Rehabilitation Medicine
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine started as a service with two rehabilitation physicians in 1998 and is the second oldest rehabilitation unit in Singapore.The department now has seven rehabilitation physicians and provides a comprehensive suite of services as part of a multidisciplinary care team.
Rehabilitation Medicine involves the diagnosis, assessment and management of an individual with a disability due to illness or injury. Through therapeutic exercises, physical agents (heat, cold, transcutaneous electrical stimulation, etc), medications and therapeutic procedures, we help patients regain an optimal level of motor strength, endurance and function, to improve their quality of life and reintegrate into the community.
Rehabilitation physician-led teams which include physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, case managers, social workers, mental health practitioners and nurses with specialised training in rehabilitation are involved in the care of patients. The team also works with community organisations to facilitate the transition to the next level of care.
We work together to create an individualised rehabilitation plan that addresses the medical, physical, cognitive, behavioural and psychological effects associated with the patient’s disease or injury. Educating patients and their loved ones about their medical condition and care is an important part of rehabilitation. We also provide care giver training for family members to assist with specific therapeutic activities, or management of activities for daily living after discharge.
Clinical Services
We offer the following rehabilitation programmes in inpatient and outpatient settings:
- Stroke rehabilitation
- Neurological rehabilitation (for Parkinson’s disease, meningoencephalitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, functional neurological disorders etc.)
- Brain injury rehabilitation
- Spinal cord injury rehabilitation
- Trauma rehabilitation
- Pulmonary rehabilitation
- Amputee rehabilitation
- Cancer rehabilitation
- Musculoskeletal, spine and chronic pain rehabilitation
- Medical rehabilitation for functional decline post-acute illness
- Geriatric rehabilitation
- Prehabilitation
Education and Research
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education
The Rehabilitation Medicine department teaches medical students from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and elective students from overseas medical schools. We are also a training site for the SingHealth Rehabilitation Medicine Senior Residency Programme – our rehabilitation physicians serve as Physician Faculty, and two of them are Core Faculty of the programme.
Teaching methods include in-house on-line lectures, didactic lectures, tutorials, bedside clinical teaching and supervised inpatient consultative services and outpatient clinics.
Continuing Medical Education for General Practitioners/Family Physicians
Regular medical forums are organised for general practitioners to share updates in the field of rehabilitation medicine.
Research
The Rehabilitation Medicine department is active in research, particularly in areas of rehabilitation outcomes such as returning to work post-stroke. Doctors from the department present research findings at international, regional and local conferences such as the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine World Congress, Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting and Singapore Rehabilitation Conference. The department’s work is published regularly in various PubMed indexed peer reviewed journals.
