1.The prevalence of fatigue and associated health and safety risk factors among taxi drivers in Singapore.
Singapore medical journal 2015;56(2):92-97
INTRODUCTIONDriver fatigue is one of the biggest health and safety concerns within the road transport sector. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of fatigue among taxi drivers in Singapore, to better understand the general working and health conditions of this group of people and to determine the risk factors associated with fatigued driving.
METHODSA total of 340 taxi drivers were randomly selected for participation in this self-administered questionnaire survey, with height and weight measurements. The response rate was 68.2%. The survey consisted of four main categories: personal particulars; social habits; work patterns and sleep profile; and Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which was used to estimate the level of daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the adjusted odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals associated with the risk factors related to fatigue among the taxi drivers.
RESULTSA high proportion of the taxi drivers were obese and had self-reported hypertension, diabetes mellitus and high cholesterol. Driver fatigue was associated with very poor/poor self-rating of the quality of sleep, having an additional part-time job, drinking three or more caffeinated drinks daily, and driving more than 10 hours a day.
CONCLUSIONWe hope that the findings of the present study will improve the awareness regarding the work and health conditions of taxi drivers, and contribute toward the effort to achieve a healthier workforce. A lower prevalence of fatigued driving will lead to lower risks of road traffic accidents, decreased economic loss, increased productivity, and safer roads for all.
Adult ; Aged ; Automobile Driving ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Caffeine ; therapeutic use ; Fatigue ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occupational Diseases ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Safety ; Singapore ; Sleep ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Work Schedule Tolerance
2.Safety and side effect profile of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers: A tertiary hospital experience in Singapore.
See Ming LIM ; Hwang Ching CHAN ; Amelia SANTOSA ; Swee Chye QUEK ; Eugene Hern Choon LIU ; Jyoti SOMANI
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2021;50(9):703-711
INTRODUCTION:
Vaccination remains a key strategy to living endemically with COVID-19. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was first granted interim authorisation for use in Singapore in December 2020. With overseas studies published about the safety and side effect profiles of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines focusing mainly on non-Asian populations, we described the side effects of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination experienced by the healthcare workers (HCWs) in a tertiary hospital in Singapore.
METHODS:
Data were obtained from the Occupational Health Clinic (OHC) at the National University Hospital in Singapore, which monitored staff for any adverse effects within 30 minutes post vaccination on-site and any adverse effects after that. A cross-sectional study among the vaccinated HCWs was conducted using an online survey, which established basic demographics, histories of allergies or atopic disorders, and adverse events encountered after dose 1 and dose 2 of vaccination.
RESULTS:
No anaphylaxis was reported. Most common symptom was giddiness (32.7%) experienced by HCWs within 30 minutes. Adverse events attended post-vaccination by OHC were generally mild and self-limiting. From the survey, odds of experiencing an adverse event after dose 2 was significantly higher than after the first dose, especially for fever/chills (odds ratio [OR] 22.5). Fever/chills, injection site reactions, headache, aches and pains, and feeling unwell were significantly more common in HCWs below 60 years compared to those ≥60 years. An allergy to food (adjusted OR 2.7) and a history of eczema/sensitive skin (adjusted OR 2.6) were associated with a skin reaction not at injection site.
CONCLUSION
The side effects experienced after Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are generally self-limiting and mild, with no anaphylaxis reported.
COVID-19
;
COVID-19 Vaccines
;
Cross-Sectional Studies
;
Health Personnel
;
Humans
;
SARS-CoV-2
;
Singapore/epidemiology*
;
Tertiary Care Centers
;
Vaccination
3.Mass COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic health-care workers in a tertiary hospital during an outbreak in another hospital in Singapore: an effective strategy?
William T Wang ; Hwang Ching Chan ; Jyoti Somani ; See Ming Lim
Western Pacific Surveillance and Response 2022;13(4):79-81
In response to a COVID-19 outbreak within a hospital in Singapore, a single mass swab exercise was conducted at another tertiary hospital to detect possible inter-hospital transmission. The exercise yielded no positive results, demonstrating non-targeted mass testing as an impractical strategy to track inter-hospital transmission.