Towards Excellence in Palliative Care Research and Education

Sharing Our Expertise

Exchanging Best Practices in Palliative Nursing

We hosted a live telecast of the Mölnlycke – APAC Chronic Wound Summit on 23 June 2023. Participants learned more about the M.O.I.S.T wound care model and gained insights from international experts about the best practices in chronic wound management, among other key learnings.

Former Director of Nursing, Ms Joyce Goo and Nurse Manager, Ms Pamela Koh visited the Higashi Sapporo Hospital in Japan on 16 April 2023 to learn about their holistic nursing services and exchange knowledge on nursing practices in palliative care, clinical innovations, and professional nursing development.

Supporting Clinical Attachments

As part of Dover Park Hospice’s involvement in developing our sector, we facilitated a total of 158 healthcare professionals’ clinical attachments from medical, nursing, allied health, therapy and pharmacy.

The group comprised of:

75
Medical Doctors
35
Nurses
13
Allied Health Professionals
35
Medical Students

Growing Palliative Nursing Capacity

This year, 21 registered nurses graduated with a Specialist Diploma in Palliative Care Nursing. Through this course, participants are equipped with the clinical knowledge and skills in palliative care for patients with life-limiting illnesses.

This course is taught in collaboration with the National Cancer Centre Singapore and School of Life Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Furthering Palliative Social Work Through Collaborative Research

We are embarking on a joint research study with Assisi Hospice, HCA Hospice Care, NUS School of Social Work and University of Melbourne School of Social Work on developing a feasible and scalable measurement system for Palliative Social Work Practice in Singapore.

This is the first local practice research to document the process and measure the outcomes of the psychosocial-spiritual screening, care plans and long term social work support for palliative patients and caregivers.

Thought Leadership: Palliative Care Centre for Excellence in Research and Education (PalC)

Respite Care

 

Attended by 276 healthcare professionals in total, PalC had conducted 10 courses covering these areas in palliative care – palliative care in advanced dementia and non-cancer illnesses, pain management, coping with bereavement, and the psychosocial, spiritual, rehabilitative, legal and ethical aspects of end-of-life care, as well as self-care for the healthcare professional.

DPH-TTSH Integrated Palliative Care Programme

PalC hosted its inaugural ethics symposium, “Translating Ethics into Humanistic Care” from 27-29 April 2023. This three half-day webinar was a significant success, attracting 104 attendees. The event focused on bridging ethical principles with compassionate patient care, providing valuable insights and fostering meaningful discussions among healthcare professionals. This milestone event underscores PalC’s commitment to integrating ethics into the core of humanistic care, enhancing our community’s understanding and application of ethical practices in palliative care.

Presenting in Multiple Research Conferences

DPH and PalC participated in a number of research conferences internationally, regionally and locally. Nurse Clinician, Sister Yee Yee presented a poster at the 33rd European Wound Management Association Conference in Milan.

Our Medical Director, Dr Mervyn Koh, gave a talk on the cultures and traditions of dying in Singapore at the 18th European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) World Congress in Rotterdam. Our Training Manager, Ms Tan Li Kuan also conducted a workshop on implementing virtual palliative care courses at this Congress.

The following three posters were presented at the 15th Asia Pacific Hospice Conference 2023 in Incheon:

  • Developing a Competency Framework for Southeast Asia’s First Competency-Based Postgraduate Palliative Care Curriculum
  • Joint effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation on family caregivers of home-dwelling patients with life-limiting illnesses in Singapore
  • Music therapy for Persons with Dementia at Home and Institution: Two Comparative Case Studies in the Inpatient and Home Care End-of-Life Care Setting

Locally, an unprecedented number of DPH staff participated in various capacities at the biennial Singapore Palliative Care Conference (SPCC) which was in its 8th edition in 2023. Besides poster presentations, talks and case/panel discussions were given and/or moderated by Dr Mervyn, Sister Yee Yee, as well as our inpatient Senior Consultant, Dr Joseph Ong, Head of Rehabilitation, Ms Roxanne Foo, and Head of Home Care, Dr Tricia Yung. Our Volunteer Programme Senior Manager, Ms Tok Shou Wee gave a talk on the role of volunteers in palliative care.

At the conference, the National Strategy for Palliative Care 2023 – 2027, which PalC and DPH played a part in charting, was unveiled by the Health Minister, Mr Ong Ye Kung.

Additionally, Advanced Practice Nurse Sylvia Lee, Music Therapist, Ms Camellia Soon, Occupational Therapist, Ms Loh Wan Ping and Senior Pharmacist, Ms Peh Zi Xin, facilitated a number of post-conference workshops. Our Pharmacist Ms Peh Zi Xin was also invited to give a talk on de-prescribing in patients with life-limiting illnesses at the 32nd Singapore Pharmacy Congress.