Traditionally the treatment of opioid dependence in Singapore has not been viewed as a public health problem, but rather as a social problem that necessitated custodial and other punitive approaches. The turning point came in 1996, when, after a pilot programme in the Prisons Department, naltrexone was introduced as...

Opiate dependence is a major health and social concern in many countries across the world. The burden of disease is considerable, with surveys indicating that up to 2% of the population had used opiates for non-medicinal reasons. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF”...

The use of 2 or more antipsychotic medications (polypharmacy) for an episode of psychosis is pervasive despite the lack of evidence-based data. It is also associated with higher daily dosing, more frequent use of adjunctive medications such as anticholinergic agents, higher rate of adverse effects and under-utilisation of atypical...

The shift towards broader health perspectives and the emphasis on patient preferences have led to the development of many health questionnaires and their inclusion as primary and secondary outcome measures in clinical trials. Measurements of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), a multidimensional concept encompassing physical, emotional and social aspects...

Analysis of blood plasma and urinary amino acids is required for the diagnosis and management of inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) affecting one or more amino acids, such as phenylketonuria, tyrosinaemia, citrullinaemia, cystine-lysinuria, hyperglycinaemia, and maple syrup urine disease. It may also be useful for monitoring patients requiring long-term nutritional...