Lien Centre for Palliative Care

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Lien Centre for Palliative Care

The Lien Centre for Palliative Care (LCPC) is a leading palliative care research and education centre

The Lien Centre is established by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (“Duke-NUS”) in collaboration with the Lien Foundation with active involvement from National Cancer Centre Singapore and Singapore Health Services. The Lien Centre is a research and education centre of Duke-NUS and under the purview of the Duke-NUS Academic & Research Committee (“ARC”).

14/01/2026

Optimising Outpatient Follow-up to Reduce 30-Day Hospital Readmissions

🏥Outpatient follow-ups after discharge from hospitalisation is widely recommended. However, universal follow-up is often impractical and resource intensive. To address this issue, a key policy priority under Singapore’s Healthier SG strategy is to reduce 30-day hospital readmissions.

🔍Through a systemic review and meta-analysis evaluating the impact of outpatient follow-up on 30-day readmissions, the following findings are suggested:

- Older adults with Heart Failure or Acute Myocardial Infarction reap greatest benefits from follow-up within 14 days

- For other older adults, greatest benefits are reaped when follow-ups are done within 30 days

- Routine early follow-up for younger adults shows limited impact

📋Findings support a shift from universal to targeted follow-up strategies with implications for discharge planning and outpatient capacity.

✍️Ishwarya Balasubramanian, Ellie Bostwick Andres, Chetna Malhotra

09/01/2026

👏A resounding success of the 50th LCPC-SHC Postgraduate Course in Palliative Medicine!

In November 2025, LCPC rounded off a year of courses with the 50th run of the Postgraduate Course in Palliative Medicine, where 41 local and regional healthcare professionals came together to refine their practice with the goal to enhance care for palliative patients.

🥰Commemorating this milestone is deeply meaningful, with each run representing the commitment of clinicians to learning how to care more thoughtfully, listen more closely and support patients and their families through their journey with palliative care.

🫶Over the years, PGC has been shaped by many hands and hearts. Heartfelt thanks to our participants who show up with openness, curiosity and a shared belief that compassionate care always matters. We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to our dedicated faculty, speakers and standardised patients whose expertise and unwavering commitment have strengthened the programme over the years.

🎉Looking to be a part of this growing palliative care community? Registrations for the first run of PGC in 2026 is now open!

Head to our website to find out more on how to register, as well as information about other subsequent runs later in the year – link in comments!

31/12/2025

🎇Lien Centre for Palliative Care wishes one and all a very happy new year!

🙏Looking back on the year, we celebrate the achievements of 2025 with a heart of gratitude towards everyone who has been a part of LCPC’s journey.

🌱Whether 2026 marks new beginnings or another year of consistent progress, may the new year be filled with purpose and opportunities for growth, for all.

🥂Thank you for being with us in 2025 and cheers to 2026!

30/12/2025

🌏 New Insights from Thailand on Quality of Life in Advanced Cancer
A recent study of Thai patients with Stage IV cancer reveals a striking contrast: while overall quality of life scores were relatively high—and comparable to those in Singapore and the U.S.—many patients still face significant emotional burdens.

🔍 Key findings:
- Self-blame is widespread (67%) and strongly linked to poorer QoL.
- 27% screened positive for symptoms of clinical depression.
- 62% expressed interest in mental health support—yet only three had previously received such services.
- Higher quality-of-care ratings were consistently associated with better physical, functional, and emotional well-being.

💡 Why this matters:
Even when physical and functional outcomes seem stable, emotional distress can remain hidden. The findings point to a critical need to better integrate mental health support into oncology and palliative care services.

🩺 The takeaway:
Strengthening psychosocial and mental health resources in cancer care isn’t optional—it’s essential to truly support patients at the end of life.

📝 Bunchuailua, W., Kapol, N., Krichanchai, S., Krongkaew, W., & Andres, E. B.

📖 Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology

🔗 Read the full article for more — link in the comments!

23/12/2025

💥LCPC’s Edu Team Spotlight is back with a special guest!

🌟Today, we are thrilled to feature Anna So Youn Lee! Currently a second-year medical student in the U.S., she previously held a dual appointment with the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and the LCPC Education team from 2023 to 2024.

💭When asked to share about her time here, this is what she had to say:

✍️“At NCCS, I served as a research coordinator for the Serious Illness Conversation (SIC) study, where I was responsible for patient recruitment across specialties, including chronic renal failure, heart failure, and end-stage cancer. I conducted patient and stakeholder interviews (physicians, nurses, and therapists) to adapt the SIC Guide for Singapore and consolidated findings into manuscripts and poster abstracts.

💻On the LCPC Education side, I supported planning and administration of continuing medical education courses, gathered faculty and participant feedback, and initiated a social media task force to expand the reach of our programs.

💌 Among the meaningful learning experiences in my role, one is especially memorable— interviewing patients with serious illnesses as they actively processed their prognoses. To adapt the SIC Guide, I often had to walk them through the conversation itself, then ask them to step back and reflect on the language. These were emotionally weighty moments, but they taught me how to approach difficult conversations with empathy and clarity, skills I now carry into medical school as we practice effective patient communication.

📍Currently, I am nearly finished with my preclinical training at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., where I am learning the language of medicine. Alongside medical school, I’m building Seoul Miz Next, an initiative within my family’s women’s hospital group in Seoul. My goal is to create a platform for women’s health innovation by connecting clinical practice with new models of care and partnerships.

📈Working with LCPC was tremendously eye-opening. It provided a case study on how physicians can systematically engage in advocacy and system-level change, drawing on insights from patient care. It also reinforced that medicine is an evolving field, where physicians not only learn from patients but also share insights across disciplines, from policy to engineering. This perspective continues to guide how I approach both my medical training and my work in healthcare innovation.”

✨It is heartening to know that Anna’s experience with LCPC has supported her pursuit of advancing patient care, both at an interpersonal level and through inspiring systemic change.

🔗 Interested in Anna’s work? Read this paper on the SIC guide that she collaborated on— link in the comments!

09/12/2025

🎆LCPC is thrilled to share this publication on our locally tested Serious Illness Conversations guide (SICG)!

The original SICG, developed by Ariadne Labs, Massachusetts, USA, is evidence-based and effective. That being said, does the guide translate well to the Asian multicultural context in Singapore?

📝Employing a multi-stage iterative design, the team tested the guide among patients with serious illnesses, caregivers and healthcare providers across 3 public hospitals in Singapore, to assess acceptability of the guide language.

The result?

🎯A local Singapore SICG that maintains core elements of the original guide while reflecting cultural sensitivity.

🔗Read the full paper to find out more— link in the comments!

📕BMJ Journals

✍️Chandrika Ramakrishnan, Anna So Youn Lee, Chetna Malhotra, Gillian Li Gek Phua, Alethea Yee, Shirlyn Hui-Shan Neo

✨Interested in the application of the guide in your practice? Register for LCPC’s Serious Illness Conversations Workshop— also linked in the comments!

04/12/2025

🤔Patients with ESRD often face complex care decisions as a result of disease progression. The lack of Advanced Care Planning (ACP) conversations may leave many patients and carers without sufficient information about their condition and the uncertain illness trajectory.

💬My Voice - a novel digital intervention, tailored to the unique needs of patients with ESKD on dialysis and their informal care partners, was developed to support ACP more broadly across the illness trajectory of ESRD patients.

👪My Voice addresses a critical gap in ACP and fosters informed discussions about future health care decisions about dialysis discontinuation. It holds promise for wider implementation to improve ACP engagement in dialysis care and a randomized controlled trial is underway to test its impact on ACP engagement.

✍️Chetna Malhotra, Chandrika Ramakrishnan, Joshua Lakin, Jason Chon Jun Choo, Alethea Yee

📝Official Journal of the International Society of Nephrology, Kidney International Reports

🔗To find out more about My Voice, head over the link in the comments for the full article!

26/11/2025

🌟 Celebrating a fruitful run of the Renal Supportive Care Course— the last of the year!

💌 44 healthcare professionals from over 16 different organisations, carrying diverse experiences and backgrounds but with a common goal— better care for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients.

🎯Over this 3-day course, our interdisciplinary faculty shared their expertise on each topic with a focus on patient-centred care. Concluding the course on a reflective note, participants engaged in meaningful discussions on subjects like the complexity of grief and ethical considerations in the treatment of patients.

💭Dr Nguyen Thi Thanh Thanh, from the Department of Nephrology and Dialysis of Le Van Thinh Hospital, Vietnam, warmly shared her reflections on the last day of the course:
“Today was a very emotional day of learning, and the language barrier couldn't diminish that. This was thanks to the heartfelt sharing from the lecturers, who offered not just lessons but also their valuable experiences. I was so happy to affirm that in my daily clinical practice at my hospital in Vietnam, we also provide comprehensive attention to the psychological, spiritual, and socio-economic aspects for both patients and their caregivers. All the lecturers were truly wonderful. Thank you!”
It is encouraging to know that the Renal Supportive Care Course has not only enhanced the medical knowledge of participants, but also highlighted the importance of the holistic care of CKD patients, and inspired discussions that would continue beyond the course.

♥️A big thank you to the RSC Workgroup for making the October run of RSC possible, all speakers for sharing invaluable knowledge, and all the participants for keeping engaged!

🙏Drs. Alethea Yee, Jason C, Gillian Phua, Sim Mui Hian, Kwek Jia Liang, Sheryl Gan, Natalie Woong, Lee Guo Zhang, Zhou Yi, Kog Zheng Xi, Sin Gwen Li, Ms. Janelle Chan, Mr. Clinton Shi, Ms. Faith Wong, Ms. Chin Hui Shan Brenda, Ms. Linda Chew, Ms. Sheena Low, Ms. Neo Hui Xin and Ms. Pek Yee Chow

📢 Interested in taking part?
Good news! Next year’s dates for the 2 runs of RSC are out on our website!

🔗Check out our website to find out more— link in the comments!

14/11/2025

💭Do Caregivers of Asian Patients with Advanced Cancer Help or Hinder Patient Understanding of Illness and Involvement in Decision Making?

📊Using survey data from 229 patients with metastatic cancer and their family caregivers living in Singapore, we investigated the extent to which caregivers' preferred level of patient involvement in decision making and understanding of treatment goals are associated with those of patients.

🔗Read the full paper to find out more− link in the comments!

📖 Journal: Medical Decision Making (MDM)

✍️Authors: Semra Ozdemir, Isha Chaudhry, Chetna Malhotra, Courtney Van Houtven, Eric Andrew Finkelstein

10/11/2025

🎇The Lien Centre for Palliative Care staff retreat was held last Friday— this is how it went!

🍽️Kicking the day off at Naema’s, the LCPC staff enjoyed lively conversations over a delectable spread of Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine.

🏅Fueled by the hearty lunch, we were off to the pitch for an exciting match of bubble soccer!

🦋 Making time for a year-end staff retreat is a perfect way to slow down and appreciate the accomplishments of the year as we look forward to the things to come.

🙏 A big thank you to Regina and Kat for the thoughtful preparation behind this memorable day.

31/10/2025

⚕️ Did you know that up to 40% of surgeries performed at academic centers are palliative in nature? Yet, most surgeons report limited training in palliative care (PC) — a critical gap in surgical education.

📚 Our latest review examined PC education programs for surgeons across 10 studies involving 577 participants. We found:
- 8 programmes focused on communication skills
- 5 covered PC knowledge
- Training methods ranged from lectures and case discussions to role-play and PC attachments

✅ The results were clear:
- All programmes improved PC knowledge
- 87% enhanced communication skills and attitudes toward PC

🔍 However, PC training remains highly variable.
There is a pressing need for a standardised surgical palliative care curriculum to better prepare surgeons for the realities of modern patient care.

📝 Sabrina Hui Xian Cheok, Benjamin Paik, Hann Natalie Soh, Yang Yann Foo, Alethea C.P. Yee, Sui An Lie, Gerald C.A. Tay, Jin Yao Teo, Yu Guang Tan, Mingzhe Cai, Chin Jin Seo, Johnny Chin-Ann Ong, Claramae S Chia, Jolene Si Min Wong

📖 Journal of Surgical Education

🔗 Read the full article for more — link in the comments!

30/10/2025

⚡We are thrilled to share that enrollment is now open for our Graduate Certificate Programme in Health Economic Evaluation (GCP-HEE)!

🔎This fully online evening programme, led by a team with hundreds of peer-reviewed publications in top journals, is designed to provide you with the essential skills and tools to excel in health economics and outcomes research.

🌐Whether you're looking to enhance your expertise in health econometrics, economic modeling, or health technology assessment, our program offers a comprehensive learning experience that equips you with the knowledge to execute health technology assessments using industry-standard tools including Stata, Microsoft Excel, and TreeAge Pro.

🔔Courses begin: 26 January 2026

📍 Register now to secure your spot at: myapplications.nus.edu.sg

Note: Registration closes on 15 December 2025

📣We would appreciate it if you could help us share this opportunity with your community. You may also visit our website (link in the comments) or contact our dedicated program advisors at HEEcert@duke-nus.edu.sg.

Address

8 College Road
Singapore
169857

Website

https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/lcpc

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