Professor David Matchar emphasises the importance of a three-pronged approach in maximising the effectiveness of Healthier SG// Credit: David Matchar
The third “crack” to consider after trust and motivational barriers have been removed, is the IT infrastructure backbone. This should provide a seamless, interactive, and rewarding user experience in order to sustain interest in the programme. While residents can already make use of the Healthy 365 mobile app and fitness trackers to adopt healthier lifestyle choices and stay on top of their health status, the focus is now on upgrading clinic management systems to streamline administrative workflows and integrate patient data with the National Electronic Health Records.
“A more automated and interoperable IT system that is easy to navigate amid a busy (clinical) day is a good starting point”, quipped Foo on how the adoption of digital solutions will address this important need.
This could be beneficial when sharing large volumes of data across the healthcare sector during the mass implementation of the programme.
As the nation gears up for the phased implementation of Healthier SG, new cracks are likely to emerge. “By proactively addressing such cracks, we can maximise the programme’s effectiveness,” said Professor David Matchar from Duke-NUS’ Health Services and Systems Research Programme, “And achieve the desired outcomes—a heathier population and a more robust healthcare system that will significantly strengthen the country’s resilience and response to any future public health crises.”