25 October 2007
SingHealth Nurses produce ‘Cultural Journeys’ book to promote multi-cultural awareness in healthcare

Singapore, 25 October 2007 – More than 500 nurses and healthcare professionals from public and private hospitals gathered today at the opening ceremony of the annual SingHealth Nursing Conference 2007.  With the theme ‘Making a difference, impacting lives’, the 3-day conference seeks to address challenges in managing chronic diseases and highlight how nurses can assist patients to navigate the journey from diagnosis to recovery or an improved quality of life.

Cultural Journeys enhances quality patient care

Highlight of the opening ceremony was the launch of a unique SingHealth nursing publication ‘Cultural Journeys – by nurses for nurses’, produced as a result of SingHealth’s firm belief in supporting nurses to deliver quality care to patients.  Guest-of-Honour, Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, together with Dr Della Lee from the D.S. Lee Foundation launched the book, which was then distributed to delegates at the Conference Opening Ceremony.

Said Prof Tan Ser Kiat, SingHealth’s Group Chief Executing Officer, “Through on-the-job experience, SingHealth nurses saw the need to understand the cultural beliefs and practices of their patients when caring for them in the hospitals.  This book documents the rich learning experiences of our nurses and is an invaluable resource not just for nurses, but for all healthcare professionals.”

‘Cultural Journeys’, a publication believed to be the first of its kind in Singapore, is a collection of customs and practices that aims to heighten cultural awareness and empower nurses and healthcare professionals to provide quality care to patients.  The journey begins with a glimpse of nursing practices 40 years ago and is dotted with anecdotes from SingHealth nurses.  The book also details the beliefs and customs of local and Asian cultures and highlights the significance behind certain cultural beliefs, particularly those of relevance in a healthcare setting. The book is the 5th addition to the range of publications SingHealth nurses have produced since 2004 to ensure the delivery of consistently high standards of patient care (please see Annex A for the full list of SingHealth Nursing publications).

Mdm Lim Swee Hia, Director of Nursing, Outram Campus, SingHealth, said, “The main aim of this book is to prompt nurses to be sensitive to patients’ cultural needs and beliefs in relation to health and wellness.  A dedicated team, including veteran and retired nurses, came together to conceptualise, write and produce the book.  The invaluable knowledge gleaned through decades of care and interaction with our multi-ethnic patient population was compiled into ‘Cultural Journeys’.  We feel that this book is the heart and soul of our nurses’ commitment to serve patients better and hope that it will be a trusted companion that generations of SingHealth nurses can refer to so that they can provide the best care to their patients.”

SingHealth’s commitment to job creation and career development

In line with its commitment to education for healthcare workers, SingHealth also looks to enhance the career track of all grades of nursing and para-nursing staff.  The pioneer batch of 79 graduates from SingHealth’s 3 new advanced skills and developmental training programmes for nursing and para-nursing staff was recognised at the ceremony for completing their training which will enable them to competently handle expanded job roles.  

Guest-of-Honour Mr Lim remarked, “It is heartening to see SingHealth investing so much in upgrading the skills of the nurses and healthcare assistants. The partnership between SingHealth, NTUC, WDA and the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) has enabled many job seekers to join the healthcare sector, and progress up the skill and job ladder."

Post-training, the 37 graduates from the Advanced Skills Programme for Health Care and Patient Care Assistants are now equipped with more in-depth knowledge and skills to take on expanded roles and responsibilities at work. After completing their 3-month training course, the 42 graduates of the Senior Enrolled Nurse Development Programme can look forward to more specialised career tracks, having received training in core competencies and specialised skills training in clinical disciplines (please see Annex B for details on the 3 training programmes). 

SingHealth Nursing Conference focuses on ‘making a difference, impacting lives’

The theme of this year’s SingHealth Nursing conference, ‘Making a difference, impacting lives’, highlights the growing importance to actively manage chronic diseases and the important role nurses play to make a difference in their patients’ lives.  The 3-day conference features 11 ‘meet the expert’ sessions in specific areas of clinical specialisation, 33 symposium sessions, 18 plenary lectures and a keynote address at the Opening Ceremony.  Keynote speaker at the Opening Ceremony, Ms Elizabeth Louise Pestka, Assistant Professor of Nursing from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in USA, delivered a lecture on the influence of genomics on health and nursing. The topic of genomics, which is of great interest globally, is a new area of nursing practice that is yet to be formally developed in Singapore and the region. 

For media enquiries and interviews, please contact:

Ms Yip Pei Shang
Corporate Communications
Singapore Health Services
DID:  6557 4950
E-mail: yip.pei.shang@singhealth.com.sg

Annex A
List of publications produced by SingHealth nurses

Cultural Journeys: By Nurses For Nurses
This publication aims to impart invaluable lessons on Asian cultures, customs and practices to empower nurses and in-service staff to improve the quality of care to their multi-ethnic patients.  Believed to be a first in Singapore, it is compiled from on-the-job learning experiences of SingHealth nurses and highlights the significance behind certain cultural beliefs, particularly those of relevance in a healthcare setting.

SingHealth Language Cue Book
Produced in July this year, this handbook helps nurses to communicate with the multi-lingual patient population.  It provides a directory of commonly used terms in health care in different languages and dialects, namely English, Mandarin, Malay and Hokkien.  Containing cue card illustrations, it complements an e-learning module designed to help nurses practice simple phrases. 

Pharmacology for Nurses – A Quick Guide Handbook
The guide was produced in 2006 with the aim of enhancing patient safety through keeping nurses updated on medication knowledge.  It contains a list of more than 150 common drugs and their indications, dosing, side effects and contraindications.  It also provides useful case studies of common medication errors and how to prevent them.

Pictorial Communication Aid
This 2005 publication was designed to help health care staff improve communication skills to better identify patients’ needs.  Available at every ICU bed and ward, it makes use of pictures to describe terms and actions frequently used in daily activities.  It also translates words and phrases commonly used in healthcare in 9 different languages (Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, Vietnamese, Japanese, Tagalog, Myanmar, Thai and Arabic).

SingHealth Pocket Guide for Nurses 2004
A comprehensive and user-friendly guide produced in 2004, it provides useful information on hospital and patient care procedures such as blood transfusion, oxygen therapy, infection control, medication and common laboratory values, just to name a few. 

Annex B
Details of SingHealth’s 3 new training programmes for nursing and para-nursing staff

Senior Enrolled Nurse Developmental Programme
This programme was developed to assist senior enrolled nurses (SEN) to take on a broader job scope and play a more active role in patient care and management.  It seeks to move SENs beyond assisting or supporting roles and learn advanced nursing skills to enhance their professional development.  Graduates can look forward to more specialised career tracks. 

The 3-month programme, comprising 126 hours of theory and 378 hours of clinical practice, trains SENs to be competent in core and unit specific competencies. 

The core competencies include:
· Providing direct care to an assigned group of patients, including:
- performing nursing assessment
- planning nursing measures
- implementing nursing care
- evaluating effectiveness of nursing care
- conducting discharge planning
- conducting patient and family education
- preparing shift report
· Assisting in the insertion of central venous line, arterial line, endotracheal tube and defibrillation
· Conducting Heartsaver course
· Being preceptors to para-nursing staff and trainees

The unit-specific competencies cover specific skills in the following disciplines: Medical, Surgical, Orthopaedics, Neurology/Rehabilitation, Burns/Plastic Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery, Urology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat, Operating Theatre, and Specialist and Outpatient clinics.

Advanced Skills Programme for Patient Care Assistant (PCA)
The programme aims to upgrade PCAs with more in-depth knowledge and skills to perform expanded roles effectively and provide safe and quality care for patients.  After attending the 2-month programme comprising 133 hours of theory and 203 hours of clinical practice, graduates are able perform care of elderly and chronic disease patients, carry out wound dressing and stoma care and assist in transport of patients during emergencies.  They will also be equipped with the following competency skills in clinical areas:
· Urinary catheterization and catheter care
· Oxygen therapy
· Dressing techniques
· Standard precautions
· Handwashing techniques
· Blood glucose quality control testing
· Urinalysis
· 12 lead ECG
· Nasogastric tube feeding
· General pre-operative care
· Post operative care
· Prevention of falls
· Pain assessment and documentation
· Mini mental assessment

Advanced Skills Programme for Health Care Assistant (HCA)
The programme seeks to equip HCAs with knowledge and skills to take on expanded roles and greater responsibilities. This is a 1-month programme that comprises 84 hours of theory and 84 hours of clinical practice.  Graduates will gain competency skills to admit and discharge patients, prepare patients for operation, care for incontinent patients, maintain patients’ skin integrity, perform urinalysis and attend to patients’ hygiene and elimination needs.