Acta Medica Philippina最新文献

{"title":"Perception of Research Education among Medical Students of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine: A Mixed-Methods Study.","authors":"Carlos Diego A Rozul, Joven Jeremius Q Tanchuco","doi":"10.47895/amp.vi0.9655","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.vi0.9655","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The University of the Philippines College of Medicine has been lauded for its research output, especially among faculty members. Research is also integrated in its curriculum for medical students in pursuit of \"six-star physicians.\" However, there has been no consolidated analysis on the outcomes of feedback collected from students.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The study aims to describe the perception of research education among medical students in Learning Units III to VII (LU III-VII) from academic year 2017-2018 to 2019-2020 in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Through a mixed-method descriptive design, students enrolled in the MD and MD-PHD program from LU III-VII of the UPCM were invited to participate in a survey. Furthermore, a review of the student research database and course evaluations were conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 197 student-initiated studies were conducted according to the college database, varying in types and approaches. However, only 4% of the registered research was published. Research-oriented courses were also rated highly among the medical students. This was consistent with positive attitudes towards research among the majority of participants. However, only 32.2% of the target sample size participated in the survey.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Participants of the survey had positive perceptions regarding their research education. However, there are several areas for improvement such as provision of grants, publication assistance, compliance with research registration, and mentorship in data analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"47-57"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174646/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Scoping Review on the Status of Clinical Simulation in Healthcare Education in the Philippines.","authors":"Christopher S Constantino, Rowena F Genuino, Nicole Katrina P Kilem, Glenmarie Angelica S Perias, Gere Ganixon T Ang","doi":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.11554","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.11554","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Simulation immerses learners in guided replications of real-life experiences. Simulation-based learning in the health profession allows trainees and professionals to practice skills in a controlled environment using various modalities, enhancing patient safety and minimizing clinical errors.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To describe the profile of Philippine studies on clinical simulation in healthcare professional education and assess the methodological quality of these studies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a scoping review of studies on clinical simulation studies in healthcare education in the Philippines. We followed the methods for scoping review and reported using the PRISMA Scoping review checklist. We searched for relevant studies from electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, CENTRAL, Herdin, and Cochrane) as of May 17, 2024, and summarized descriptive data on the characteristics of the study, population, clinical simulation technique, and outcomes, using graphical summaries and tables. We assessed the methodological quality of included studies using the Modified Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MMERSQI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We included 13 studies mostly published in the 2020s (7), by faculty as main author (9), with hospital affiliation (10), single-center (11), setting in NCR (11), analytic (10), medical field (10), educational purpose (7), using task trainers (5), low- to medium-fidelity (11), with technical competencies (mostly skills) as desired outcome (9), median sample size of 40, and including mostly postgraduate level participants (7). There was moderate methodological quality (median MMERSQI score, 51 [range, 40, 77] with the 'type of data' item being highly reported and 'validity of instrument tool' item poorly reported.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The observed gaps in methodological rigor, study design, and fidelity of simulation techniques in healthcare education in the Philippines highlight opportunities for advancing the field. Future research should aim to address these gaps, particularly by increasing the use of RCTs, enhancing the validity of measurement tools, and incorporating comprehensive simulation components.</p>","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"9-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174649/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morbidity and Mortality Conferences of the Philippine General Hospital Department of Surgery: A Survey on the Perception of Surgical Trainees to Improve Patient Safety.","authors":"Ana Melissa Hilvano-Cabungcal, Jojiemar S De Pano, Marie Carmela M Lapitan","doi":"10.47895/amp.vi0.9793","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.vi0.9793","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Morbidity and mortality conferences (M&M) have been an important part of the hospital governance since the early 1900s. It has been shown to improve overall quality of care, minimize adverse occurrences and preventable fatalities, and provide chances for educational learning. However, medical trainees have different perceptions of M&M conferences which may affect its effectiveness in improving patient outcomes. The aim of this study is to determine the perception of surgical trainees towards M&M conferences.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study is a questionnaire-based survey among surgical trainees of the Department of Surgery, Philippine General Hospital (PGH), for the training year of 2023. The survey consisted of 24 questions on their perception regarding the conduct of M&M. A Likert scale was used by the respondents to rate their perceptions (1 - negative, 10 - positive). Descriptive analysis and ANOVA were used to summarize the responses to the survey.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 64 surgical trainees from the Department of Surgery responded to the survey (response rate = 71.9%). Most respondents (68.8%) reported that the ideal frequency of M&M conferences is once a month. 78.1% were not aware of the inclusion criteria of the cases discussed in the departmental M&M conferences. Most reported (64.1%) that M&M conferences did not regularly include data on outpatient events. A mean rating of 5.2 was observed among surgical trainees on how judgmental they feel about the environment of M&M conferences. Surgical trainees were willing to talk openly about their complications (mean rating 7.1). They were fearful of criticism (mean rating 4.4) and the negative repercussions of their presentations (mean rating 4.1) during M&M conferences. The respondents perceive M&M conferences to be conducive for learning and service improvement with both having a mean rating of 7.8. Most felt that M&M conferences focused on the individual performance (mean rating 7.3) while participants were divided regarding the focus on systems and processes (mean rating of 5.6). In terms of dissemination, about half (45.3%) mentioned that they did not know how the discussions/outcomes were disseminated following an M&M conference. The mean rating of willingness to talk openly of complications were significantly higher among senior residents (7.7) compared to junior residents (6.3) (p=0.008).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study observed variability in the perceptions of surgical trainees on M&M conferences. Surgical trainees tend to feel fear of criticism and negative repercussions during M&M conferences. There are opportunities for improving the format of M&M in terms of clarity of inclusion criteria and dissemination, and focusing on systems and processes rather than individual faults.</p>","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"78-84"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174647/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Evolution of Medical Education: From Teacher-centered to Learner-centered Approaches.","authors":"Agnes L Soriano-Estrella","doi":"10.47895/amp.v59i5.13451","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.v59i5.13451","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"6-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174641/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Use of Social Media for Student-led Initiatives in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Cross-sectional Study.","authors":"Nina Therese B Chan, Leonard Thomas S Lim, Hannah Joyce Y Abella, Arlyn Jave B Adlawon, Teod Carlo C Cabili, Iyanla Gabrielle C Capule, Gabrielle Rose M Pimentel, Raul Vicente O Recto, Blesile Suzette S Mantaring, Ronnie E Baticulon","doi":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.9640","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.9640","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education is an increased awareness and use of social media (SocMed) to facilitate learning. However, literature on the use of SocMed in medical education has focused primarily on educator-led teaching activities. Our study aimed to describe SocMed initiatives that were student-led, particularly for information dissemination and peer collaborative learning, and to elicit perceptions of medical students towards such activities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An online survey on SocMed usage in medical education was sent to all first- and second-year medical students at the University of the Philippines Manila College of Medicine from October to December 2021. The questionnaire collected data on demographics, SocMed habits and preferences, and perceived advantages and disadvantages of SocMed. Descriptive statistics were calculated while the free-text responses were grouped into prominent themes and summarized.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We received a total of 258 responses (71%) out of 361 eligible participants. Overall, 74% found SocMed platforms to be very and extremely helpful; 88% recommended its continued use. The most popular SocMed platforms for different tasks were as follows: Discord for independent study groups and for conducting peer tutoring sessions; Facebook Messenger for reading reminders; Telegram for reading announcements related to academics and administrative requirements, and for accessing material provided by classmates and professors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The high uptake of SocMed among medical students may be attributed to its accessibility and cost-efficiency. The use of a particular SocMed platform was dependent on the students' needs and the platform's features. Students tended to use multiple SocMed platforms that complemented one another. SocMed also had disadvantages, such as the potential to distract from academic work and to become a source of fatigue. Educators must engage with students to understand how SocMed platforms can be integrated into medical education, whether in the physical or virtual learning environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"58-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174642/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Scoping Review of Worldwide Patent Applications in Anatomical Education (2018-2022).","authors":"Rowena F Genuino, Rafael C Bundoc, Florida F Taladtad, Kevin L Ocampo, Gere Ganixon T Ang, Joseph Daniel S Timbol, Christopher S Constantino","doi":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.7687","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.7687","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Anatomical education utilizes mainly cadaver dissection, but it also depends on innovations such as novel preservation techniques, simulation models, and virtual dissection apps. There is no review on anatomical patents. This study aimed to review the worldwide landscape of existing patents on anatomical education to identify gaps and opportunities for utilization and further innovations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a scoping review for inventions, utility models, and industrial design applications on anatomical education. We searched the following databases as of December 31, 2022 (WIPO Patentscope, Espacenet, and Derwent). We deduplicated the records, screened them for eligibility, and extracted information on characteristics of the patent application and applicant. We computed frequency and percentage according to country, type of applicant, number of inventors, type of patent, scope of patent, purpose of patent, organ system, status of patent, and time to patent granting.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 667 merged records from the initial search, we removed 312 duplicates, excluded 97 records, and included 258 reports in the review. The median number of patent applications per year was 58 (range, 32, 61). Majority of the applications were from China and USA (36.0 and 34.9%, respectively), national in scope (62.8%), industry as applicant (49.6%), inventions (77.5%), usable beyond anatomy (70.9%), physical models (53.1%) and with pending status (63.6%). The median time to granting for 65 patents was 316 days (range, 40 to 1568).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>For the period 2018-2022, there were 258 patent applications related to anatomical education, both as a basic science and in clinical applications, were mostly inventions, applied for by industry, contributed by US and China, only national in scope, physical 3D models (mostly musculoskeletal, head/neck and sensory organs, and whole body), and usable beyond basic anatomy. The majority of patent applications are still pending with only 65 granted patents. Plastinated specimens, and the urinary, reproductive, and pulmonary organ system models were least represented.</p>","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"24-32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174651/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Attrition in the Training Programs of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH): A 5-year Review of Trends and Reasons from 2018-2022.","authors":"Scarlett Mia Soleta Tabuñar, Marie Dionne Parreño Sacdalan","doi":"10.47895/amp.vi0.9376","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.vi0.9376","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Attrition in the medical training programs not only affects the specialty but also the hospital, the trainee's career path, and the provision of care to patients. This study aims to determine the trends, annual rates, and reasons of attrition at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) from 2018-2022.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was carried out in two stages. A retrospective review of trainees' records from the Office of the Deputy Director of Health Operations (ODDHO) and Human Resource Department (HRD) was initially done followed by a survey of the resident training officers (RTOs). Associations between physician and program attributes to attrition were analyzed using t-test and Chi-square at p <0.05 level of significance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were 141 resignations recorded during the 5-year review (residents=113, fellows=28). The mean age for residents was 28.76 years ± 3.05, 55.75% were females, 59.29% graduated from non-UP College of Medicine (UPCM) schools, and 92.92% were single. Most left during their first year (53.98%); Ob-Gyne (n=20) and Anesthesiology (n=18) had the most number of drop-outs. For fellows, the mean age was 32.73 years ± 2.70, most were female (60.71%), single (71.43%), from non-UPCM schools (71.43%), left during their 1^st year (78.57%) and not from PGH residency (78.57%). Pediatrics (n=13) and Internal Medicine (n=9) had the highest numbers of fellow resignations. The reasons cited were mental health, unmet expectation, change in specialty, and sickness. The mean resident attrition rate was 3.51% while for fellows it was 1.36%, an evident rise was seen during the COVID-19 years.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The decision to take postgraduate training is a personal journey for medical graduates. It is important to focus on strategies in identifying modifiable stressors during demanding times and be more receptive in addressing anxiety and mental health issues. Adjustments in the selection process must give applicants the real-world feel of the training environment, so a more realistic expectation will be met.</p>","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"85-98"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174645/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development, Usability, and Effect of a Hypertension Mobile Application on Knowledge and Guidelines Adherence among Family and Community Medicine Residents: A Before-and-After Educational Intervention Study.","authors":"Sitti Khadija U Salabi, Peter Julian A Francisco, Portia Grace F Marcelo, Timothy F Trutna","doi":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.9994","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.9994","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Mobile health applications have become integral in medical education and information access, yet their effectiveness varies, and barriers to engagement persist. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the usability and effectiveness of the Hypertension Now mHealth application in enhancing knowledge and guideline adherence among Family Medicine residents.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A before-and-after educational intervention study was conducted among residents of the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM), Philippine General Hospital, from January to August 2023. The study involved the development of a mobile health application, Hypertension Now, designed to support clinicians on hypertension management. Usability, knowledge scores, and adherence to guidelines were assessed through questionnaires, pre- and post-interventions, and medical chart audits.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All 32 DFCM residents participated. The app received high ratings for ease of use, interface, and overall satisfaction. It significantly increased residents' knowledge scores by 1.6 points (p=0.001). Adherence to proper physical examination (82% vs. 91%, p=0.024), diagnosis (80% vs. 90%, p=0.012), and pharmacologic treatment (53% vs. 83%, p=0.001) significantly improved. However, no significant increases were observed in adherence to risk assessment (83% vs. 78%, p=0.371), laboratory examination (35% vs. 40%, p=0.329), and non-pharmacologic treatment (77% vs. 81%, p=0.470).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study showed the potential of mobile health tools to support medical education and enhance clinical practice in primary care settings. Integrating apps like Hypertension Now could improve management strategies and patient care outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"71-77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174650/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integration of Simulated Thoracentesis Using Thiel-preserved Cadavers in the Teaching of Thoracic Anatomy for Learning Unit III Medical Students: An Innovative Learning Strategy.","authors":"Abdel Jeffri A Abdulla, Ronnie E Baticulon, Rowena F Genuino, Cindy Pearl J Sotalbo, Jose V Tecson","doi":"10.47895/amp.vi0.11626","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.vi0.11626","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Proficiency in performing thoracentesis is a key competency recommended in the Medical Schools Objective Project (MSOP) adopted by the American Association of Medical Colleges, USA, that medical students should possess prior to graduation, although they often do not practice it clinically until the later stages of their training. Thiel-embalmed cadavers, which offer a lifelike experience with less irritation than formalin-preserved cadavers, have been increasingly used as early as 1st year medical school to teach such procedures because of their feel-like and look-like real patients. There are no studies on the use of Thiel-cadavers for simulated thoracentesis among medical students in the Philippines.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of medical students on the use of Thiel-soft embalmed cadavers for simulated thoracentesis as to the understanding of thoracic anatomy, overall learning experience, and confidence in performing the procedure in the cadaver and possibly in the clinical setting.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a descriptive cross-sectional study among Learning Unit III medical students in the University of the Philippines conducted from June 13 to 17, 2022. In the final station of the Organ System Course 205 of the Department of Anatomy's LEAP II program, a simulated thoracentesis procedure was set up using a Thiel-preserved cadaver with artificially created pleural effusion. After watching and studying thoracic anatomy, watching a video on how thoracentesis was performed by a general surgeon, students performed the procedure, and were asked to answer a 6-question Likert-scale survey to assess their perceptions and attitudes of the simulation procedure. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most of the students strongly agreed that practicing thoracentesis on the soft cadaver has improved their understanding of the anatomical basis of doing thoracentesis (97%) and of the steps of the procedure (94.9%). Similarly, when asked about how they felt doing the simulated thoracentesis, almost all (98%) strongly agreed that it was an enjoyable and stimulating learning experience. Majority strongly agreed (68%) that they felt capable doing the procedure on a soft cadaver against less than half (38.4%) feeling capable of doing it in the clinical setting. Almost all (97%) strongly agreed that simulated thoracentesis on a soft-embalmed cadaver should be part of the learning competencies of medical students because of the skills they learn by doing the procedure.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Integrating a simulated thoracentesis using a Thiel-preserved cadaver early in the course of a student's medical education, provided students with a better understanding of the anatomy of the thoracic wall and the anatomical basis of doing this simulation procedure. Though confidence in performing the procedure in a soft cadaver is ","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"33-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174643/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Feasibility of Using Telehealth for Training Health Care Workers and Persons with Disability on Integrated Rehabilitation and Prevention of Impairments and Disabilities of Leprosy, Lymphatic Filariasis, Diabetes, Pressure Ulcers, and Other Chronic Wounds (TeleRPOID Project).","authors":"Belen Lardizabal-Dofitas, Carl Froilan D Leochico, Ysabel Regina H Ortiz, Ana Dominique L España, Gerardo G Turdanes, Julie Mart C Rubite","doi":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.10003","DOIUrl":"10.47895/amp.v59i6.10003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Philippines has the highest number of new leprosy cases in the Western Pacific Region, with 1,000 to 2,000+ cases detected annually over the past decade. Out of 46 filariasis-endemic provinces in the country, 43 have eliminated lymphatic filariasis. However, many grade 2 disabilities acquired from these neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) remain undetected due to inadequate monitoring during and after treatment. This was further exacerbated by the detrimental impact of COVID-19 on healthcare access. The pandemic prompted initial adoption of teletraining, making a feasibility study necessary.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to determine the feasibility of using telehealth and distance learning to train healthcare workers and patients in the integrated rehabilitation and prevention of impairments and disabilities from leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, mycetoma, diabetes, pressure ulcers, and other chronic wounds.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Selected rural health units, patients with disabilities, and their caregivers in a leprosy- and lymphatic filariasis-endemic region were recruited. Municipal health officers and leprosy coordinators helped in the conceptualization, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the teletraining program to ensure its acceptability and utilization. Asynchronous and synchronous methods were used. The main reference was the \"Ten Steps\" guide. Training materials were shared via Google Drive and flash drives sent to each study site. One-day didactics and skills trainings were conducted through live-interactive sessions using online platforms (Zoom or Google Meet). Topics focused on nerve function assessment (for leprosy and diabetes), problems of mobility, lymphedema, wound care, and self-care. Participants practiced and demonstrated their skills on local patients, with mentoring through Messenger chats. Knowledge and performance assessments were conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study was conducted from 2021 to 2022 and the actual training implemented within four months of 2022. Two municipalities of Sultan Kudarat province, Mindanao Island group with one rural health unit (RHU) each had participated. All participants (N=16; eight RHU personnel and eight village health workers) attended the synchronous skills training, 12 (75%) submitted return demo videos, and 13 (81.25%) had practicum patients. All participants rated the training as successfully attaining objectives and activities. All were generally satisfied with the teletraining because of improved knowledge and skills gained and were willing to continue it. Efficiency, speed, quality of training, and trainers had high ratings. Teletraining was considered effective in improving the wound care of their patients. Patients were also satisfied with the home care. However, the unreliable internet service in the study sites created difficulties during synchronous sessions and negatively affected appropri","PeriodicalId":6994,"journal":{"name":"Acta Medica Philippina","volume":"59 6","pages":"99-109"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174640/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}