Environmental damage affects many aspects of healthcare, from extreme weather events to evolving population disease. Singapore's healthcare sector has the world's second highest healthcare emissions per capita, hampering the nation's pledge to reduce emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. In this review, we provide an overview of the impact environmental damage has on healthcare, including facilities, supply chain and human health, and examine measures to address healthcare's impact on the environment. Utilising the 'R's of sustainability - rethinking, reducing/refusing, reusing/repurposing/reprocessing, repairing, recycling and research - we have summarised the opportunities and challenges across medical disciplines. Awareness and advocacy to adopt strategies at institutional and individual levels is needed to revolutionise our environmental footprint and improve healthcare sustainability. By leveraging evidence from ongoing trials and integrating sustainable practices, our healthcare system can remain resilient against environment-driven challenges and evolving healthcare demands while minimising further impacts of environmental destruction.
Humans ; Climate Change ; Delivery of Health Care ; Singapore ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Sustainable Development ; Environment

INTRODUCTION: Institutional surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) guidelines are in place at all public hospitals in Singapore, but variations exist and adherence to guidelines is not tracked consistently. A national point prevalence survey carried out in 2020 showed that about 60% of surgical prophylactic antibiotics were administered for more than 24 hours. This guideline aims to align best practices nationally and provides a framework for audit and surveillance. METHOD: This guideline was developed by the National Antimicrobial Stewardship Expert Panel's National Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis Guideline Development Workgroup Panel, which comprises infectious diseases physicians, pharmacists, surgeons and anaesthesiologists. The Workgroup adopted the ADAPTE methodology framework with modifications for the development of the guideline. The recommended duration of antibiotic prophylaxis was graded according to the strength of consolidated evidence based on the scoring system of the Singapore Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines. RESULTS: This National SAP Guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the rational use of antibiotic prophylaxis. These include recommended agents, dose, timing and duration for patients undergoing common surgeries based on surgical disciplines. The Workgroup also provides antibiotic recommendations for special patient population groups (such as patients with β-lactam allergy and patients colonised with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), as well as for monitoring and surveillance of SAP. CONCLUSION This evidence-based National SAP Guideline for hospitals in Singapore aims to align practices and optimise the use of antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis for the prevention of surgical site infections while reducing adverse events from prolonged durations of SAP.
Humans ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Singapore ; Surgeons ; Hospitals, Public

INTRODUCTIONIncreasing resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae to firstline antibiotics makes therapeutic options for urinary tract infections (UTIs) challenging. This study investigated the in vitro efficacies of 6 antibiotics against multidrug resistant (MDR) uropathogens.

MATERIALS AND METHODSMinimum inhibitory concentrations to ceftibuten, cefpodoxime, fosfomycin, mecillinam, temocillin, and trimethoprim were determined against 155 MDR-isolates of E. coli and K. pneumoniae. The presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and plasmid-borne AmpC enzymes was determined by phenotypic testing with genotyping performed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTSTemocillin demonstrated highest susceptibility rates for both E. coli (95%) and K. pneumoniae (95%) when breakpoints for uncomplicated UTIs were applied; however, temocillin susceptibility was substantially lower when "systemic infection" breakpoints were used. Fosfomycin demonstrated the best in vitro efficacy of the orally available agents, with 78% and 69% of E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates susceptible, respectively. The next most effective antibiotics were ceftibuten (45%) and mecillinam (32%). ESBL and ampC genes were present in 47 (30%) and 59 (38%) isolates.

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrated few oral therapeutic options for MDR-uropathogens, with fosfomycin demonstrating the best in vitro activity.

Amdinocillin ; pharmacology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; Ceftizoxime ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Cephalosporins ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; genetics ; Escherichia coli ; drug effects ; genetics ; Escherichia coli Infections ; microbiology ; Fosfomycin ; pharmacology ; Genotype ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Klebsiella Infections ; microbiology ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; drug effects ; genetics ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Penicillins ; pharmacology ; Singapore ; Trimethoprim ; pharmacology ; Urinary Tract Infections ; microbiology ; beta-Lactamases ; genetics