Prof Alex Sia is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital (KKH). Prior to his appointment, Prof Sia was Chairman, Medical Board, KKH, as well as Senior Associate Dean (KKH Campus) at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical School. He also served as Director at the KK Research Centre from 2009 to 2013 and was the Deputy Group Chairman Medical Board at SingHealth from 2016-2017.

Prof Sia graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Singapore in 1989, following which, he pursued specialty training in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at the Singapore General Hospital and KKH, and received his Master of Medicine in Anaesthesiology in 1994 and Certificate of Specialist Accreditation in Intensive Care Medicine in 2012. In 2015, under the Ministry of Health Holdings Hospital Administration Scholarship Scheme, Prof Sia obtained his Master in Business Administration from Singapore Management University.

Presentation Synopsis
Systems Approach to Patient Safety and Experience
The traditional systems approach to patient safety involves the recognition of the multiple factors at play surrounding an error in a Swiss cheese model. However, there is a need to recognise the interplay of forces and influences greater than just the multiple components in the Swiss cheese model. This in turn demands a conscientious adoption of a multidisciplinary approach to patient safety requiring stakeholders to collaborate across boundaries. Additionally, traditional healthcare model delineates patient safety from patient experience as being within the purview of 2 highly specialised groups – clinical specialists and customer experts. There is a growing clinical case for improving patient experience to impact patient safety, and engaging patients to participate in the care process will become the new norm. The talk will also share KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s efforts to achieve a systems approach.