An award-winning framework for advancing care delivery in the community.
Changi General Hospital (CGH)’s GPFirst team clinched the National Clinical Excellence Team Award at the prestigious National Medical Excellence Awards (NMEA) 2021 for its outstanding contributions and achievements in establishing the GPFirst programme, a public-private healthcare partnership that encourages patients to seek treatment with General Practitioners (GPs) for appropriate conditions instead of going to the hospital’s Accident & Emergency (A&E) department.
Conferred by the Ministry of Health, the award recognises the efforts of outstanding clinicians and other healthcare professionals for their achievements in advancing healthcare, improving the standards of patient safety and driving research and education, which ultimately improves people’s lives.
Right-Siting Care Delivery
The GPFirst programme was the brainchild of a group of CGH clinicians who observed that patients were visiting the A&E for conditions that can be managed by GPs. The GPFirst team developed the patient-centric programme in 2014 to nudge patients with mild to moderate conditions to visit a GP instead.
In right-siting care, the GPFirst team adopted a multi-pronged approach by partnering GPs and engaging the community to shape health-seeking behaviour. This not only reduces the number of non-emergency cases at the A&E, but also allows patients with mild to moderate conditions to seek treatment at GPs in their vicinity for greater convenience and shorter waiting times.
Since its inception, more than 35,000 patients in the East have benefitted from the programme. This was possible because of the strong collaboration with the network of GP clinics in the eastern region of Singapore that was established over the years. Close to 180 GP clinics have participated in the GPFirst programme, forming a lively ecosystem to provide accessible, holistic and integrated care with better health outcomes for patients.
On the A&E front, there was also a reduction in walk-in attendances by close to 40 per cent, and a 14 per cent drop in the proportion of A&E attendances with mild and moderate conditions from 2014 to 2019. Close to 90 per cent of GPFirst participants rated their overall experience as good or excellent.
“The A&E is meant for serious injuries and emergencies that require immediate attention. Our GPs are well-equipped to care for patients with mild to moderate conditions and can make appropriate assessment if one requires A&E attention,” says Clinical Associate Professor Steven Lim, the programme’s director and Senior Consultant, A&E, CGH. “The national award also recognises the efforts of our main partners, the GPs, who have walked alongside us in this care transformation journey. The GPFirst team will continue to play a part in transforming our healthcare landscape, facilitating care shifts beyond the hospital to the community, and expanding the GPFirst programme to more healthcare institutions,” says Clinical Associate Professor How Choon How, Senior Consultant, Care and Health Integration, CGH.
The GPFirst Programme has since been expanded nationwide to benefit more patients. To date, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, National University Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital and Woodlands Health Campus have implemented the programme, and more are expected to roll it out.
To learn more about these conditions, visit www.GPFirst.sg or the GPFirst Facebook page.
Go to a GP for mild to moderate symptoms such as abdominal pain or indigestion, cold/flu, cuts/bruises, fever, headaches, hives, insect bites/stings, mild burns, nausea/vomiting, nosebleeds, sore eyes, strains and sprains.
Go to the hospital emergency departments only for emergencies that could result in serious complications or death, such as strokes, heart attacks and serious injuries.
樟宜综合医院发起的这项计划(GPFirst)有助于加强社区内的医疗护理生态系统。
樟宜综合医院的家庭医生首选计划(GPFirst)团队在2021年全国医学卓越奖颁奖典礼上荣获全国卓越医学团队奖，以表彰其在推出家庭医生首选计划中所做出的突出贡献和取得的成就。
这项公立医院-私立家庭诊所合作计划鼓励患者在适当的情况下首先前往家庭诊所就诊，而不是直接前往医院挂急诊。该奖项由卫生部颁发，旨在表彰杰出的临床医生和其他医疗保健专业人员在推进医疗保健、提高患者安全标准以及推动研究和教育从而最终改善人们生活方面所取得的成就。
家庭医生首选计划由一群来自樟宜综合医院的临床医生所发起。他们注意到，很多到医院挂急诊的患者的病情完全能由家庭医生治疗。
为了缓解急诊部门出现非紧急病例的状况，并优先为病情较重的患者提供紧急护理，家庭医生首选计划团队在2014年发起了这项以患者为中心的计划，鼓励病情属于轻度到中度的患者去家庭诊所接受治疗。
为了确保患者以适当的方式获得妥善护理，家庭医生首选计划团队采取了多管齐下的方法，与家庭诊所合作，并让社区积极参与，以鼓励适当的就医行为。这不仅减少了急诊部门非紧急病例的数量，还让轻度至中度病症患者可以就
近寻求家庭医生的治疗，获得了更大的便利性，同时也极大缩短了等待时间。
自该计划推出以来，东部地区有超过3万5000名患者从中受益。正是由于医院与新加坡东部地区的家庭诊所在多年来展开的强有力合作，才取得了如此成就。目前有近180个家庭诊所加入了家庭医生首选计划，形成了一个积极活跃的生态系统，为患者提供便利、全面与综合的医疗护理服务，更有效地保障了该区域居民的健康福祉。
在医院急诊部门，无预约的就诊人数减少了近40%，挂急诊的轻度至中度病症患者人数比例也下降了14%。参与家庭医生首选计划的患者中有近90%将他们的整体体验评为良好或优秀。家庭医生首选计划目前已在全国范围内推广，让更多患者受益。迄今为止，邱德拔医院、国立大学医院、黄廷方综合医院、盛港综合医院和兀兰医疗保健园均已经实施了该计划，预计还会有更多医院将在不久的未来加入该计划。GPFirst计划已在全国范围内扩展，以惠及更多患者。迄今为止，邱德拔医院、国立大学医院、黄廷芳综合医院、盛港综合医院和兀兰医疗保健园已经实施了该计划。
前往家庭诊所
轻度至中度的症状，如腹痛或消化不良、感冒/流感、割伤/擦伤、发烧、头痛、荨麻疹、虫咬/蛰伤、轻度烧伤、恶心/呕吐、流鼻血、眼睛酸痛、拉伤和扭伤。
前往医院急诊部门
可能导致严重并发症或死亡的紧急情况，如中风、心脏病发作和重伤。
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