New Hub-and-Spoke Trauma Care Model for Central Singapore

Critically injured patients more likely to get optimal care at most appropriate hospital

- Judith Tan

A trauma care model fashioned after the wheel of a bicycle has been launched in the central region of Singapore to improve the outcomes for patients with life-threatening injuries.

The hub-and-spoke concept increases the chances of critically injured patients receiving optimal care at the most appropriate hospital, ultimately leading to faster response times and reduced death rates.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital's (TTSH) Trauma Centre serves as the hub, specialising in the most complex and critical cases, while the other hospitals in central Singapore act as the spokes, managing moderate to less severe trauma patients.

The "spoke hospitals" comprise Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Woodlands Health, Sengkang General Hospital, Raffles Hospital and KK Women's and Children's Hospital, which are from different healthcare clusters.

The model also helps to maximise resources, since four of the eight specialist trauma surgeons in Singapore are located at TTSH," Dr Teo Li Tserng, director of the TTSH Trauma Centre, told reporters at an interview on July 16.

The rest of the specialist trauma surgeons are based at three other hospitals.

Dr Teo said patients requiring care based on a set of tailored secondary transfer criteria are sent to the hub.