Thank you

to everyone who has contributed to this CoP. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making this happen and if not for your support in our project and sustained interest in the topics of Singapore healthcare, this wouldn't have been possible at all.

We ended our presentation tonight, having presented these many weeks of CoP experience and shared our takeaways with the class. The practical value we derived from the CoP is a healthcare toolkit we came up with which we entitled, "Singapore healthcare: Myriad voices". It's a folder which we packaged for our professor and it consists of key takeaways from the topics and sub-topics, challenges we faced and recommendations, references we considered and studied in kickstarting discussion threads.

Because of the strength of your voices in the discussion, your quality inputs and your dedicated efforts in, simply, making this happen. Thank you.

Please, please continue to post your comments if possible and when you have time. Here are pictures of our presentation taken. Courtesy of a supportive classmate.

Kuan and Sufen deliberating on the presenting Wenger's principles of running Communities of Practice

JS highlighting figures from bar charts as part of his presentation on the statistical analysis

Kuan expounding on the visual roadmap of the CoP

JS "rewinding" and recollecting his thoughts.

A snapshot of half of the class

Figuring out how to get online and get hold of the Balance Scorecard

Would you like to be attended by a nurse?

It's not just a redistribution of workload, neither is it a lack of doctors.

If you've been to the hospital or polyclinic recently with a regularly ailment of flu, fever or cold, you might be attended by a nurse and what is technically known as Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). According to an ST article on August 26, 2009, APNs are registered nurses who hold master's degrees in nursing and have undergone an APN internship.

They are qualified to:

• take health histories
• conduct physical examinations
• diagnose and treat comnmon ailments, like coughs and diarrhoea, and chronic ailments like diabetes
• interpret test results such as blood sugar levels
• provide health teaching and counselling
• manage medications

They cannot however prescribe medication or issue MCs without a doctor's approval. Complex cases are still referred to a doctor.

From a knowledgement management (KM) point of view, it is improving customer service by reducing waiting times, directing quality resources (doctor's care) to where is needed most/more, leveraging on nurses' tacit expertise accumulated through years of practice that junior doctors otherwise do not have, giving nurses their due recognition as frontline operatives and driving innovation to the landscape of care in Singapore healthcare sector. Who says nurses aren't as qualified?

But would you want to be attended by a nurse?