12-7-2023 (SINGAPORE) General practitioners (GPs) are being trained to treat children with mild to moderate conditions under a new programme called PaedsENGAGE, designed to divert less urgent cases away from two public paediatric emergency departments. The training includes approaches to paediatric conditions such as abdominal pain, breathlessness, and common eye, ear, nose, and throat conditions.
The PaedsENGAGE initiative is a certified training course designed by the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and National University Hospital (NUH), with about 300 doctors trained since April. The doctors will be certified after completing the training course.
The Children’s Emergency gives priority to patients based on the severity of their conditions and not on a first-come, first-served basis. Children with life-threatening conditions are attended to first, and those assessed to have less severe ailments may have to wait longer for their turn. Common ailments include fever, cough, vomiting, diarrhoea, minor injuries, and rashes.
According to the hospitals, a large number of children who go to children’s emergencies are found to have very common ailments that do not require emergency care. The PaedsENGAGE programme aims to ensure that a child who really needs emergency care can be attended to as soon as possible.
KKH’s Emergency Medicine department head, Associate Professor Sashikumar Ganapathy, said the partnership ensures that a child receives appropriate timely treatment while also getting an assessment on whether a trip to the children’s emergency is necessary. His hospital sees about 15,000 paediatric emergency cases monthly on average, while NUH sees about 3,800.
Children with mild to moderate symptoms who go to private doctors will experience a shorter waiting time and receive appropriate treatment and medication, which can help ease their discomfort even sooner. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to visit participating PaedsENGAGE GPs rather than coming directly to the children’s emergency.
To ensure continuity of care, children referred to KKH or NUH’s Children’s Emergency by PaedsENGAGE GPs will be referred back to the same GP for follow-ups where required. Paediatric patients referred to KKH or NUH Children’s Emergency by PaedsENGAGE GPs will receive a S$50 subsidy on attendance fees.
The PaedsENGAGE programme aims to improve the overall knowledge of paediatric conditions in the community. Any GP is welcome to join the initiative, and the eventual aim is to include all private doctors in the programme to deliver better care.
