Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Trends in a Psychiatric Institute in Singapore.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) between inpatients at the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore and the general population over 8 years to determine the effectiveness of our infection control strategies. METHODS: Data for cases of influenza and URTI at our institute between January 2012 and December 2019 were collected. National data were derived from weekly infectious disease bulletins that report daily averages of people attending polyclinics/surgeries with influenza and URTI. Interrupted time series analyses were used to determine the impact of infection prevention and control strategies on incidence. RESULTS: Over the 8 years, there were 1607 cases of URTI involving 182 clusters, equal to 3.16 cases per 10 000 patient-bed-days. 965 (60%) cases and 95 (52%) clusters occurred in long-stay wards, whereas 642 (40%) cases and 87 (48%) clusters occurred in acute wards. The median cluster size was 12 in the long-stay wards and 7 in the acute wards (p < 0.0001). The spikes in cases in June and December may be attributed to the increased staff and visitor mobility during school vacations in June and December. Strategies implemented during the study period did not significantly reduce the incidence of URTI. Previous strategies implemented in 2005 to meet accreditation standards are more likely to be contributors. CONCLUSION: Infection control strategies of our institute appear to be effective, because the incidence of URTI was lower in our institute than in the community. The similar incidence of URTI in acute and long-stay wards indicates that service-user turnover is not a contributor. Rather, staff and visitors are more likely to be the vector. The larger clusters in long-stay wards indicates a greater risk of transmission in such settings. Increased activity in our institute during school vacations may be associated with an increase in cases in June and December. It is difficult to determine if strategies implemented during the study period successfully reduce the incidence of URTI.

Ministry of Health clinical practice guidelines: bipolar disorder.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has published clinical practice guidelines on Bipolar Disorder to provide doctors and patients in Singapore with evidence-based guidance on the management of bipolar disorders. This article reproduces the introduction and executive summary (with recommendations from the guidelines) from the MOH clinical practice guidelines on Bipolar Disorder, for the information of readers of the Singapore Medical Journal. Chapters and page numbers mentioned in the reproduced extract refer to the full text of the guidelines, which are available from the Ministry of Health website: http: //www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/home/Publications/guidelines/clinical_practiceguidelines/2011/bipolar_disorder.html. The recommendations should be used with reference to the full text of the guidelines. Following this article are multiple choice questions based on the full text of the guidelines.

Transabdominal ultrasound assessment of the fetal head and the accuracy of vacuum cup application.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the accuracy of vacuum cup placement can be improved by intrapartum ultrasound assessment of the fetal head position during the second stage of labor prior to vacuum extraction for prolonged second stage. METHODS: 50 women undergoing vacuum extraction for prolonged second stage were randomly allocated to either digital examination (n=25) or digital examination together with transabdominal intrapartum ultrasound (n=25) prior to vacuum extraction by the attending obstetrician. The distance between the centre of the chignon and the flexion point was then measured by a midwife immediately after delivery. The flexion point was defined as 6 cm posterior to the anterior fontanelle or 3 cm anterior to the posterior fontanelle. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the demographic data, duration of labor, incidence of induction/augmentation, and intrapartum complications between the two groups. The mean distance between the centre of the chignon and the flexion point was 2.1+/-1.3 cm in the group with digital examination and ultrasound assessment and 2.8+/-1.0 cm in the group with digital examination alone. The difference in the mean distance between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.039). CONCLUSION: Intrapartum transabdominal ultrasound assessment of the fetal head position during the second stage of labor improves the accuracy of vacuum cup placement during vacuum extraction for prolonged second stage.