Medical Clinics in Singapore

There are many sorts of medical clinics and medical halls in Singapore and it is difficult to point out which one is best for you. The questions you have to ask are; what are your needs?, what are you suffering from?. I know most of you will not be able to understand what you are suffering from; we are familiar with the carousal of confusion that some symptoms can bring us on. The good news is that Singapore is a world class medical country, with an integrated medical framework that has everything for everyone and their need.And with the dedicated health care professionals which will be able to help you in the journey to a healthier life.

One of the great features about medical clinics in Singapore is the fact that there a lot of private medical clinics that operate on a 24 hour basis. One such example is Novena Clinic 24 Hours. As its name says, its a 24-hour surgery centre catering to medical and surgical enquiries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It has a private Accident & Emergency (A&E) facility with recovery suites for post surgical nursing care. Various specialist of different specialty are on call 24 hours. Others include walk in clinics, travel clinics, man health clinic, women clinic, skin care clinic and private practices that are also located within public and private hospitals all over Singapore. They are quite easy to find and their services after normal operating hours are not compromised.

I think that we can divide this category into public healthcare medical clinics and private organizations and practices that are abound in many of the local neighborhoods. Public healthcare medical clinics are managed by the government and regulating bodies like SingHealth, who ensure the quality of the healthcare through many programmes and initiatives that maintains its relevance and adds different disciplines on a yearly basis. Private healthcare is no different, although their price ranges may be slightly different and more costly. There is almost no difference in the treatment but private clinics usually are centered either within the city officer or scattered across many of the suburbs and small towns in and around Singapore. They come in the form of family practices or private specialist clinics that can specialize in anything from chiropractic, neurosurgery, cardio-vascular, pediatric and gynecology. There are many more departments but you get the idea. Many people go to private clinics for less queues and more personal treatment – something the public healthcare find it hard to give because of the amount of people they treat.

A simple search online will reveal a whole host of clinics from all over Singapore, specializing in different departments and areas of health. With more than 500 private and public healthcare general and specialists practitioners, there is a niche for everyone, with big names like Johns Hopkins thrown into the mix. In truth the standard of medical clinics in Singapore is very high so you will be assured of the best, everywhere you go.

First Survey Made Public on the Understanding and Experiences of Clinical Research Volunteers in India

It is well known that India is a region of the world where clinical research is on the rise. There are many incentives for conducting research in India, including its huge population of treatment-naïve patients and lower cost of conducting trials. It’s estimated that by 2010, the clinical research market in India will reach $500-600 million (1) .

That growth has also brought a tremendous amount of regulatory oversight and safety measures to protect the rights of patients. But that growth has also attracted a tremendous amount of scrutiny and negative media coverage. However, not much information has been publicized regarding Indian patient’s knowledge and understanding of clinical research and their experiences, especially with the Informed Consent process.

Excel Life Sciences has recently conducted a survey of over 500 study participants.  This Excel Life Sciences research brief analyzes the important findings of that study and includes comparisons to a study of U.S. patients conducted by CenterWatch.

Key Findings:

 

56% of patients in India were not aware of clinical research prior to participating in a study
97% of patients understood the informed consent form (70% very well, 27% well)
97% of patients first found out about the clinical study through a physician, vs just 23% in the United StatesOnly

8% of patients in India made the decision to participate on their own, vs 38% in the United States

 

Method: This research brief is comprised of proprietary data collected from the 2008 Informed Consent survey of Indian study volunteers by Excel Life Sciences and public data from a 2005/2006 U.S. patient survey conducted by CenterWatch and publicized at the 2006 DIA Annual Meeting. Excel Life Sciences collected the survey data through clinical research coordinators supporting studies at active clinical research sites. Data was collected from July 2008 and the survey is ongoing.

Observations and Conclusions:

Better than Expected Understanding

Considering that India is still an nascent market for clinical research, Excel Life Sciences was surprised to find that over 40% of patients had some understanding about clinical research trials prior to participating. Most patients though, lacked more than surface level awareness and understanding. Overall, patients seemed to have a strong understanding of what was required of them in a study and the risks of participating.  In general, the vast majority of patients, some 97%, understood the informed consent document (70% very well, 27% somewhat well). Specifically, patients had a strong understanding of the following:

 

98% understood the number of times that they would have to visit the study site
93% understood that the study would carry risks and discomforts

 

Traditional Health Information Sources Used by Volunteers

The advent and expansion of the Internet, along with the litigious healthcare environment in the United States has caused many patients to pursue a variety of information sources to make educated healthcare decisions. In fact, U.S. surveys have found that more than 60% of volunteers go outside of their managed-care setting to self-refer into clinical trials. The Excel Life Sciences survey has found that there is a much more traditional information system in place in India, where patients still turn to their physicians for information about their health. In total 97% of patients in the Excel Life Sciences survey, first learned about the study through a physician, including primary care (76%) or another physician (21%).

Patients: Decision Support System is Strong

According to survey findings, there is both a cultural and operational support system in place in India assisting patients with making an informed decision:

 

Culturally, the role of the family and trust in their primary care physician play a very important part in a patient’s decision to participate. Most patients travel with loved ones to doctor visits and the same is true for their clinical trial visits. Only 8% of volunteers made the decision to participate in the trial by themselves vs. 38% in the United States.
Operationally, the sites involved in the survey had a dedicated highly trained clinical research coordinator working at the study site, assisting busy physicians with running the trial and helping to answer questions patients or their loved ones have about the study and informed consent form.

 

When considering this support system in India, it is interesting to note that Excel Life Sciences has found that average study retention rates are in the low to mid 90th percentile. In comparison, the United States and Western Europe historically see an average of 25% of trial volunteers drops out of trials before completion. Higher retention rates allow studies to finish sooner and help reduce study costs and speed the development of new compounds.

Authors:
Dr. Vijai Kumar, President and Chief Medical Officer – Excel Life Sciences,
Dr. Saurendra Das, Executive Director of Operations, India – Excel Life Sciences
Dan McDonald, Vice President-Business Strategy – Excel Life Sciences.

The study was last updated October 2008.

(1) Pricewaterhouse Coopers September 2008 Forecasting Report

About Excel Life Sciences

Headquartered in Chicago, IL with offices in Boston, Raleigh-Durham, Washington DC, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and 21 other locations across India, ELS is one of the most experienced and fastest growing trial management and site support organizations in India, offering customized clinical trial solutions including: regulatory consulting, preparations, submissions and query resolution; site identification and selection; patient recruitment and retention; training of all clinical research stakeholders; technology transfer; product licensing and more. 

ELS has one of the most experienced and respected clinical operations teams in India with over 125 years of collective experience in conducting more than 350 global and domestic trials at hundreds of sites and with thousands of patients.  ELS has also trained over 1,500 clinical research personnel in India.  For more information visit: www.excellifesciences.com

What To Look For In A Good Sleep Clinic

Do you have sleeping problems? Everybody has had some kind of sleep problem at least once in their life. Now your worries can be put to rest because the modern sleep clinic has been designed to help people just like you! Sleep clinics are specially designed organizations whose purpose is to solve all your problems with poor sleep. This is the solution that people who can’t find enough sleep have been waiting for. The clinics may prescribe special pillows, soothing music, eye covers or any other number of treatments to give people a more restful sleep and help them to relax. The important thing to find out is whether or not you have found a good sleep clinic or not.

Of course, people really love to sleep! This is especially true for those who are busy or who suffer from problems like extreme anxiety or workaholism. These people really need to learn how to relax! Of course, there are times that we simply can’t find the time to get a complete nights rest. For those people who can’t sleep regularly, sleep clinics are specially designed to help them with their problems. The things to look for in a good clinic have to do with the staff service and the number of treatments that they are capable of distributing to their clients. These can be examined more closely to determine if you have found a good clinic.

According to some sleep experts, sleep treatments can be decided on according to the results determined by a polysomnogram. This device helps the patient to find out what their problem is with poor sleep. There are many people who complain that they just can’t get a good nights sleep so they visit the sleep clinic and have themselves tested. The use of a polysomnogram is a good sign that you have found a good sleep clinic. People working in offices, schools, factories or restaurants often develop problems sleeping because of the increased stress. Their jobs tend to cause them a feeling of anxiety, especially when they first start out. They need plenty of sleep and a restful quality of sleep in order to perform well at work. The reality, however, tends to be that they do not get a good sleep and they fail to continue at their jobs. This is where sleep clinics can save the day! A polysomnogram can be used to determine the real problem with your sleep. Sleep disorders or mild problems can be diagnosed at a good sleep clinic and a proper treatment can be prescribed to the patients. This is why finding a good clinic is so important.

Many children today are suffering from relaxation problems and sleep disorders. Sleep clinics are an excellent way to get them back on track in only a matter of days and to keep them happy and healthy. Through the diagnosis given and the sleep treatments that are prescribed, sleep clinics determine what their problems are and what a better cure may be. They also help you to avoid the wrong solutions to your problems.

There are some people who take sleeping pills just to get to sleep. The problem is, this is not really good for our health. Taking pills may cause some side effects in your health that can lead to greater long term problems. It is better to go to a sleep clinic and determine the problem first before taking any medication.

Sleeping disorders are often caused by stress at work or while studying. The treatments prescribed at a clinic are often the perfect way for these people to find a better way to sleep. Insomnia is a serious problem and is especially hard for children, adults, and working people. Other findings suggest that people tend to acquire a sleep disorder because of the food they eat. Eating snacks like junk food or drinking beer just before you go to sleep is definitely not good. It is better to drink milk and to refrain from snacks entirely before you go to bed. It is also better to get the children in the habit of eating only nutritious food and quality drinks before they go to sleep.

Sleeping is a necessary requirement of the body. If we don’t get it, we tend to have a poor resistance to illness. Sleep clinics can also determine whether your lack of sleep may be contributing to an increase in illnesses for you. There are other incidents in which accidents become more prevalent due to a lack of sleep. When driving a car, people who are sleepy tend to be more likely to have an accident. Sleep clinics help them to find out the preliminary causes of these kind of problems and to prescribe a good treatment. It is very important to find out the true cause before determining the proper aid. Every one of us has dreamed of a better quality of sleep at one time or another. Having looked at the difference between a good sleep clinic and a bad one may now lead us to that rest we have always been looking for. Sleep clinics now help us to reach that and we will definitely feel a lot better after we have found the one that is right for us.

The Importance of Good Clinical Practice Training

Good Clinical Practice is an international quality standard provided by the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (or ICH). The latter is an international body, whose defined standards can be used by governments to transpose into regulations for clinical trials, involving human subjects.

Since 1995, ICH-GCP guidelines have become a global factor in clinical research and have solidified their impact in traditional clinical trial hubs, such as Japan, North America, and The EU. At the same time, their importance is growing perennially in developing clinical market regions.

Good Clinical Practice Guidelines include standards on how clinical trials to be conducted, define the roles and responsibilities of clinical trial sponsors, clinical research investigators, and monitors (also known as Clinical Research Associates).

On the practical side, they are to be followed universally, in order to globally improve safety, efficiency, and communication between all parties involved within clinical research and trials, i.e., to benefit all of humanity. Therefore, Good Clinical Practice guidelines include details, such as protection of human rights as a subject in clinical trials. They also provide assurance of the safety and efficacy of the newly developed compounds.

As prescribed by the international standards and requirements, a basic understanding of Good Clinical Practice is pre-requisite for anyone carrying out, or involved with, clinical research and clinical trials. The training is therefore relevant to:

-          Investigators from NHS organizations, university hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and research institutes

-          Research Nurses

-          R&D staff involved with approving and monitoring clinical trials

-          Members of ethics committees

-          Clinical trials support staff (e.g. CRO staff)

Infonetica, the online ICH-GCP training provider, has recently updated its ICH-GCP online training, which delivers an up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the basic principles of ICH-Good Clinical Practice and covers all the new changes/amendments proposed in the EU Directive 2005/28/EC. Written by Dr Isaac John, Assistant Director of Research and Development at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust, the course is endorsed by Royal Holloway, University of London, and delivers 9 Continual Professional Development points.

Infonetica’s online GCP training is suitable for both first-timers, as well as those looking for a refresher course to update previous GCP training.

Belwo Clinical Trial Data Management

The processing, handling and retrieval of clinical data, is at the heart of a successful clinical trial. Managing data in every sphere of business is highly essential. Data management enables how an entire organization flows in a methodical, systematic and processed way. However, above and beyond any other field, data management is critical in dealing with clinical trial research material.

BelWo Data Management System:
Once the data is acquired, the management of the data is essential to the success of the trial. The collected data is located on case report forms (CRF) and stored in the clinical data management system. Each case report form is named to avoid any mistakes. The data is checked for any typographical errors as well as any logical errors. Data coding is also done by the management system. Coding is done mainly to introduce medical terms into the attained data. In the end, the data is analyzed by regulatory authorities to approve or disprove.
BelWo provides a range of Clinical Data Management services to fit your specific clinical trials needs. The BelWo clinical trial data management team handles individual stand-alone services for smaller research trials to more complex data management for larger clinical trial studies.
BelWo’s objective is to convert the data into a reliable, accurate and meaningful trial output that meets international quality standards and regulatory guidelines. BelWo’s clinical data trial management services have defined systems that enable faster decision-making.

BelWo Services:

Case report form (CRF) design Database design and study setup Data entry and verification Data validation and query resolution

BelWo Benefits:

Increase quality of data captured during clinical research process Reduced burden placed on healthcare professionals conducting clinical trials. Improved patient care Improved product and patient safety

Our clinical trial data management has provided a positive effect on speed, efficiency and the results of clinical trial studies since 2002. By utilizing technology, our data management services and clinical trial expertise we help you get the most from your data. BelWo’s clinical trial data management provides accuracy, security and more control at a cost effective rate.

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