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The Guardian
4 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Dogs pulling on leads cause large number of hand and wrist injuries in UK, study shows
Walking your dog may be good for you and your canine companion, but research shows it can also be dangerous. While the health benefits are numerous – encouraging increased activity levels and physical exercise, improving cardiovascular health and weight – researchers found that being pulled on the lead increases the risk of falls and injuries. The research published in BMJ Injury Prevention estimates that there are so many hand and wrist injuries among the walkers of the UK's 13 million pet dogs that it could be costing the NHS in excess of £23m a year. Hand and wrist injuries account for up to 30% of all cases treated in accident and emergency departments and 20% of acute fractures. The British Society for the Surgery of the Hand says hooking fingers under a dog's collar can cause finger fractures, while wrapping the lead around the wrist, hand or fingers can cause serious injury if the dog pulls suddenly. Experts from Raigmore hospital in Inverness and Sengkang general hospital in Singapore reviewed five US studies involving almost 500,000 injuries from dog walking. Of these, more than a fifth were specific fractures or soft tissue injuries to the hand and wrist. Finger and wrist fractures were the most common, accounting for just under 62,000 injuries. And more than two-thirds of injuries were caused by the dog pulling its lead, with the remainder attributed to tripping over the lead or dog and falling, and getting tangled up in the lead. While dog walking is not any riskier than other activities for injuring hands or wrists, the study found that women and older adults were disproportionately affected by dog walking injuries. Almost three-quarters of the injuries were among women and just under a third among those over the age of 65. The authors then modelled the potential costs of treating fractures and casts for broken wrist bones and calculated that treating distal radius fractures caused by dog walking-related injury could cost the NHS in England more than £23m a year alone. The figure does not include the wider economic impact of patients being unable to work and potentially higher care needs, the authors added. 'Preventive measures, including safer leash practices and public safety guidance, should be implemented to reduce injury risk,' the authors said. 'Policies should teach dog owners optimal dog walking practices to minimise injuries and enforce adequate dog training to reduce the risk of dogs injuring the person walking them.' Responding to the findings, Mark Bowditch, the president of the British Orthopaedic Association, said: 'Dog ownership is often promoted and encouraged for the multiple health benefits described. Nevertheless this data demonstrates that injuries may occur during the day-to-day activities of living with dogs. 'Hand, wrist and arm or shoulder injuries are very common and increasing. They can cause considerable functional disruption and interference. Owners needed to be informed and educated about how best to prevent these injuries, he added. 'This may be the breed suitability and exercise needs, simple available training, leash design, usage and handling.' Ryan Trickett, the communications chair of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, said: 'Anecdotally we have known there are some risks to dog walking for many years, and this review enables a better understanding of the burden of this problem. 'Sudden pulls from the lead or the collar can easily cause walkers to fall and fracture their wrist. However, other injuries are also common in this scenario. Twisting injuries to the finger can be particularly damaging as they cause tears in the skin and often underlying finger fractures. These injuries can be troublesome to treat and the finger rarely returns to complete normality.' A spokesperson for the Kennel Club said: 'All owners should recognise how important it is to train their dog to walk on a lead without pulling or straining, to avoid injury for both dogs and people, and as part of making sure their four-legged friend is a good canine citizen.' This would help ensure owners could remain in control of their dog while walking among people, other dogs and distractions, and without pulling. He added: 'Choosing the right collar, lead and equipment from the offset is also important – they need to be comfortable, well-fitted and secure.'
Business Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
A startup, a scale-up and a hospital bag top accolades at maiden Design AI and Tech Awards
[SINGAPORE] Home-grown semiconductor optics startup MetaOptics Technologies, local autonomous cleaning robot firm LionsBot and Sengkang General Hospital clinched top honours at the inaugural Design AI and Tech Awards (Daita) on Monday (May 19). Jointly organised by The Business Times (BT) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), the competition aims to spur innovators from startups and companies to harness design and technology to develop groundbreaking solutions that tackle real-life business challenges. Daita was launched in October 2024 with multi-asset investment firm Granite Asia as a supporting partner. MetaOptics swept the judges with its advanced colour metalens imaging system that features a single-glass layer alternative to traditional multi-layer curved plastic lenses. Its deputy chief executive officer Aloysius Chua said in his presentation: 'The challenge today with traditional three-dimensional optics is the bulkiness, complexity and high costs.' He explained that metalenses, also known as flat optics or 2D lenses, are single layers of glass made up of millions of circular pillars of varying diameters – each as thin as one-thousandth of a human hair – at the same height.
Malay Mail
17-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Singapore hospitals face longer emergency wait times as Covid-19 cases rise post-holiday
SINGAPORE, May 17 — Several hospitals in Singapore are experiencing longer waiting times at their emergency departments (EDs) this week due to a post-public holiday surge in demand, according to The Straits Times (ST). In response to media queries, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday that acute hospitals often see higher attendance at their EDs during specific times of the year, with the current rise consistent with the usual post-holiday trend, ST reported. Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) confirmed the increase in separate Facebook posts on May 14, attributing it to the post-holiday period. The Ministry assured that triage procedures remain in place to prioritise patients with critical conditions, ensuring urgent cases receive prompt attention. MOH added that inpatient teams have been activated to start treatment for patients awaiting admission at the ED to prevent delays in care. In some cases, patients may be transferred to other hospitals for further treatment. According to ST, hospitals also cited a rise in Covid-19 cases as contributing to the congestion. Between April 27 and May 3, Singapore recorded 14,200 Covid-19 cases, up from 11,100 the previous week. CGH highlighted that some seniors admitted for other medical conditions were later found to be Covid-19 positive. SKH noted that while the increase aligns with typical post-holiday trends, most cases were unrelated to Covid-19. The National University Health System (NUHS), which oversees several hospitals, told ST that the current surge is consistent with past post-holiday periods. It also said there were no unusual patterns of illnesses. To address the high patient load, hospitals are triaging patients based on acuity and priority, with senior emergency physicians reviewing cases to ensure appropriate admissions. NUHS has redeployed and increased its manpower to support ED operations, according to ST. MOH and hospitals have urged the public to visit the ED only for serious or life-threatening emergencies. Patients with mild to moderate symptoms, such as a cough or sore throat, are encouraged to seek care from general practitioners or polyclinics instead. The ministry also noted the availability of the Mobile Inpatient Care at Home (MIC@Home) programme, where teams of medical professionals provide care at patients' homes via teleconsultations and home visits. Medically stable patients may also be transferred to community hospitals or transitional care facilities to alleviate bed shortages, ST reported. In Malaysia on May 1, the government officially revoked the declaration that classified all states and federal territories as infected local areas — a move marking the country's shift away from emergency pandemic measures — more than five years after it was put in place. However, Covid-19 has not been entirely eradicated, data in Malaysia showed a slight uptick in active cases, rising from 8,488 on April 30 to 8,609 by May 3. For comparison, during a similar period last year — May 12 to 18, 2024 — Malaysia recorded 1,230 Covid-19 infections. Experts attributed this year's rise to waning immunity, increased travel, and reduced testing, but say the situation in Malaysia remains under control and is not a cause for alarm.
CNA
16-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
Longer emergency wait times at hospitals 'consistent' with post-public holiday surge: MOH
SINGAPORE: The current increase in wait times at some hospitals' emergency departments is consistent with a post-public holiday surge, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday (May 16). This comes after some public hospitals said on Wednesday that they were seeing a high volume of patients at their emergency departments. In Facebook posts, Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) advised their patients to expect longer wait times due to the current patient volume. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) also told CNA on Wednesday that it had seen increased patient volume at its emergency department since Tuesday. Monday was a public holiday in Singapore due to Vesak Day. A KTPH spokesperson attributed the higher numbers mainly to the recent long weekend, while SKH told CNA on Friday that the increased patient volume it faced in the past week was "consistent with the post-public holiday surge". Both hospitals said the rise in patients was not driven by COVID-19. In response to CNA's queries, MOH said acute hospitals can experience higher attendances at their emergency departments during certain times of the year. "Notwithstanding the higher attendances at the ED, hospitals will continue to promptly triage patients, to quickly identify those with severe medical conditions and ensure they are attended to urgently and patient care is not compromised." It added that inpatient teams will be activated to start treatment on patients waiting for admission into the emergency department to ensure no delay in care rendered. Patients may also be transferred or diverted to other hospitals, said MOH. "To manage bed occupancy, hospitals may admit suitable patients to Mobile Inpatient Care at Home (MIC@Home), and transfer medically stable patients to community hospitals, transitional care facilities and other community facilities or services." Echoing similar advice provided by the affected hospitals previously, the health ministry urged patients to seek care at general practitioner clinics or polyclinics for non-urgent conditions.
CNA
15-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
Longer wait times at emergency departments of CGH, KTPH and SKH due to high number of patients
SINGAPORE: A number of public hospitals in Singapore on Wednesday (May 14) advised patients to expect longer-than-usual waiting times at their emergency departments due to a high number of patients. Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) advised those with non-urgent conditions to seek treatment at general practitioner (GP) clinics. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) also told CNA that it has seen increased patient volume at its emergency department since Tuesday. A spokesperson attributed the higher numbers mainly to the recent long weekend, adding that the increase is "not primarily due to COVID-19". The hospital's emergency department "remains fully operational and the situation is under control", the spokesperson added. SKH said in a Facebook post that priority will be given based on the severity of one's condition. "For non-urgent, non-critical conditions, please seek medical attention at your GP, polyclinic or a Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC). They can provide care and assist you if your condition requires an emergency visit to the hospital," it added. CGH posted similar advice on its Facebook page. "Help us save time and save lives by allowing our medical professionals to focus on critical, urgent emergencies," it said, adding that those with mild to moderate symptoms such as cough, sore throat or runny nose should visit a GP or PHPCs. Tan Tock Seng Hospital said on its website that the hospital does experience longer-than-usual wait times at its emergency department. CNA has asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) for more information about wait times and the reasons for the higher number of patients. On Tuesday, the MOH and Communicable Diseases Agency said they were monitoring a rise in COVID-19 cases. The estimated number of COVID-19 cases rose to 14,200 in the week of Apr 27 to May 3, up from 11,100 cases in the previous week. The authorities said Singapore's hospitals are currently able to manage the increase in cases.
