Championing Person-Centered Care in Singapore

By Ellen Pucke

Dr. Jennifer Ellery Martin is a Senior Lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Senior Audiologist at the National University Hospital in Singapore. She hails from the United States, and encountered the Ida tools for the first time when she began teaching at NUS. 

“When I first began teaching at the NUS MSc Audiology Program, the curriculum already contained a few of the Ida Institute videos and tools in some of the lessons. I joined the Ida community and began exploring all of the great resources. I have been using the Ida tools for almost five years now. The amazing thing is that I just keep finding new tools to use all the time.” 

From theory into practice

The Ida tools Jennifer uses most often in her teaching are the Dilemma Game and the Patient Journey

“My classes are four hours long. Nobody wants to sit and listen to me talk for four hours. I just don’t think that is an effective learning situation for anyone. I need to have hands-on activities so that students can have a break from listening and apply the information they just learned,” Jennifer said.  

“The students practice analysis, reflection, and critical thinking as they work through difficult patient situations in the Dilemma Game. We also use the Patient Journey alongside the Ida ethnographic videos. We watch the videos and outline that patient’s journey using the tool. I think it helps the theory behind the stages seem more real.” 

Mutual learning

Jennifer notes that the Ida tools have helped her students develop their counseling skills, and have helped her learn more about Singaporean culture. 

“When we use the Ida tools in a role-playing format it allows my students to bring Singaporean culture into both the clinician role and the patient role, so that the experience is more relevant to them. This also helps me to learn more about local customs and culture in order to continue fine-tuning my own clinical skills here. It is an amazing opportunity.”

Cultural differences

“One of the challenges I face with providing person-centered care in Singapore is that Asian cultures tend to be less willing to share personal information. They are not as forthcoming as I am used to in a Western population. Building rapport is extremely important in order for the patient to feel comfortable enough to discuss the personal dynamics of their hearing loss.”

The future of person-centered care in Singapore

According to Jennifer, person-centered care is gaining traction in the Singapore medical community.

Jennifer says, “Teaching my students how to practice person-centered care is my way of ensuring that the audiologists of the future will see past audiograms and technology and realize the true impact they can have on patients and their families.”

About Jennifer Ellery Martin

Jennifer Ellery Martin, AuD, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the National University of Singapore and Senior Audiologist at the National University Hospital in Singapore. She specializes in geriatric audiology and tinnitus.  Her areas of research include neuropharmacology of tinnitus, hearing health promotion in tribal communities, and noise-induced hearing loss prevention in children.