Abstract
Allied Health (AH) professionals and Pharmacists typically support patients within their area of domain expertise across the healthcare system, from hospital to community.
Aligning with the Healthier SG movement, a national initiative by the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) focusing on preventive health started in July 2023, there is a need for transforming the healthcare system and shifting the focus from reactively caring for those who are sick to proactively preventing individuals from falling ill. Through this transformation, it is expected that streamlining of services could be achieved by minimizing unnecessary appointments with various allied health professionals.
Allied Health Services & Pharmacy (AHS&P) Office of Yishun Health (YH) in Singapore took the initiative to raise awareness and enhance the capabilities and capacity of AH professionals and pharmacists in taking a transdisciplinary approach to care. The AHS&P Training & Research Workgroup, which consists of a clinical psychologist, a dietitian, a physiotherapist, a pharmacist and a medical social worker, was tasked to work with YH Human Resource Development Department and six AH departments to collate the training materials for their niche areas to build a curriculum that will strengthen AH professionals’ current efforts in preventative care.
Six YH AH and Pharmacy (AHP) Departments (Dietetics & Nutrition, Medical Social Service, Podiatry, Psychology Service, Rehabilitation Services and Pharmacy) identified more than 100 niche topics that cover the healthcare needs for all ages. Among these 100 niche topics, nine core topics on basic knowledge and simple skills for transdisciplinary practice were selected to form the AHP 101 Course. They cover stress management, basic exercise, healthy eating, proper storage and management of medication, caring for skin and nails, appropriate footwear as well as availability of community resources. Duration of these modules ranges from several minutes (video viewing) to 45 minutes. This online course allows a rapid reach to an estimated 700 hospital AH staff and pharmacists and flexibility for staff to complete their learning at their own time and space. The course incorporates videos and interactivities to enhance engagement which facilitates learning. Quizzes are also included for assessing learners' understanding.
Prior to the launch of AHP 101 Course in the first quarter of 2024, a AHP Fun Fair was organized in August 2023 for the AH staff to acquire hands-on skills that complement the knowledge to be gained from the AHP 101 course. The AHP Fun Fair yielded success that 94.7% and 90.2% of participants agreed that they learnt new knowledge and the learning gained was applicable to their work respectively.
AHP 101 course is a foundational course for encouraging YH AH professionals to have a mindset shift towards practising holistic care and upskilling them in basic knowledge and simple skills for transdisciplinary practice. It will continue to expand to benefit other job families such as nursing, general practitioners and community partners in the future.