DESIGN: Descriptive-cross-sectional with correlational analysis using ANOVA. SETTING: Outpatient Department (OPD) of Santo Tomas University Hospital (STUH) Clinical Division. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred one out of 105 patients 60 years old and above consulting at the OPD using total enumeration by using computed sample size with the Epi Info 6 Program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic and Medical Profile of respondents, results of the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) for cognitive dysfunction, and Daily Activities and Social Independence Test (DAST) for functional dependence and correlation between MMSE and DAST and test of association between the two and the demographic profile by ANOVA. RESULTS: A total of 47 out of 101 (46.5 percent) scored 23 and below suggesting possible dementia. With scores adjusted to educational attainment, the prevalence of dementia was estimated to be 21.7 percent. The MMSE score had a strong indirect correlation with the total score of Daily Activities and Social Independence test (4=0.79, p0.05). These scores were likewise correlated with the educational attainment and age but no associations noted with regards to sex and civil status. CONCLUSIONS: The Occurrence of dementia was noted as age advanced, and was inversely related to the level of educational attainment. There is also an expected impairment among those who scored positive for dementia screening.
Human ; Aged 80 and over ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; DEMENTIA ; ELDERLY ; AMBULATORY CARE FACILITIES

Human ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Abdominal Pain ; diagnosis ; Fibrosis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

Background: Spiritual struggle is a state of distress a person experiences when relationships with the sacred are fundamentally challenged or broken. Its presence has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, attempts to address the whole being of patients, including spiritual well-being, were explored to improve outcomes of care. Objective: The study determined the prevalence of spiritual struggle among COVID-19 related cases and assessed the effectiveness of a formulated spiritual regimen versus the standard pastoral care. Methods: This is a randomized, triple-blind, controlled trial. COVID-19 patients tagged as having religious struggle were randomized into two equal groups (chaplain-led spiritual intervention and self-driven standard pastoral care). The Religious Struggle Screening Scale (RSSS) was measured at baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention in both groups. Results: Prevalence of spiritual struggle among COVID-19 patients was 67%. Baseline patient demographics were similar for both groups. The overall RSSS slightly decreased throughout the 4-week duration for both groups. In addition, the six dimensions of the RSSS, namely: divine, demonic, interpersonal, moral, ultimate meaning and doubt were noted to have slightly improved. However, the differences in the two groups were not significant. Conclusion There is no difference in the effect on religious struggle of a formulated spiritual regimen and standard care given to COVID-19 patients.
COVID-19 ; Religion

Introduction: Telemedicine services have steadily been relied upon since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding its usability and contextual performance is of paramount importance if it were to pervade the local health delivery system. Hence, a tool to assess usability is warranted. Objective: The study aims to adapt a reliable and validated instrument in English to Filipino, the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ), on evaluating the usability of telemedicine services in the Philippines. Methodology: The research is a translation and validation study. The methodology includes forward translation in collaboration with our UST Sentro sa Salin at Araling Salin and expert panel review with five experts using the telehealth system. It was followed by pretesting (pilot testing and cognitive debriefing) of the pre-final tool to 30 family medicine telehealth patients and field testing of the final instrument to 85 telehealth patients from USTH. Appropriate statistical methods for assessment included internal consistency, content validity and linguistic with conceptual equivalence. Results: All translated items were retained, but through the focus group discussion, several statements were modified to fit the cultural context. Each item and the overall tool showed excellent validity and internal consistency. The mean difference scores for each item and domain were less than ±0.25. Tests of equivalence showed that majority of items and each domain were not statistically different (p>0.05), suggesting that both questionnaires are similar and homogenous. Furthermore, the Bland-Altman plots for each dimension/domain are within the upper and lower boundaries indicating agreement between the two versions. Conclusion TUQ-Filipino is a valid and appropriate instrument to assess telehealth usability in the local setting.
Telemedicine