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Post acute care of the elderly in Singapore
- Author:
- GOH Soon Noi
- Journal article citation:
- Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 21(1), June 2011, pp.31-53.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper is concerned with understanding the family care of elderly people and their use of post-acute care services such as community hospitals, nursing homes, day rehabilitation centres, and home care. The use of post-acute care services is a result of a complex, inter-related set of physical, social, psychological, organisational, and environmental factors. The aim of this multi-method study was to use Andersen Behavioural Model of Health Service Use to explore how these factors are associated with the use of post-acute care services. The study involved: a survey of 299 elderly patients from a public acute-care hospital using a structured questionnaire; in-depth interviews with 13 of these patients and their family members; and 3 focus groups with service providers. The survey showed that the following factors are associated with the use of post-acute care services: medical and physical conditions; perceived health and utility; knowledge and previous use of service; ethnicity; family size; paid help; housing type; and living arrangements. The results from the interviews and focus group discussions consistently pointed to the affordability of services as an important factor. The question of service accessibility and its implications on practice, policy and research are discussed.
Bilingual text with or without pictograms improves elderly Singaporeans’ understanding of prescription medication labels
- Authors:
- MALHOTRA Rahul, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 59(2), 2019, pp.378-390.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: In Singapore, primarily English-language prescription medication labels challenge elderly Singaporeans, many of whom are unable to read English. This study investigated whether bilingual text and pictograms can help them understand prescription medication labels. Research Design and Methods: 1,414 elderly respondents of a national survey were randomized into four prescription medication labels: English-text; English-text-and-pictograms; Bilingual-text; and Bilingual-text-and-pictograms, which were similar except for the addition of another language and/or pictograms (International Pharmaceutical Federation, FIP). Respondents answered 16 label-related questions; an expert panel rated answers for correctness. Outcomes were (1) complete understanding (16 correct); (2) any understanding (≥1 correct); and (3) number of incorrect answers among those with any understanding. This study evaluated associations of each prescription medication label (vs. English-text) with outcomes (1), (2), and (3) using logistic and negative binomial regression, respectively. Results: The elderly respondents were similar across the four prescription medication labels (English-text, English-text-and-pictograms, Bilingual-text, Bilingual-text-and-pictograms), for which the proportions with outcomes (1) and (2) were (17.9%, 25.6%, 36.9%, 40.1%) and (50.4%, 62.6%, 75.9%, 76.5%), respectively. This study found statistically significant higher odds of outcomes (1) and (2) among those assigned the three labels (vs. English-text): English-text-and-pictograms, 1.96 and 2.51; Bilingual-text, 3.54 and 6.73; and Bilingual-text-and-pictograms, 4.51 and 7.93. Those assigned the three labels also had 0.94, 1.98, and 2.12 fewer outcome (3) on average (vs. English-text). Discussion and Implications: Adding bilingual text with or without pictograms on prescription medication labels considerably improved elderly Singaporeans’ understanding of the labels, strongly suggesting its application in practice. Other issues in prescription medication labels design and content, including adapting FIP pictograms for elderly Singaporeans, warrant further investigation. (Edited publisher abstract)