The opening ceremony with the Guest of Honor, Prof Benjamin Ong (5th from left), Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health
The wonderful nursing staff supporting teaching stoma care in the elderly
Cross-disciplinary social dinner with keynote speaker Prof Henrik Kehlet (front row, centre)
The opening ceremony with the Guest of Honor, Prof Benjamin Ong (5th from left), Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health
The inaugural EBPOM - Asia 2019 Conference took place in Singapore from 1 to 3 November 2019. The conference was
co-organised by the Singapore Society of Anaesthesiologists, the Geriatric Surgery Society of Singapore (GSSS), and the Society for Geriatric Medicine Singapore. This conference was organised understanding that conditions in elderly patients are more complex and as they undergo surgery, new approaches are required to improve surgical outcomes, contain healthcare costs and facilitate rapid return to the community. Important concepts of patient
centricity, team-based management, identification and optimization of the frail and specialised enhanced recovery programmes for
the elderly were discussed.
The theme was “Breaking Boundaries of Perioperative Care in the Elderly”. The organising committee were deeply encouraged
that like-minded surgeons, anaesthetists, physicians, nurses and allied health personnel came together and brought together ideas and protocols that work. This was truly a cross-disciplinary conference with a difference.
In total, 686 international participants attended the conference and there were 64 local and international speakers. The participants came from 28 different countries. We were particularly thankful for the wonderful support from the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthesiologists Special Interest Group on Perioperative Medicine. Within the conference, the Geriatric Surgery Society of Singapore also conducted the First Cross-Cluster Meeting of Perioperative Geriatric Surgical Care Models at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital where 119 participants from various local and international institutions attended a very lively discussion on this topic.
The GSSS also conducted a lunchtime workshop on “Tips and Trick on Stoma Care in the Elderly”. Overall we were very much enriched by the conference and look forward to the next
instalment with deeper collaborations.