WHAT’S INSIDE

FOCUS ASK THE EXPERTSNAPSHOTSPATIENT MATTERSWHAT’S ON

IMHLINK

APRIL - JUNE 2010AN IMH QUARTERLY PUBLICATION

MICA (P) 235/09/2008

FOCUSIMH is Tops Among National Specialty Centres in 2009 Customer Satisfaction Survey

AWARDSOur Star Winners

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IMH’s Report CardWORLD CLASS ACHIEVEMENT FOR SIX SERVICE AREASIMH clinched six world class ratings for its facilities, knowledge/skills of doctors, knowledge/skills of nurses, care/concern of doctors, care/concern of nurses, and staff explanation.

Facilities W

Care Coordination N

Knowledge/Skills of Doctors W

Knowledge/Skills of Nurses W

Care/Concern of Doctors W

Care/Concern of Nurses W

Staff Explanation is Clear W

Knowledge/Skills of Allied Health E

Care/Concern by Allied Health E

W = World Class E = Excellence ClassN = Normal Class P = Poor

WILLINGNESS TO RECOMMEND THE HOSPITAL’S SERVICES Despite the reluctance of many patients to talk about their mental conditions with others, their willingness to recommend the hospital’s services to others has gone up over the years. IMH’s score in this area has risen from 74.8 percent in 2005 to 83 percent in 2009.

PATIENTS’ OVERALL SATISFACTION IMH attained the highest score among the NSCs, with 90.1 percent.

PATIENTS’ OVERALL EXPERIENCE We topped the score among the other NSCs at 92 percent.

NSC = National Specialty Centre

For Year 2009

NSC 1

NSC 2

NSC 3

NSC 4

NSC 5

NSC 6

IMH

79.2%

70.4%

82.4%

68%

83.7%

78.7%

92%

For Year 2009

NSC = National Specialty Centre

NSC 1 78.2%

NSC 2 79.1%

NSC 3 85%

NSC 4 65.8%

NSC 5 85.3%

NSC 6 77.1%

IMH 90.1%

IMH Achieves Top Ranking Among National Specialty Centres in 2009 Customer Satisfaction SurveyPatients Give IMH the Thumbs UP for Good Service!IMH is tops among the National Specialty Centres (NSCs) in the MOH Customer Satisfaction Survey 2009 (CSS), with patients’ overall satisfaction and experience scores hitting the 90 percent mark.

Commissioned by the Ministry of Health (MOH), the annual CSS assesses the level of satisfaction of patients in restructured hospitals and polyclinics with the objective to fine-tune the level of service provided.

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How Our Staff Wow Our Patients

“We take the Customer Satisfaction Survey as an opportunity to listen to what our patients and their caregivers are telling us so that we can improve our service level. We strongly believe in the three ‘treasures’ of healthcare professionals –

medical skills, pharmacology, and most importantly, giving words of comfort and encouragement. We must keep up the good work not just to please our patients but most importantly, to give them the best care that they deserve. Patient safety and outcomes remain our priority.”

Mr Leong Yew Meng, Chief Executive Officer

Wow, IMH Cares! IMH has full-time interpreters who are mostly retired nurses and are familiar with medical terminologies. They are fluent in Malay, Mandarin and dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Cantonese and Hakka. Many of the elderly patients who are non-English speaking feel assured to have an interpreter beside them when being seen by a doctor who does not speak their language or local dialect.

While waiting to see the doctor, we keep patients’ minds active and fingers nimble by engaging them in meaningful and fun activities such as balloon sculpturing and simple craftwork during festive periods.

Staff are also trained to look out for patients who may need immediate attention so they can accord them priority in seeing the doctors.

Special activities occupy patients while they wait to see the doctor: Towel bunny making.

Crowd management in clinic to improve waiting time.

Reminding our staff during roll call on meeting service standards.

Interpreters help improve doctor-patient communication.

“As doctors, we know how important it is for patients and their families to know that we care for them. This is especially so when taking care of those who are mentally unwell and feeling down. Learning to

listen to our patients is the fundamentals of psychiatric care. We are happy that our patients have acknowledged and affirmed our doctors’ dedication and commitment. We will continue to treat our patients with dignity and respect and provide the best care possible.”

A/Prof Rathi Mahendran, Chairman Medical Board

A Word from Our CEO and CMB

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Serving Our Patients from the Heart

“We should always put ourselves in the shoes of our patients and treat them the way we want to be treated.”

Ms Doris Koh, Senior Nurse Manager,

Emergency Services

IMH Tops 2009 Customer Satisfaction Survey

“To me, service excellence is all about passionate people serving with their heart. I try to understand the needs of our patients and look for ways to improve their experience at the clinic.”

Ms Ng Ping Ping (left), Clinic Manager

“Service excellence is not a skill; it is an attitude. Bring a good attitude to work with you and customers will feel it all day long.”

Ms Esther Quek (right), Assistant Manager,

Ambulatory Services

“I enjoy what I am doing and take great pleasure to do my best for the patients.”

Ms Michaela Manoza, Senior Nurse,

Specialist Outpatient Clinic

“I feel the three key things to service excellence is to welcome our patients with a bright smile, serve them with passion and lend them a listening ear.”

Ms Doris Wooi, Senior Patient

Service Associate, Specialist Outpatient Clinic

“My passion is treating women suffering from emotional, marital and financial stress. Being a wife and mother myself, I try my best to empathise and help my women patients and their children to the best of my abilities.”

Dr Goh Yen Li, Consultant,

Department of General Psychiatry 2

“Our patients come to us in their time of need and are most vulnerable. I constantly remind myself that while I do not have a solution to all their problems, just being there for them to lend a listening ear provides much solace.”

Dr Jimmy Lee, Associate Consultant,

Department of General Psychiatry 1

“As clinicians, we need to constantly remind ourselves that therapeutic approaches will only work if we remain empathic and compassionate towards our patients. While we have done well for the MOH survey, we must continue with the good rapport that we have with our patients and not let our guard down.”

Dr Lim Boon Leng, Associate Consultant,

Department of Community Psychiatry

“The clinic team has made great efforts to understand our patients’ needs. Together we will continue to look for ways to make a difference to the lives of our patients!”

Ms Susan Lim, Senior Manager,

Ambulatory Services

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We Want to Make a Difference!

“I would like to commend your staff at the reception for their excellent service; they were understanding and accommodating.”

Mr TS Lim*

“I love the staff here as they are professional and good. I am very grateful to them.”

Ms Tan SL*

“Please convey our heartfelt thanks to the frontline administration officers at BMC Geylang Polyclinic, the nurses attending to my mother for her monthly injection and the doctors who took care of her and who gave us leeway in making visits without her.”

Mr Ismail*

What Our Patients and Their Families Say About Us

“Dear nurses, doctors and staff, thank you very much for the professional help I’ve received at IMH. The nurses are kind, effective and take good care of the patients. You put a smile on my face with all your reassurances. A big heartfelt hug to all of you!”

Ms HM Wong*

“I’m quite impressed with the cleanliness of the hospital and staff. They are very caring and understanding.”

Mr Rahman*

“Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to your staff.”

Ms Alison Loh*

* All names have been changed to protect patients’ confidentiality.

Child Guidance Clinic

Community Wellness Centre

Specialist Outpatient Clinic

Emergency Services

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Our heartiest congratulations to Nurse Clinician Tan Soek Keow and Dr Lee Cheng on winning the PS21 Star Service Award!

NC Tan, from the Child and Adolescent inpatient unit at Sunrise Wing, won the Distinguished Star Service Award, while Dr Lee, Chief of Community Psychiatry and Programme Director of Community Mental Health Team, received the Star Service Award.

BY DEBORAH KOH, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

(From left) Prof K Satku, Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health with Dr Lee Cheng and NC Tan Soek Keow.

NC Tan Soek Keow receiving the PS21 Distinguished Star Service Award from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean.

Stars of IMH Winners of the PS21 Star Service Award

The PS21 Star Service Award is a national award given in recognition of public officers who have consistently demonstrated high standards of service excellence. By celebrating exemplary role models, the PS21 Star Service Award encourages and inspires all public officers to strive towards higher standards of customer service in their work.

From this pool of winners, a selected group who went beyond the call of duty to deliver excellent service are conferred the PS21 Distinguished Star Service Award.

NC Tan, who clinched this coveted win, shared: “This award is made possible because of the great team spirit among the whole multidisciplinary team. I also believe that every little effort I make helps to improve the quality of life of my patients and their families. The happy smiles on my patients’ faces spur me on as I know the care and effort I put in my work will make a difference to our young patients and their families.”

“As a doctor, I strive to make a positive impact on the lives of my patients and their caregivers. Patients are especially vulnerable when their mental state is not stable. I believe in allowing patients or caregivers to call or email me if they have any queries or concerns about their illness or treatment. I also believe in treating our patients as persons. It is important to go the extra mile in delivering patient care,” said Dr Lee.

NC Tan and Dr Lee received their awards from Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, at the Excellence in Public Service Awards Ceremony in May 2010.

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BY PENNY CHUA, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Our IMH winners (from left to right): NE Poh Chee Lien, SNM Doris Koh, Dr Cai Yiming, Senior Consultant, SSN Chia Hwee Huang and NC Leow Me Lye.

Having a Heart for PatientsWinners of the Healthcare Humanity Awards 2010

A prolific writer, Dr Cai Yiming, Senior Consultant, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has written more than five books based mostly on his observations and clinical practice as he strongly believes in mentoring and nurturing the younger team. “I want to share my experiences in helping children and their families especially with the next generation of doctors so that they know what we did and can carry on and improve their clinical skills and services,” said Dr Cai.

Ms Doris Koh, Senior Nurse Manager, Emergency Services, once spent about three hours under the hot sun in the hospital’s car park trying to coax a patient to come out of his car and receive help. Calm and reassuring by nature, she often has to deal with patients in crisis. When asked if the stresses of work ever get to her, Ms Koh said, “We want to touch the lives of patients. People come in so distressed, we just want to help them stand up again.”

Shy and quiet by nature, Ms Poh Chee Lien, Nurse Educator, Training, often surprises her colleagues with her courage when managing difficult patients. Upon learning that some of the nurses had difficulty in managing patients with mental deficiency, she read up on behaviour modification and designed a series of behaviour modification teaching sessions for the nurses. A mother of three young children, Ms Poh has worked in IMH for 15 years. She said, “It is heart warming to meet patients after their discharge and to know that they are coping well in the community.”

Throughout her nursing career, Ms Chia Hwee Huang, Senior Staff Nurse, Infection Control, has consistently displayed extraordinary courage and dedication while tending to infectious patients. Her selflessness is also evident in her voluntary community work with the poor and needy handicapped, providing continence care for them in their homes and helping to change their catheters and naso-gastric tubes. “To be able to use my skills to help those in need is my own little way of giving back to society. It gives me great joy and satisfaction,” Hwee Huang shared.

An avid mental health advocate and friend to her patients, Ms Leow Me Lye, Nurse Clinician, Community Mental Health Team, often visits her patients in their homes. Once when she saw her patient staying in a stench-filled, rubbish laden home, Me Lye arranged to clean up the house and cajoled the patient to part with her “collection” of junk. “I try to help where I can to ensure our patients get the support to cope with their condition and remain mentally stable for as long as possible in the community.“

For being selfless, compassionate and going beyond their call of duty, five of our staff were bestowed with the Healthcare Humanity Awards (HHA) this year. The award honours and recognises healthcare workers who exemplify the values of courage, extraordinary dedication and steadfastness in work ethics.

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BY PENNY CHUA, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

A Career Switch that Paid OffWinner of NTUC May Day CBF Model Partnership 2010 Award

“This award is an affirmation that my contributions are recognised by the management. I am grateful for their support and guidance.”

Mr Christopher Kan, Healthcare Attendent

At age 41, he was at the crossroad of his career. Having been in the transportation and manufacturing industries for more than 13 years, Mr Christopher Kan wanted job stability as there were major changes in his company. It was also a trying time for him then as his mother was diagnosed with cancer. He wanted to be a better caregiver to his mother, so he took a leap of faith and joined the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in 2005 as a healthcare attendant (HCA).

Sadly, not long after he joined the hospital, his mother passed away. Mr Kan dedicated his new career in memory of his mother. He wanted to make a difference with his life.

Mr Kan has not looked back since. Five years on, his efforts and dedication have paid off and he is one of the 118 winners in this year’s NTUC May Day CBF Model Partnership 2010 Award. The award recognises outstanding workers and organisations for delivering exceptional performance and contributions by improving productivity, enhancing competency, and becoming more adaptable.

Elated and honoured to receive this award, Mr Kan said, “This award is an affirmation that my contributions are recognised by the management. I am grateful for their support and guidance.”

His compassion and care towards his patients are evident in the numerous compliments that he had received. The daughter of one of his patients wrote to express her appreciation for the care given and made special mention of Mr Kan’s excellent service. For his outstanding performance, he was awarded IMH’s “Sayang Award” in the same year.

Currently sponsored by IMH to pursue his Diploma in Nursing at the Nanyang Polytechnic, Mr Kan will return to the hospital upon his graduation in 2012 as a Staff Nurse.

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IMH, in her continuous pursuit toward excellence, is the first and only hospital to be recognised with the Singapore Quality Class (SQC) STAR award. The SQC Star award is given to organisations for meeting the requirements determined by the Business Excellence Framework during the SQC Renewal Assessments.

Auditors from Spring Singapore assessed IMH in good stead for the seven categories in SQA, namely, leadership, planning, information management, human resource, operation, customers and results.

Only 11 organisations were awarded with the SQC STAR which was presented on 30 March at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel by Prof Cham Tao Soon, Chairman of SQA Governing Council.

A group of 24 Thai delegates from various hospitals led by the Healthcare Accreditation Institute and the Thailand Productivity Institute visited IMH in April 2010 to learn about our Kaizen* Journey.

The delegates were briefed how the Pull Principle (the provision of therapy upon demand) was applied to reduce the waiting time for first visit appointments in the Child Guidance Clinic; and how Visual Management helped to attain smoother patient flow in our Emergency Services Department. They also visited the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) clinic to observe how the design of the clinic helps to optimise the flow of materials and information within the facility.

Singapore Quality Class STAR Award

BY DEBORAH KOH, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Sharing Kaizen with the Thais

One of the delegates, Mrs Tassaneeya Attanon, International Relations Department Manager, Thailand Productivity Institute said, “We have seen how most Singapore hospitals including IMH have been applying and implementing Lean Management successfully. This visit will motivate our members who will implement Lean Management in their hospitals back home.”

* “Kaizen” refers to the Japanese word which means continual improvement through activities whether big or incremental, to change things for the better.

Mr Leong Yew Meng, IMH CEO (right) receiving the SQC Star Award from Prof Cham Tao Soon.

Our Thai delegates visiting IMH’s Kaizen room.

A group photo to commemorate the visit.

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Useful Numbers:

IMH General Enquiries: 6389 2000

IMH Appointment Line: 6389 2200

ANSWER

QUESTION

It is necessary for your friend to go for a thorough examination to determine if she has a mental condition. A usual psychiatric evaluation stands on three pillars:

a. History taking

b. Mental state evaluation

c. Investigations and observation of the patient over time through further reviews, if necessary.

You have provided the account through your observations of your friend and also a description that her husband does not seem to think there is anything wrong with her. Either party could be right. We can only be certain who is correct when your friend is evaluated. If she is not directly evaluated, we cannot be certain if there might be a psychological problem.

The history given by you suggests that there may be a problem brewing with your friend. The parts of the history that give rise to concern are the observations of a recent development of strange behaviours such as the collection of random news articles, inappropriate suspiciousness, the suggestion that in your friend’s mind that there is a ‘relationship’ with a leader of

Ask the Expert - Getting a Diagnosis for

Mental Illness

DR GEORGE FERNANDEZ

SENIOR CONSULTANT AND ACTING CHIEF

DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL PSYCHIATRY 2

My friend has an unhealthy fascination for a leader in her religious organisation. She is married with a young child and her husband is a well-established professional. I started noticing that her behaviour has been increasingly strange a couple of months ago. She would snip news articles from the newspapers and keep them. They are just random news with no fixed theme or topic. She believes that the leader communicates with her through these stories and one day, he will arrange for her to be together with him. She also believes that her house is bugged and someone is eavesdropping on her conversations. She is suspicious of people and things around her all the time. I tried talking to her husband about her behaviour but he seemed to be in denial. I am concerned for my friend and especially how her erratic behaviour might affect her child.

What is she suffering from and how as a friend can I help her?

a religious organisation when there may not be one in reality, etc. All of these reported behaviours raise concerns about your friend’s mental state. However, her psychological status can only be evaluated properly if she seeks or is brought to professional help. There may be underlying medical problems as well that can cause people to become inappropriately suspicious, and to behave oddly.

I encourage you to continue to show care and concern as a friend. If the situation permits, you may suggest that your friend see a professional for an evaluation. If she is willing, you could arrange for her to see a general practitioner who could make the necessary basic evaluation and refer her for a further review with a specialist if necessary.

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IMH is committed to further develop our specialists and ensure they keep abreast of the latest medical science and practices. Over the months, our staff were sent for various learning attachments under the Healthcare Manpower Development Programme (HMDP). Such learning stints provide our multidisciplinary team first hand exposure to best clinical practices from renowned healthcare establishments around the world. This is what they have to say about their experience abroad:

Staff from the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP) comprising of case managers Ms Helen Lee and Mr Spencer Yuen, and Associate Consultant Dr Sujatha Rao, visited the Orygen Youth Health Centre in Melbourne last year. They were attached to the Early Psychosis Intervention and Prevention Centre to observe the Youth Access Team for a better understanding of how large organisations support youths with mental illness.

Mr Yuen summed up the team’s sentiments about their learning experience, “The numerous briefings, observations and discussions, running of group work, and talking to the staff enhanced our clinical skills. We aim to translate what we have learnt into better service delivery to our clients.” Dr Rao added, “From the experience gained during my attachment, I have implemented monthly meetings within our services to discuss the management of treatment resistant patients to seek options to avoid a protracted recovery.”

Learning from the BestDeveloping Our Staff Under the Healthcare Manpower Development Programme

Our doctors who had also returned from the HMDP include:

• Dr Tan Hwee Sim, Associate Consultant, National Addictions Management Services, who went to the Yale School of Medicine to learn more about gambling and other addictive disorders,

• Dr Goh Yen Li, Consultant, General Psychiatry, who underwent training at Stanford University Medical Center, with special focus on psychiatric treatment of adult women suffering from mental illnesses, and

• Dr Leong Jern-Yi, Consultant, Community Psychiatry, Community Mental Health Team, who trained at the University of California Los Angeles in psychiatric rehabilitation.

We congratulate our staff upon the completion of their HMDP and look forward to more returning to IMH to share their expertise and knowledge for better patient care.

The EPIP team (from left) Mr Spencer Yuen, Dr Sujatha Rao and Ms Helen Lee.

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Dr Sim Kang, Consultant, General Psychiatry, and Dr Leong Jern-Yi, Consultant, Community Psychiatry, Community Mental Health Team, have recently been appointed Adjunct Assistant Professors at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

For Dr Kang, the position has offered him the opportunity to give back to the next generation of psychiatrists what he had received during his undergraduate and postgraduate education. “The wonderful thing about teaching is that, one is engaged in the quest for continual learning. I believe teaching is an enriching and meaningful experience,” he said.

As for Dr Leong, the appointment as an Adjunct staff affirms his passion in mentoring and teaching the younger generation of doctors and healthcare professionals. Having received the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006, Dr Leong hopes to groom future Clinical Educators by pursuing more effective and innovative teaching methods. “Teaching is more than the passing of knowledge and best practices. It is also to inculcate a positive attitude and a learning spirit among the younger generation,” he added.

We wish both doctors an enriching time as they groom the future generation of doctors.

The Child Guidance Clinic (CGC) welcomes Mr David Oon as a Visiting Psychologist in April this year. Mr Oon holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Sydney University and was previously a psychologist at the Woodbridge Hospital in the 70s. He was vital in shaping the growth and development of the hospital’s budding child psychological service in the late 70s. Currently running his own private practice, Mr Oon will supervise and train the team of young psychologists as well as take on cases at the Child Guidance Clinic. His care and compassion have helped him to build rapport with his patients and their families. CGC will certainly benefit from his wealth of knowledge and experience as a mentor and a practitioner.

BY SUSAN DING, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

BY SUSAN DING, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

IMH Doctors Appointed to Teach in School of Medicine

Veteran Visiting Psychologist Mentors CGC Team

Dr Leong Jern-Yi (left) and Dr Sim Kang.

Mr David Oon (right) discussing a case study with one of our CGC psychologists.

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Doctors, nurses, counsellors and a psychologist from the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) attended two training programmes by internationally-renowned experts.

The first workshop, “Addressing Gambling Addiction with Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT)”, took place in February 2010 and was conducted by Dr Bruno Cayoun, an Australian clinical psychologist. Developed by Dr Cayoun, MiCBT integrates mindfulness skills training with the principles of traditional cognitive behaviour therapy. This approach is used worldwide and has been used to help a range of chronic psychopathologies including Bipolar Affective Disorder, alcohol abuse and Borderline Personality Disorder.

The National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) team has writ ten Singapore’s first book on pathological gambling ent i t led “Don’t Gamble Your Life Away: Help for Pathological Gamblers”. The book is for both professionals and laypersons and discusses topics related to pathological gambl ing, including the current

gambling landscape in Singapore, understanding pathological gambling and its etiology, treatment approaches, community resources and impact on families.

The book is available now at NAMS at a special discounted price of S$20 (Call 6389-2396) or at major bookstores in Singapore at the recommended retail price of S$25 (before GST).

On 17 April 2010, the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS), in collaboration with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), organised its first Problem Gambling Forum entitled “Overcoming the Odds”. Held at the Singapore Management University (SMU), about 300 people attended the English and Mandarin sessions to learn more about problem gambling, how it affects families, and the avenues to seek help. Problem gambling affects sufferers and their loved ones. In severe instances, it can disrupt important life functions –whether psychological, physical, social or vocational.

For more information on problem gambling, visit the NAMS website at http://www.nams.sg or call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1800-6-668-668 to speak to a trained counsellor.

BY RAPHAEL LIM, NAMS

BY SURESH ANANTHA, NAMS BY NIKI TEE, NAMS

International Experts Train NAMS Clinicians

Out in Bookstores Now: New Book on Pathological Gambling

“Overcoming the Odds” – Problem Gambling

Forum 2010

Dr Bruno Cayoun explaining MiCBT to NAMS staff.

Dr David Powell (seated, third from right) with the NAMS team.

The other workshop in March was on Advanced Counselling conducted by well-known addictions expert Dr David Powell. He has developed a model of clinical supervision blending aspects of several supervision theories, and addresses the different dimensions of clinical supervision (e.g., influence, therapeutic strategy, and counsellor in treatment).

NAMS participants gained insightful perspectives through their discussions on clinical practices. The training is part of the continuing enhancement of clinical standards at NAMS to meet patients’ needs.

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BY VERA SOO, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

In Celebration of Social Workers’ Day

IMH’s Medical Social Work department commemorated Social Workers’ Day on 22 March. Themed “Redefining Passion”, the celebration was a cosy affair that brought medical social workers together for a time of reflection and reigniting of their passion for the vocation. They reviewed how they could better complement the hospital’s directions and face the challenges ahead. Younger staff also took the chance to express their appreciation to their supervisors, thanking them for their guidance and mentorship.

Commemorating Social Workers’ Day

“I think that it is more fulfilling to give than to receive. More often than not, you will find that the fruits that you reap – mostly intangible ones – are more life enhancing than if you were to just wait and receive.”

Koh Li Lian (left), Senior Medical Social Worker

Social Workers’ Day is celebrated worldwide on the third Tuesday in March annually. With the spotlight on this profession, IMH Link brings you a heartwarming story on Senior Medical Social Worker Ms Koh Li Lian.

As a child, Ms Koh grew up in a one-room rented flat with her father being the sole breadwinner. Despite not being well-off, her family was close-knit and united.

When she was 15, Ms Koh started volunteering and was inspired by how the physically disabled overcame their infirmity to excel in various fields such as drawing and information technology. Later on, as she volunteered with mentally-ill persons, she saw how they could recover from, or manage their illness and lead normal lives. She read about how chronic illnesses, especially mental illnesses, can be very disabling for people and their families and chose to go into medical social work to help persons with mental health issues and their caregivers cope and deal with their difficulties.

Ms Koh joined IMH in 2004 and her passion to work in the mental health sector has not waned since. She counsels people with psychiatric conditions and often involves their families as well. “This has been a most rewarding journey, both professionally and personally. I see the patients’ immense strength and hope I can continue helping them in their relentless life struggles.”

On her life philosophy, Ms Koh shared, “ I think that it is more fulfilling to give than to receive. More often than not, you will find that the fruits that you reap – mostly intangible ones – are more life enhancing than if you were to just wait and receive.” Wise words indeed from one who has risen beyond her own circumstances to give a hand to those in need.

Our MSW staff in a celebratory mood on their special day.

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答

问

您的朋友必须接受全面检验，才能确定是否患上精神疾

病。一般的心理评估程序包括三方面：

a. 病史采取

b. 精神状态评估

c. 如有需要，通过进一步检查，对患者进行调查与纵

向观察

您对她观察后提供了上述看法，并说她先生并未觉得她

有何不妥。你们俩谁对谁错都有可能。只有评估过您的朋

友后，才能知道答案。如果她不直接接受评估，就无法确

定她是否有心理障碍。

从您描述的事件看来，您的朋友似乎有点问题。引起我们

关注的，是她近来不寻常的举止，如随意收集报刊文章、

毫无来由的疑神疑鬼，一厢情愿地认为与某宗教组织的

专家咨询-如何诊断精神疾病

GEORGE FERNANDEZ医生

高级专科顾问兼代主任

普通精神科

我有个朋友，已婚有子，先生是成功的专业人士，但她对所属宗教组织的某领袖有非分

之想。几个月前，我开始注意到她的举止越来越不寻常。她会剪下报纸新闻并收藏起

来，但她收藏的只是些普通新闻，无特定范围或主题。她坚信该宗教领袖通过这些报

纸新闻跟她暗通信息，并会有所安排，最终跟她双宿双飞。她也肯定有人在她家安装

了窃听器，图谋窃听她的谈话内容。对周围的人与事，她总是疑神疑鬼。我找她先生谈

过她的行为，但他似乎不愿承认有这样的事。我对这位朋友的处境感到担忧，对她的

怪异行为如何影响其幼儿，尤感不安。

她患上什么病？我这个朋友该怎样帮她？

领袖关系亲密，但事实上可能全无此事等等。从您描述的

这种种行为看来，她的精神状态令人担忧。但是，她必须

自行或让人带她去寻找专业协助，否则，其心理健康状态

无法评估。身体健康如有其他问题，也可能导致患者草木

皆兵、举止怪异。

我鼓励您继续关心她。如果情况允许，可建议她找个医

生评估。如果她愿意，可先安排看普通医生，接受初步评

估。如有需要，再转诊给专科医生进一步检查。

电话号码：

心理卫生学院一般询问号码：6389 2000

心理卫生学院预订咨询时间专线：6389 2200

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2009年度全国专科医疗中心客户满意度调查，心理卫生学院名列前茅

心理卫生学院服务一流，患者齐声赞扬！

在《卫生部2009客户满意度调查》中，心理卫生学院在各个全国专科中心中脱颖而

出，名列榜首，在患者整体满意度与服务体验两项中，更获得高达90%的佳绩。

该年度客户满意度调查由卫生部委托进行，旨在评估患者对政府重组医院与政府诊

所的满意度，以改进服务水平。

心理卫生学院的成绩单

勇夺六个服务项目的世界级成就

心理卫生学院在设施、医生的知识/技术水

平、护士的知识/技术水平、医生对患者的护

理与关怀、护士对患者的护理与关怀、职员

解说水平等六方面荣获世界级等级。

医院设施 W

医疗服务的协作 N

医生的知识/技术 W

护士的知识/技术 W

医生的关心/关怀 W

护士的关心/关怀 W

职员解说清楚详尽 W

医技辅助人员的知识/技术 E

医技辅助人员的关心/关怀 E

World Class (W) = 世界级别 Excellence Class (E) = 一流级别Normal Class (N) = 一般级别 Poor (P) = 未符标准级别

推荐医院的服务的意愿

虽然患者通常不愿向其他人透露病情，但他

们推荐本院服务的意愿却逐年上升。心理卫

生学院在这方面的成绩从2005年的74.8%上

升到2009年的83%，可谓大有改善。

患者整体满意度

心理卫生学院在所有全国专科中心的行列中名列前茅，获得

90.1%的佳绩。

患者整体服务体验

我们再度领先其他全国专科中心，成绩高达92%。

NSC = 全国专科中心

2009 年

NSC 1

NSC 2

NSC 3

NSC 4

NSC 5

NSC 6

IMH

79.2%

70.4%

82.4%

68%

83.7%

78.7%

92%

2009 年

NSC = 全国专科中心

NSC 1 78.2%

NSC 2 79.1%

NSC 3 85%

NSC 4 65.8%

NSC 5 85.3%

NSC 6 77.1%

IMH 90.1%

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“客户满意度调查是个好

机会，可以聆听患者和他们

家 人 的心声，借以 改善服

务水平。我们坚 信保 健医

疗人员有‘三宝’，即医术、

药物、良言。“良言”可以宽

慰患者，鼓舞患者，尤为重

要。我们必须不断努力，不仅要让患者宽心，

更要为他们提供最佳的治疗。患者安全与治

疗效果，始终是我们的关心所在。”

院长梁友铭先生

院长与医疗委员会主席的致辞

“患者与其家属知道医生

真正关心他们，才会安心养

病。身为医生，做好这点极

为重要。照顾精神不健全而

情绪低落的患者时，尤其要

在这方面用心去做。学会聆

听是心理治疗的基础。我们

的医生认真付出，从而获得患者认可，令人欣

慰。我们将继续尊重患者，维护他们的尊严，

为他们提供最佳的医疗服务。”

医疗委员会主席Rathi Mahendran副教授

我们的职员如何赢得患者的喝彩

好耶，心理卫生学院关爱患者！

心理卫生学院聘有全职传译员，他们多数是退休的

护士，特别熟习医药术语，同时精通马来语，华语，

也懂一些福建、潮州、海南、广东与客家话等华族方

言。年长患者多不说英语，而有些医生则不谙患者的

语言，更不会方言，这时，有传译员从旁协助，患者心

里就踏实得多。

佳节时分，我们还让患者在候诊时做些气球雕塑或

简单的手工，这些活动颇有意思且趣味盎然，可让

他们保持心思灵敏、手指灵活。

我们的职员训练有素，能辨识需要及时协助的患

者，以安排他们优先看诊。

安排特别活动给候诊患者消磨时间－制作毛巾兔子。诊所内人流控制以缩短等候时间。

点名训话时提醒职员，要达到服务水平。

传译服务改善医生－患者间的沟通效果。

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10客户满意度调查(2009) - 心理卫生学院名列前茅！

发自内心地去服务患者

“我们要时时为患

者 设 身 处 地 地 着

想，你 希望 别人 怎

样 善 待 你自己，就

怎样善待患者。”

紧急部资深护士长

许淑娟

“所谓提供卓越服务，

就是热爱工作，用心服

务。我努力了解患者和

其需求，并想方设法改

善他们在本诊所的求诊

过程。”

门诊经理

黄彬彬(左)

“卓越服务的关键只在

态度，不关技能。工作

时热忱投入，客户会感

觉得到的。”

门诊服务部副经理

郭淑芸(右)

“我热爱工作，为患者

提供最 佳 服务 给 我 莫

大的乐趣。”

专科门诊部高级护士Michaela Manoza

“提供卓越服务的

关键是笑脸以对、

热 情服 务、用心 聆

听。”

资深病人服务助手

魏妙芳

“妇女患者可能在

精神、婚 姻与财 务

方面 有困 难，我 全

力给 她 们治 疗。我

自己身为人妻人母，

总是为她们多方设

想，竭尽所能，为女

性患者和她们的孩

子解决困难。

普通精神科专科顾问

吴燕丽医生

“患者往往在处境

艰 难，极为脆 弱的

时候才找到我们。

虽然我没法把他们

的问题全都解决，

但 我 时 常 提 醒 自

己，就算只是聆听，

也会给他们极大的

宽慰。”

普通精神科副专科顾问

李志强医生

“医 生 对患者要 有爱

心，各 种 疗 法 才 有 成

效。临床医生要牢记这

点。虽然卫生部的调查

显示我们表现不俗，但

我们 还 必须 继 续 维 持

跟 患者 建 立 起 来的密

切关系，不能松懈。”

社区精神科副专科顾问

林汶龙医生

“ 诊 所 团 队 提 供了良

好的照顾与服务，他们

尽全力去了解患者的需

求 。我 们 将 继 续 携 手

合作，想法改善患者的

人生。”

门诊服务部资深经理

林惜琴

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社区健康中心

专科门诊部

紧急部

“接待处职员善解人意、体贴温馨，服务堪称一流，我

要表扬他们。”

TS Lim先生*

“我敬爱这里的职员，因为他们既专业又善良。我非常

感激他们。”

Tan SL小姐*

“请向芽笼心理门诊部的职员转达我们诚挚的谢意，

感谢每月帮我母亲注射的护士，感谢照顾她的医生。那

位医生很通情达理，当我母亲因故无法亲临诊所时，她

仍然给予我们专业的咨询与服务。”

Ismail先生*

患者与其家属的感言

我们想要有所不同！

“亲爱的护士、医生与职员，我在心理卫生学院

获得了专业协助，非常感谢大家！这里的护士心

地善良，办事有效率，把患者照顾得很好。你们

努力安慰我，让我脸上绽放笑容。我要给大家最

诚挚的拥抱！”

HM Wong小姐*

“医院环境清洁，职员整齐干净，让我印象深

刻。工作人员细心入微，善解人意。”

Rahman先生*

“我对贵院职员的感激之情，难以用笔墨来形容。”

Alison Loh小姐*

* 所有名字均为假名，以保护患者隐私。

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EDITORIAL TEAMWE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

For any feedback on IMH Link, or advertisement enquiries, please write to: The Editor Corporate Communications Department Institute of Mental Health Buangkok Green Medical Park

10 Buangkok View Singapore 539747

or email us: enquiry@imh.com.sgAll rights reserved. For re-prints of any article, please write to the Corporate Communications Department.

Children, Youth and ResilienceA Public Forum on Mental Health and Resilience in Children and Adolescents

Description of ForumThis public forum brings together psychiatrists, psychologists, caregivers and the general public to discuss mental wellness as a tool for building resilience and holistic emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents.

The half-day forum covers interesting perspectives from two mental health experts, and caters to a range of matters concerning today’s children and adolescents. Participants will get an opportunity to voice their opinions and seek expert advice.

Target AudienceGeneral Public

DateSaturday, 28 August 2010

Time2pm – 5pm

VenueRaffles City Convention Centre

Fees$10 per person (inclusive of refreshments and attractive door gifts)

ProgrammeHelping Children Cope with Stress

By A/Prof Daniel Fung, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Vice Chairman Medical Board (Clinical Quality), Institute of Mental Health

The Resilience Doughnut

By Ms Lyn Worsley, Clinical Psychologist, Registered Nurse, Child, Adolescent and Family Therapist, Director of Alpha Counselling Services

EnquiriesPlease contact Ms Saleha Othman at saleha_othman@imh.com.sg or (65) 6389 3642 for registration.

Closing Date for RegistrationFriday, 20 August 2010

Committee MembersJamilah BeeviEddie ChuaSusan DingDing Xiao DongShawn Ee

Advisor Ting Mei See

Editor Penny Chua

Circulation Coordinator Chris Ngiam

Deborah KohFiona FooVera Soo

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WH

AT’S

ON