Philips opens Southeast Asia’s first Sleep and Respiratory Education Center in Singapore

First-of-its-kind innovation facility to provide free training for the region’s healthcare professionals

Pressing need to increase public awareness of sleep apnea

It is estimated that more than 100 million people worldwide suffer from sleep apnea, 80 percent of whom remain undiagnosed¹, and that globally, 30 percent of people experience difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep². Sleeping well is essential to good health, and yet only one-third of people who suffer from sleep disorders seek professional help³. In a recent study*, 1 in 3 Singaporeans suffers from moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

“OSA is caused by the repeated collapse of a sufferer’s airway, leading to low oxygen levels and disrupted sleep,” said Dr. Mok Yingjuan, Director, Public Education and Epidemiology, SingHealth Duke-NUS Sleep Center and Consultant, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Changi General Hospital. “It can cause daytime tiredness, poor work and school performance and more serious heart problems. Unfortunately, many cases of OSA in Singapore remain undiagnosed, and more needs to be done to increase public awareness of this condition so that people are guided towards effective treatment of their condition.”

To improve clinical outcomes in sleep therapy and care, Philips and SingHealth signed an MoU in August last year to collaborate on providing integrated quality patient care, clinical education and research efforts, as well as to increase public awareness of OSA. Philips will bring its more than 30 years of leadership in sleep apnea management and respiratory care solutions supporting the patient’s journey from diagnosis through to therapy and management of OSA. Philips and SingHealth will partner in joint research projects, fellowship training and sleep awareness and outreach programs in Singapore and the region.

“We hope that the clinical education programs conducted at Philips’ Sleep and Respiratory Education Center will help to train more local healthcare professionals, enabling them to interpret data from home sleep tests and in-laboratory sleep studies.” Dr. Mok added.

Educate and train healthcare professionals on diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders

The 102 square-meter facility is designed to accurately simulate a patient’s sleep diagnosis journey - from a life-sized mock-up of a patient’s bedroom for sleep observation to a monitoring room where sleep technicians score and analyze sleep data, and a doctor’s consultation room. The innovative facility also uses remote monitoring in an Interaction Room to simulate abnormal sleep patterns that may occur in a patient during a sleep study, such as limb movements, rapid eye movements and respiratory difficulties.

As part of the center’s opening, Philips also announced the launch of a series of complimentary peer-to-peer training programs, to be conducted by prominent international sleep and respiratory physicians including Dr. TeoFilo LeeChiong, Chief Medical Liaison at Philips, and Dr. David White, Chief Medical Officer at Philips. Qualified sleep specialists from high-profile hospital and healthcare group partners, including SingHealth, will also be conducting training.

Beyond diagnostic knowledge, Philips’ Sleep and Respiratory Education Center is also designed to upskill physicians in the latest sleep and respiratory therapy technologies including its connected Dream Family CPAP solution, home ventilation solutions, oxygen therapy and respiratory drug delivery solutions. Physicians will also be trained on using Philips’ innovative digital engagement tools to keep patients motivated to use therapy as prescribed.

“Our mission is to improve people’s lives through innovation. Sleep health is an important yet often forgotten pillar of health and wellbeing. With the technologies available today, and advances in home testing, we aim to make it more accessible for people who suffer from sleep disorders to seek professional help,” said Ivy Lai, Country Manager, Philips Singapore.

“Our center aims to provide best-in-class education and training from the world’s leading sleep specialists for healthcare professionals across the region to address the current gap in sleep-qualified professionals in Southeast Asia, so that timely diagnosis and treatment can be provided to people who suffer from sleep disorders,” added Ms. Lai.

Clinical solutions to better manage sleep apnea

The Sleep and Respiratory Education Center is the latest addition to Philips’ regional headquarters in Singapore - the Philips APAC Center - a 38,000-square-meter state-of-the-art building that already boasts a number of other world-class training and innovation areas, including a Health Continuum Space, which was launched in 2017 to facilitate better collaboration between governments, healthcare professionals and stakeholders.

Beyond raising awareness through education about the importance of sleep, Philips is innovating sleep solutions rooted in clinical evidence and technical data that work together to promote better health – from clinical solutions designed to better manage sleep apnea, to modern technology designed to help people start their days naturally.

Regional and Singapore-based healthcare professionals interested in the training programs at Philips’ Sleep and Respiratory Education Center can contact Philips at src_sg@philips.com. Information on upcoming training and events can be found on Philips’ website.

1- http://www.stopbang.ca/osa/prevalence.php

2- M. LeBlanc, S. Beaulieu-Bonneau, C. Mérette, J. Savard, H. Ivers, and C. M. Morin, “Psychological and health-related quality of life factors associated with insomnia in a population-based sample,” Journal of Psychosomatic Research, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 157–166, 2007. View at Publisher · View at Google Scholar · View at Scopus

3- Ohayon MM et al. Correlates of global sleep satisfaction in the psychiatric diagnosis categories. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2002; 56: 239-240

* Taken from a study by the JurongHealth Services Research and Quality Improvement Grant, March 2016, https://www.juronghealthcampus.com.sg/MediaReleaseDetail/mr160317-Sleep_Apnea