Comparing Acute Medical Unit care with usual hospital care in Singapore
Compares hospital stays, costs and health of acutely ill adults under different care models.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Potential of Interface Care Models to Deliver More Appropriate Care to Patients With Acute Medical Illness
Key facts
- Where
- Singapore, SingaporeSee the site
Where in Singapore
- National University HospitalSingapore, SingaporeTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- National University Hospital, Singapore
- Trial code
- NCT07536035
- Record updated
- 17 April 2026
- Original description
Every country in the world is experiencing growth in both the size and the proportion of older persons. As a result of the changes, the profile and needs of people with medical illnesses have evolved. How care is delivered to patients has to keep pace with these changes, or patients will experience poor care at high cost and not have their needs met. A new model of care has emerged to meet these challenges: Acute Medical Unit. Despite considerable investment and popularity of this model, questions remain: (i) Who benefits most from this care model? (ii) How may these models be most effectively implemented for the best results? (iii) How effective are these models? Singapore is well-placed to answer these questions with its national healthcare system and excellent research institutions. The investigators plan to study how effective the model is by comparing patients with similar profiles exposed to both these care models compared to how hospital care is usually provided, looking for four differences: (i) how long patients stay in hospital, (ii) how often they use the emergency department (iii) quality of health (iv) cost. Additionally, the investigators seek to characterise patterns of health needs for this group of patients.Read full original descriptionShow less
Potential of Interface Care Models to Deliver More Appropriate Care to Patients With Acute Medical Illness in Singapore and Decrease Utilisation of Acute Care Bed-days
Every country in the world is experiencing growth in both the size and the proportion of older persons. As a result of the changes, the profile and needs of people with medical illnesses have evolved. How care is delivered to patients has to keep pace with these changes, or patients will experience poor care at high cost and not have their needs met. A new model of care has emerged to meet these challenges: Acute Medical Unit. Despite considerable investment and popularity of this model, questions remain: (i) Who benefits most from this care model? (ii) How may these models be most effectively implemented for the best results? (iii) How effective are these models? Singapore is well-placed to answer these questions with its national healthcare system and excellent research institutions. The investigators plan to study how effective the model is by comparing patients with similar profiles exposed to both these care models compared to how hospital care is usually provided, looking for four differences: (i) how long patients stay in hospital, (ii) how often they use the emergency department (iii) quality of health (iv) cost. Additionally, the investigators seek to characterise patterns of health needs for this group of patients.
Inclusion: AMU inclusion criteria - admission from ED to AMU directly; Control group inclusion criteria - admission from ED to GW directly; Acute medical illnesses that includes infection-related conditions, falls-disequilibrium, and acute exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Exclusion: Patients undergoing active chemotherapy; Cerebrovascular disease requiring thrombolysis or intravascular intervention; Below 21 years old; Patients with active pregnancy; Patients admitted less than 24 hours.