Dr. Chan Xin Hui Diana

Dr Diana Chan is an anaesthesiologist and a pain specialist. She obtained her MBBS in 2008 and MMED (Anaesthesia) in 2013. She was the immediate past Head of Department of the Department of Pain Medicine in Singapore General Hospital, and the Founder and Head of SingHealth Duke-NUS Pain Centre. She did her fellowship in chronic pain management and regional anaesthesia in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia, in 2016 and completed her Masters of Clinical Investigation and Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture in 2017 and 2019 respectively. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Fellow in Interventional Pain Medicine certificate. She is well known in the pain medicine field for her strong clinical and pain interventional skills, pain research and education, and entered private practice to provide more dedicated care to her patients. She is the first female pain specialist in the private sector.

Anaesthesiology – General Anaesthesia, Regional Anaesthesia, Sedation, Labour epidurals, Paediatric anaesthesia

Interventional Pain Management – Spinal nerve blocks, nerve neurolysis, radiofrequency ablations, disc ablations, regenerative pain therapies, cancer pain management, neurostimulation, trigger point injections, dry needling

Holistic pain therapies, multidisciplinary pain management

• Experience in minimally invasive pain procedures with >10 years practicing pain medicine and performing > 800 basic and advanced pain procedures using both ultrasound and fluoroscopy.
  • Epidural steroid injections
  • Radiofrequency ablations of joints/ nerves/ spine
  • Disc ablation procedures
  • Regenerative procedures (Platelet rich plasma injections and prolotherapy)
  • Procedures treating neuropathic pain e.g. trigeminal neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia, complex regional pain syndrome, persistent post spinal surgical pain, chronic pelvic pain
  • Botox injections for migraines, pyriformis syndrome and other indicated conditions
  • Cancer pain interventions e.g. intrathecal catheters, sympathetic blocks/ neurolysis
• Establishment of multidisciplinary and community pain outreach services in SingHealth (COMPASS)
• Management of wide variety of adult male and female and paediatric pain syndromes

1. Chua HW, Li LW, Yen D, Chan DX, Liu CW. Prevalence of tramadol misuse: A pilot multicentre cross-sectional survey in Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2024 Apr 29;53(4):274-276. doi: 10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2023315.PMID: 38920186
2. Lin X, Liu CW, Chan DXH. In response. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2023 Aug 16:rapm-2023-104718. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2023-104718. PMID: 37586876.
3. Zheng Y, Liu CW, Hui Chan DX, Kai Ong DW, Xin Ker JR, Ng WH, Wan KR. Neurostimulation for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review of High-Quality Randomized Controlled Trials With Long-Term Follow-Up. Neuromodulation. 2023 Jul 10:S1094-7159(23)00672-4. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2023.05.003.
4. LIN X, Liu CW, Goh QY.. Diana Xin Hui Chan. Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block for early pain management of elderly patients with hip fracture: a single-center double-blind randomized controlled trial Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine doi: 10.1136/rapm-2022-10411
5. Quak, Su M.; Pillay, Nanthini; Wong, Suei N.; Karthekeyan, Ranjith B.; Chan, Diana X.H.; Liu, Christopher W. Y. Effects of regional anaesthesia on mortality in patients undergoing lower extremityamputation: A retrospective pooled analysis  Indian Journal of Anaesthesia: June 2022 – Volume 66 – Issue 6 – p 419-430 doi:10.4103/ija.ija_917_21
6. Zhen Wei Lim, Christopher W Liu and Diana XH Chan. Interventional therapies for management of hip fracture pain peri-operatively: A review article Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare Volume 31: 1–9 DOI: 10.1177/20101058221106282 journals.sagepub.com/home/psh
7. Aw NM, Yeo S, Wylde V, DXH Chan et al Impact of pain sensitisation on the quality of life of patients with knee osteoarthritis RMD Open 2022;8: doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2021-001938
8. Chow Yuen Mei, Tong Clara Kai Yi, Chutatape Thor Timothy Anuntapon, Seah Cheng Ngee, Cui Shu Li, Tan Kian Hian, Chan Diana Xin Hui. Survey of patients’ perspectives on the use of acupuncture as a complementary treatment for chronic pain. Bali Journal of Anaesthesiology Year : 2022 | Volume:  6 | Issue Number:  1 | Page: 1-5
9. Pei Yu Tan, Singh Prit Anand, Chan XH Diana. Postmastectomy Pain Syndrome: A Timely Review of its Predisposing Factors and Current Approaches to Treatment. Proceedings of Singapore Health Apr 2021: 1-9
10. PY Tan, DXH Chan, DDBS Quah. Survey of physician comfort and attitudes on perioperative opioid prescription in patients with chronic pain. Proceedings of Singapore Health https://doi.org/10.1177/20101058211008197
11. Jane Mary George, Yi Xu, Nursa’adah Binte Jamil, Su Fee Lim, Lian Leng Low, Diana Xin Hui Chan. Lessons learnt from Collaborations of a Tertiary Pain Centre with Community Healthcare teams during the COVID-19 pandemic – time to reconsider a new normal, Br J Community Nurs 2020 Oct 2;25(10): 480-488
12. Chan XHD, Lin XF, Jane Mary George, C. Liu. Clinical Challenges and Considerations in management of Chronic Pain Patients during a COVID-19 Pandemic. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2020; 49: 669-73
13. Au Yong, P.S.A., Kwa, C.W.X. & Chan, X.H.D. Anaesthetic Considerations for Rationalizing Drug Use in the Operating Theatre: Strategies in a Singapore Hospital During COVID-19SN Compr. Clin. Med.(2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-020-00345-6
14. Au Yong PSA, Chan DXH. Opioid reduction strategies are important for laparotomies during the covid-19 outbreak Reg Anesth Pain Med Reg Anesth Pain Med 2020;0:1. doi:10.1136/rapm-2020-101533 IF 5.564
15. Edwin Kang Wei Lim, Shi Yan, Sneha Elizabeth Eapen, Syed Ehsan Saffari, Diana Xin Hui Chan. The Influence of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Adjunct Acupuncture on Long- Term Pain Improvement for Patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia. Journal of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine Vol 5:1: 32-36
16. . JHF Goh, MM Zhang, HL Chee, and XHD Chan. Refractory Hypotension Following Elective Total Hip Replacement Surgery in a Patient Treated With Herbal Medicine: A Case Report, A&A Practice. 2020;14:e01172.
17. Chan XH Diana, Sim YE, Chan YH, R. Poopalalingam, HR Abdullah. Development of the Combined Assessment of Risk Encountered in Surgery (CARES) surgical risk calculator for prediction of postsurgical mortality and need for intensive care unit admission risk: a single-center retrospective study. BMJ Open 2018;8e019427. Doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019427
18. Chan XH Diana, Li Lydia and Tan KH.Intrathecal Catheter Insertion and Analgesia is a Safe and Effective Method of Pain Control in Patients with Advanced and Intractable Cancer Pain. J Pain Relief 2016, 6:289
19. Thong SY, Sin EI, Chan DX, Shahani JM. Infant lumbar and thoracic epidurals for abdominal surgeries: cases in a paediatric tertiary institution. Singapore Med J 2015; 56(8): 455-459; http://dx.doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2015123
20. Tan AY, Chan DX, Soh CR. An unusual route taken by a central venous catheter resulting in inadvertent subclavian artery cannulation: a case report. Oxf Med Case Reports. 2015 Jun 1;2015(6):303-5. doi: 10.1093/omcr/omv042. eCollection 2015 Jun.
21. Chan XH Diana, Thong SY, Oriana Ng. Case Report: Rapidly corrected Metabolic Acidosis as an unusual cause of Postoperative Apnoea. OA Case Reports 2014 Feb 25;3(2):16.
22. . Diana X H Chan, Thay Yujia, Ayesha Ali. An Unusual Cause of Intraoperative Airway Obstruction in a Child with Wiskott-Aldrich SyndromeAnaesthesia 2014, anaesthesiacases.org 2014-088
23. Tan KK, Chan DX, Vijayan A, Chiu MT. Management of pancreatic injuries after blunt abdominal trauma. Experience at a single institution. Journal of Pancreas.2009 Nov 5;10(6):657-63.
24. Leong XYA, Lim ZW, Li LW, Chan XHD. A blended learning program focusing on comprehensive opioid management in pain (COMP): A pilot program. Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare. 2023;32. doi:1177/20101058231224494
25. Davies L J, Mathew C, Pourghaderi A, Chan DX et al. (January 08, 2024) COVID-19 Pandemic Simulation Modelling in Anaesthesia Residency Training to Predict Delays and Workforce Deficiencies: A Case Study of the Singapore Residency Training Program. Cureus 16(1): e51852. doi:10.7759/cureus.51852
26. Tiehua Du, et al Diana Chan. Automated Pain Detection using STA-LSTM on facial landmarks –ISMSI 2024: 2024 8^th International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Metaheuristics & Swarm Intelligence doi.acm.org?doi=3665065.3665072
27. – Diana XH Chan, Seyed Ehsan, Katy Leung YY. The Influence of Pain Catastrophizing on pain and function after Knee Arthroplasty in Knee Osteoarthritis– Nature. Scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67561-1
28. Chin Wen Tan, Tiehua Du et al Diana Xin Hui Chan Automated Pain Detection via Facial Expression for Adult Patients using Artificial Intelligence –– accepted for publication at Journal of Clinical Anaesthesia
29. Zhang Q, Chan DXH, Ho KY. Efficacy and Safety of Fixed-Dose Combinations for Pain in Older Adults. Drugs Aging. 2024 Oct 25. doi: 10.1007/s40266-024-01156-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39453601.
30. Automated Pain Detection via Facial Expression for Adult Patients using Artificial Intelligence – Chin Wen Tan, Tiehua Du et al Diana Xin Hui Chan – accepted for publication at Journal of Clinical Anaesthesia

Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Chinese Medicine – Daniel Ting, Yuhe Ke et al, Diana Chan, Tien Yin Wong

Dr Diana Chan has been interviewed on a variety of chronic pain topics on numerous media including Frontline Channel 8, Capital FM95.8, MoneyFM radio network, Straits Times, Lianhe Wanbao, Lianhe Zaobao, TodayOnline. She also volunteers as a role model for the Women in Science network in their Inspiring Girls programme to several schools, advising on their career choices. She was also recently featured on the Prestige Magazine as one of the Women of Power advocating for pain medicine.

Dr Chan has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed research articles on topics related to pain management and anaesthesia. She has been an invited speaker for both pain and anaesthesia topics at both local and regional medical conferences and training workshops.

In SingHealth, she received 1) NMRC Research Training Fellowship 2) was Pain Director of SKH Pain Unit, and subsequently became Head of Department of Pain Management in SGH from 2020 onwards. She established and founded the Community Pain Service of SingHealth (COMPASS) and then founded and headed the SingHealth Duke-NUS Pain Centre.

May 2023 – Present

Secretary

Academy Medicine College of Medicine Singapore, Pain Chapter

May 2020 – Present

Council member

Academy Medicine College of Medicine Singapore, Anaesthesia

March 2019 – March 2021

Treasurer

Pain Association of Singapore

May 2017 – Present

Member

Fellow of Academy Medicine College of Medicine Singapore (FAMS)

2013 – Present

Member

Singapore Society of Anaesthesiologists

2022 – Present

Member

Women in Science Network

2023 – Present

Board of Directors

BTSSTST Charity Organization