• MyCare app keeps patients updated on their daily schedule for tests and procedures as well as info on medications, vital signs and test results
  

Singapore, 23 July 2019 – SingHealth has started a pilot programme to enable inpatients at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) to access their individual care information anytime via an application installed on iPads by their bedside in the wards. The pilot, which is part of SingHealth’s care transformation efforts, was announced today at the annual SingHealth Nurses’ Day celebrations, graced by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health.

The ‘MyCare’ application, developed by SingHealth nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, Office for Service Transformation and IT specialists from Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) gives patients access to their daily care schedule and medical information. The application also comes loaded with interactive features including a messaging function for patients to ask questions about their care plan or to put in specific requests for water, pillow and housekeeping services. Patients can also use MyCare to access education videos and care tips (refer to Annex A for full list of MyCare functions).

Professor Ivy Ng, Group CEO, SingHealth, said: “Digital technologies can improve the way we communicate information to patients and their caregivers and empower them to be partners in their own care. MyCare is designed to allow patients to refer to their care plan and medical information at their convenience, throughout their hospital stay. This will help to reinforce traditional face-to-face communication between our care teams and patients.”

Harnessing Technology to Improve Care Delivery

The iPad and MyCare is being piloted at two SGH wards comprising 51 beds. Upon admission, the nurse activates MyCare by scanning the patient’s identity tag and confirming patient’s personal details. To safeguard patient confidentiality, every patient is assigned a unique password that must be entered each time to access their information on MyCare. Patients can also choose to grant access rights to their caregivers.

If a patient wishes to keep medical information such as diagnosis and test results confidential, he can do so by setting an additional password to secure the medical information. Upon discharge, the patient’s record will be deleted from the iPad to ensure no historical data is available. This is enabled by iPad and iOS’ in-built privacy and security features that do not allow sharing of sensitive data without patient consent.

Adj A/Prof Tracy Carol Ayre, Group Chief Nurse, SingHealth, said: “Our nurses mooted the idea to develop MyCare as part of ongoing efforts to empower patients. By providing patients with easy access to their daily care schedule, test results and education materials, it enables them to better understand their treatment and recovery process. Following patient feedback, we started offering education materials on chemotherapy regimens on the app. We also introduced new options for them to request for toileting assistance and for additional beverage or snacks. We hope to partner more patients to improve the app’s usability and create features that meet their needs.”

SingHealth plans to progressively roll out the iPads and MyCare across SGH, Changi General Hospital, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and National Heart Centre Singapore by 2021.

As part of ongoing efforts to improve patient monitoring, a team of SGH nurses is piloting a wireless wearable biosensor, which allows automatic and continuous monitoring of patients’ vital signs, such as heart rate, respiratory rate and skin temperature. The biosensor, which is palm-sized and self-adhesive, is placed on the patient’s chest and only needs to be replaced once every three days.

Connecting real-time data with the electronic medical records system, the biosensor is designed to trigger real-time alerts if the patient’s vital signs are not within the normal range. This gives the care teams timely alerts of any signs of deterioration so that the necessary interventions can be quickly performed to treat the patient.

Recognising the Best

At the SingHealth Nurses’ Day celebrations, awards and scholarships were presented to nurses from its 11 healthcare institutions. This year, 33 nurses received awards to recognise their outstanding work performance and contributions. In addition, 12 nurses were presented scholarships to pursue higher education and receive specialised training.

Please refer to Annex B for the full list of awards and scholarship recipients.

ANNEX A – MYCARE APP FUNCTIONS

My Schedule
Patients can view their daily care schedules for meals, medication, tests or procedures. The feature allows patients to view their daily care schedules throughout their stay.

My Care
Patients can view their medical information including diagnosis, vital signs (e.g. body temperature, respiration rate and blood pressure), test results, medications and dosage.

My Requests
Patients can make specific requests for water, blanket, pillow, housekeeping services, toileting assistance, and more.

My Profile
Patients can see their personal details including their caregiver contact details and allergies. Patients can also access education materials which include videos which inform patients what to expect during their hospital stay and how they can play an active role in their care, as well as education materials on medical conditions including skin and wound care, nutrition and cardiovascular conditions.

My Care Team
This tab provides information of the patient’s care team. Patients can also send a message to ask questions about their care plan or test results.

ANNEX B - LIST OF AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

SingHealth Nursing Awards

Nursing Leader Category