Dr Ng Tat Ming
A specialist pharmacist bridging gaps in healthcare through research and innovation
How Dr Ng Tat Ming, a specialist pharmacist, uses research and innovation to provide better care to patients.
Dr Ng Tat Ming’s work as a Specialist Pharmacist (Infectious Diseases) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) goes beyond the typical roles of dispensing medications, patient counselling and ensuring patient safety. Inspired by the problems encountered by patients and healthcare ecosystem, he seeks to provide better care to patients via evidence-based practice of clinical pharmacy and through research & innovation in areas of (1) improved antibiotics use, (2) pharmacy services innovation and (3) pharmacokinetics.
He has over a decade of experience contributing towards the efforts of antimicrobial stewardship in TTSH and nationally, to tackle the rising prevalence of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Together with a team of medical doctors and pharmacists in TTSH, Dr Ng identified that the continued use of information technology (through a computerised decision support system (CDSS) that provides recommendations to improve the use of antibiotics at the point of prescription) and human teams (through prospective review and feedback (PRF)) ensured sustainable outcomes of antimicrobial stewardship over a 10-year period (Ng et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022). This has built the foundation for him and his team to leverage on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to further improve the use of antibiotics.
Dr Ng also takes special interest in improving management of chronic diseases through addressing the public health problem of medication non-adherence. Through Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), Dr Ng and team conducted a multi-centre, self-administered survey of patients who received care at the National Healthcare Group (NHG) to examine the extent and reasons of medication non-adherence. The survey was subsequently adopted at various ambulatory clinics throughout NHG and integrated into the Next Generation Medical Record (NGEMR) and accessible by patients via the NHG Cares App (NCA) (Teo et al. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2024). That is not all. Dr Ng and team pushed the boundaries through research and innovation. Firstly, through the innovative use of 3D-printed extemporaneously compounded pharmaceutical dosage forms to tackle the challenge of bill burden, limited strengths, and forms of commercial products to provide personalised care for patients (Goh et al. Pharmaceutics. 2022). Secondly, using techniques in physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modelling to identify a suitable dosing regimen of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (PaxlovidTM) for patients with severe kidney disease who would otherwise not be able to receive this treatment (Ng et al. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2024).
Dr Ng remains committed to improving himself, not just as a pharmacist but also as a Research & Innovation Lead in TTSH Pharmacy. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and is currently pursuing a research PhD with NUS Pharmacy supported by the National Medical Research Council Research Training Fellowship (RTF).
He continues to work closely with multidisciplinary teams to develop and integrate pharmacy services into larger healthcare system, all for the betterment of patient care and medication management.
He has over a decade of experience contributing towards the efforts of antimicrobial stewardship in TTSH and nationally, to tackle the rising prevalence of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Together with a team of medical doctors and pharmacists in TTSH, Dr Ng identified that the continued use of information technology (through a computerised decision support system (CDSS) that provides recommendations to improve the use of antibiotics at the point of prescription) and human teams (through prospective review and feedback (PRF)) ensured sustainable outcomes of antimicrobial stewardship over a 10-year period (Ng et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022). This has built the foundation for him and his team to leverage on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to further improve the use of antibiotics.
Dr Ng also takes special interest in improving management of chronic diseases through addressing the public health problem of medication non-adherence. Through Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), Dr Ng and team conducted a multi-centre, self-administered survey of patients who received care at the National Healthcare Group (NHG) to examine the extent and reasons of medication non-adherence. The survey was subsequently adopted at various ambulatory clinics throughout NHG and integrated into the Next Generation Medical Record (NGEMR) and accessible by patients via the NHG Cares App (NCA) (Teo et al. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2024). That is not all. Dr Ng and team pushed the boundaries through research and innovation. Firstly, through the innovative use of 3D-printed extemporaneously compounded pharmaceutical dosage forms to tackle the challenge of bill burden, limited strengths, and forms of commercial products to provide personalised care for patients (Goh et al. Pharmaceutics. 2022). Secondly, using techniques in physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modelling to identify a suitable dosing regimen of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (PaxlovidTM) for patients with severe kidney disease who would otherwise not be able to receive this treatment (Ng et al. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2024).
Dr Ng remains committed to improving himself, not just as a pharmacist but also as a Research & Innovation Lead in TTSH Pharmacy. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and is currently pursuing a research PhD with NUS Pharmacy supported by the National Medical Research Council Research Training Fellowship (RTF).
He continues to work closely with multidisciplinary teams to develop and integrate pharmacy services into larger healthcare system, all for the betterment of patient care and medication management.
"Research and innovation is a team sport. The success of each project depends not on the abilities of the principal investigator but on the dedication and promise of each team member to collaborate across multiple expertise areas."
The work towards improving patient care and healthcare delivery involves a multidisciplinary team from medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals.
