Changi General Hospital organised its third Annual Scientific Meeting on 17 & 18 Aug 2001. With the theme of "Integrated Medicine", the event was a gathering to feature the research findings of clinical and paramedical professionals and promote the exchange of knowledge. The lecture was well attended by CGH doctors, nurses, administrators and colleagues in the medical profession.

The theme "Integrated Medicine", was chosen to remind health care providers that clinical management often requires a multi-disciplinary approach. This is especially true for patients with multiple ailments.

We had Prof David Handelsman, an eminent endocrinologist from Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia, whose specialty includes male aging, as our guest speaker. He delivered the CGH lecture "Hormones & Aging Men: Prevention & Illusion". We also had Prof Lim Yean Leng, Director of the National Heart Centre to update us on acute cardiac care.

Some of the speakers from the hospital includes Dr Ng Li Ling, Senior Consultant from Psychological Medicine who spoke about dementia. She spoke that age related disorders such as dementia are becoming a major concern to health and social agencies.

But not all who seem to have memory or cognitive deficits are suffering from dementia. Conditions such as delirium and depression may present with symptoms that mimic dementia. With dementia, the onset tends to be insidious, the decline gradual and progressive while clouding of consciousness is absent.

Dr Carol Goh, Head & Consultant, Department of Geriatric Medicine spoke about "Giants In Geriatrics: New Approaches to Common Geriatric Problems".

Common problems seen in the geriatric population include falls, incontinence and confusion. These are the giants in geriatrics. While they have long been recognised as problems, the approach to them has changed radically over the years.

A more proactive versus a reactive approach towards health is now possible. Care is viewed to be as important as cure. A multi-disciplinary approach in managing health issues in the elderly has also been adopted, together with using community resources in managing the giants in geriatrics.

A few factors have contributed to this radical change in approach. Recognition that many problems of the elderly are pathological and not physiological. Adopting a proactive versus a reactive approach towards health care.

In the department, Dr Cosmas Chen, Consultant in the Department of Surgery, also presented a paper titled "Limb Salvage or Amputation: A tough choice?" Saving a limb or amputating it can sometimes be a difficult decision to make. Diabetes is a major factor that may result in the amputation of the lower limb. With the increasing incidence of diabetes in our population, the cost of amputations should be measured against the cost of limb salvage. But the cost can be difficult to quantify if we consider quality of life. However, decision making is not too difficult when the problem of a critically ischaemic limb is approached in a systematic fashion.