Cardiac Arrest: Improving Survival Rates

Philips Foundation and social service agency Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) today announced a partnership to improve cardiac incident outcomes in communities by increasing access to quality healthcare. The year-long program to fund the newly-named “SHF – Philips Foundation Heart Wellness Centre” aims to reduce the mortality rate of cardiac incidences by at least 50% (compared to patients who do not participate) and lower an individual’s risk of hospital readmission by 25%.          

The SHF – Philips Foundation Heart Wellness Centre, whose rehabilitation programs and operations will be funded by Philips Foundation in the coming year, will tackle this problem and drive higher participation in rehabilitation programs by enabling access in the heart of the community.

The SHF – Philips Foundation Heart Wellness Centre is one of three centers run by SHF that provides highly-subsidized cardiac rehabilitation services. Located at Fortune Centre (190 Middle Road), the SHF – Philips Foundation Heart Wellness Centre is convenient for cardiac patients and at-risk individuals to access the necessary care equipment and healthcare professionals to maintain their heart health. At the center, individuals will undergo the Heart Wellness Program, a structured Phase 3 and 4 cardiac rehabilitation program, where SHF’s multidisciplinary healthcare professionals will provide guidance in tailored exercise classes, nutrition counselling, and education on sustained lifelong heart-healthy habits – all of which are vital for optimum patient results. SHF supports approximately 2,500 individuals at its three centers, of which 675 are at Fortune Centre.

The provision of an accessible cardiac rehabilitation program at Fortune Centre is especially important in improving access to care for the elderly demographic, who are often less mobile and more susceptible to secondary cardiac incidences. The funding by Philips Foundation will also help keep cardiac rehab fees low for members to reduce some of the current barriers that limit access to care and help them adhere to their rehabilitation program.

Education and instilling confidence for action are also important aspects of this partnership. The Lancet Public Health found that a series of public health interventions in Singapore cumulatively increased the likelihood of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) nearly eightfold, and survival rates over twofold, underscoring the importance of such interventions to improve OHCA outcomes.

This partnership will also see 20 locales in Singapore equipped with automated external defibrillators (Philips HeartStart AEDs) and 500 individuals trained in CPR+AED over one year to build ready and resilient communities that are better equipped to deal with occurrences of cardiac incidents.