INTRODUCTIONThere is little detailed information on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) amongst older adults in Singapore.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA retrospective study of 121 consecutive referrals of patients presenting for HIV care was conducted. Demographic, clinical and laboratory variables were collected. A prognostic model derived from the North American Veterans' Affairs Cohort Study (VACS) was used to estimate prognosis.

RESULTSThe median age at presentation was 43 (range, 18 to 76). Thirty-eight patients (31%) were aged 50 or older and 106 patients (88%) were male. Older patients were more likely to be of Chinese ethnicity (P = 0.035), married (P = 0.0001), unemployed or retired (P = 0.0001), and to have acquired their infection heterosexually (P = 0.0002). The majority of patients in both groups were symptomatic at presentation. Eighty-one (67%) had CD4 counts less than 200 at baseline with no observable differences in HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) or clinical stage based on age. Non-Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) morbidity was observed more frequently amongst older patients. The estimated prognosis of patients differed significantly based on age. Using the VACS Index and comparing younger patients with those aged 50 and above, mean 5 year mortality estimates were 25% and 50% respectively (P <0.001). A trend towards earlier antiretroviral therapy was noted amongst older patients (P = 0.067) driven mainly by fewer financial difficulties reported as barriers to treatment.

CONCLUSIONOlder patients form a high proportion of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases and present with more non-AIDS morbidity. This confers a poor prognosis despite comparable findings with younger patients in terms of clinical stage, AIDS-defining illness, CD4 count and HIV viral load.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; mortality ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Female ; HIV Infections ; mortality ; HIV Long-Term Survivors ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Mortality ; trends ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Social Class ; Young Adult

INTRODUCTIONThe implementation of competency-based internal medicine (IM) residency programme that focused on the assurance of a set of 6 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies in Singapore marked a dramatic departure from the traditional process-based curriculum. The transition ignited debates within the local IM community about the relative merits of the traditional versus competency-based models of medical education, as well as the feasibility of locally implementing a training structure that originated from a very different healthcare landscape. At the same time, it provided a setting for a natural experiment on how a rapid integration of 2 different training models could be achieved.

MATERIALS AND METHODSOur department reconciled the conflicts by systematically examining the existing training structure and critically evaluating the 2 educational models to develop a new training curriculum aligned with institutional mission values, national healthcare priorities and ACGME-International (ACGME-I) requirements.

RESULTSGraduate outcomes were conceptualised as competencies that were grouped into 3 broad areas: personal attributes, interaction with practice environment, and integration. These became the blueprint to guide curricular design and achieve alignment between outcomes, learning activities and assessments. The result was a novel competency-based IM residency programme that retained the strengths of the traditional training model and integrated the competencies with institutional values and the unique local practice environment.

CONCLUSIONWe had learned from this unique experience that when 2 very different models of medical education clashed, the outcome may not be mere conflict resolution but also effective consolidation and transformation.

Accreditation ; Clinical Competence ; Curriculum ; Education, Medical, Graduate ; Internal Medicine ; education ; Internship and Residency ; Models, Educational ; Negotiating ; Singapore