SRMS - The Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (Singapore)

What is society's main goal?

The Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (Singapore) or SRMS is a non-profit organization representing rehabilitation physicians in Singapore. SRMS aims to promote the development of rehabilitation medicine and to improve the education and research in the field. We also aim to unite and further the co-operation between rehabilitation physicians, allied health professionals, other related health professionals, caregivers and patients within the rehabilitation field. 

Is there a personal story behind the establishment of the society?

Rehabilitation medicine is a relatively young specialty in Singapore. The first rehabilitation medicine unit was established in Tan Tock Seng Seng Hospital in 1973 but it was not till 1998 before it was accredited as a distinct medical specialty by the Ministry of Health, Singapore. There was no national society to represent the rehabilitation physicians locally. A small group of rehabilitation physicians thus came together and SRMS was inaugurated in 2006. SRMS became a country member of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) the following year.

Why did your society decide to take part in the RehabWeek?

2023 marks the golden jubilee for the specialty of rehabilitation medicine in Singapore. SRMS was planning some celebratory events to mark this. Just like many other fields in medicine, rehabilitation medicine is increasingly driven by technology. Rehabweek brings together different experts in the field of rehabilitation technology and will present as an excellent opportunity for us to show how the field of rehabilitation medicine has evolved in Singapore over the last 50 years. This is especially meaningful for us since Singapore is co-hosting the event on home ground.

Why is RehabWeek unique and why should people attend?

This RehabWeek is unique as it is the first time being held in Asia and in a cozy country like Singapore that may be small but very convenient to travel to, safe with exciting places of interest. Besides the myriad of insights you can gain from the various RehabWeek international societies, there will also be rehabilitation technology exhibitions that showcase state of the art applications that will benefit patients and rehabilitation providers. SRMS will also hold a summit with established local and invited international speakers that have contributed towards rehabilitation care evolution locally but relevant regionally and internationally.

What do you think will be the next big topic in the field? Why?

The next big topic in the field is likely the use of artificial intelligence to make rehabilitation care more precise and individualized. With advances of computer engineering and knowledge in machine/deep learning methods and algorithms, it is timely for rehabilitation professionals to embark on understanding and applying artificial intelligence into clinical practice to prescribe therapeutics more precisely and optimize the use of manpower and equipment resources. This will also enable the development of intelligent rehabilitation technologies that are more customized to the needs of individuals with functional limitations.

Any success story you would like to share?

We are excited to be involved in RehabWeek for the first time this year in our home country and will be privileged to showcase some of our rehabilitation research labs and clinics to delegates to co-share and learn practices that will benefit individuals with rehabilitation needs around the world.