points out.
To address this issue, his organisation – Quantum Leap Incorporation – developed a smart caregiving system that comprises call centres for coordinating services and monitoring patients at home. The goal is to provide timely assistance and prevent distressing situations, such as seniors falling and not receiving help in time.
Ms Lee also adds that Singhealth launched the Mobile Inpatient Care @ Home in 2022. Through this initiative, some patients can now be hospitalised at home and be cared for via teleconsultations and home visits. They will receive similar clinical care to what they would receive in the hospital, such as medication and blood tests, as well as 24/7 access to the care team until they are fit to be discharged.
“This has helped to reduce readmission rates while easing the hospital bed crunch,” Ms Lee explains.
Concluding the panel discussion, Ms Suresh Kumar says, “The future of care is one that involves synergy between various stakeholders in a healthcare system. From hospitals offering treatment to local communities fostering preventive health, government agencies, as well as industry players that innovate healthcare solutions – everyone has a vital role to play.”
Ms Shailaja Suresh Kumar, Chief, Smart Health Leadership Centre, NUS-ISS (R)
She acknowledges there are challenges when it comes to bridging these diverse components. “But the good news is, we are witnessing remarkable progress, as shared by the panellists today. In this journey, collaboration between the various players in the ecosystem is what is driving us towards a more people-centred future of care.”
Watch the full playlist on the NUS-ISS Learning Festival 2023 here.
For more information on NUS-ISS' Smart Health Leadership Centre, visit here.