First, patients were perceived to possess lowly perception of nurses and lack respect for nurses. These stood out strongly as communication inhibitors in the local setting. Nurses in Singapore are commonly perceived as ‘maids’ or ‘helpers’
(foreign domestic workers). These foreign domestic workers are lowly paid and usually come from similar countries as our
foreign-trained nurses, i.e. the Philippines, India or Indonesia.
The consequence for nursing and the tendency of Singaporeans to link nurses and ‘helpers’ together is that
patients/relatives are more likely to approach doctors than nurses for support and information. To overcome this perception,nursing leaders in Singapore need to concentrate on a nationwide education programme to improve the image of modern nurses and their work with the general public.