Background: Dental caries is a tolerated and overlooked chronic disease in the Philippines. The 2018 National Survey on Oral Health of the Department of Health found that 85.2% of Filipino children aged five years old have dental caries. Prevention and management of this disease can be established early with better collaborations between dental professionals and pediatricians who generally see children promptly in their well-baby check-ups. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate pediatricians' knowledge, attitude, and practices on dental caries prevention among their child patients. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in March 2017 among pediatricians working in a tertiary public hospital in Metro Manila through a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire gathered data on knowledge about dental caries prevention, attitude towards the importance of dental screening and oral hygiene instructions, and dental health practices. Results: Among the 122 participants, 67.8% scored high in the oral health knowledge part, 85.0% revealed a positive attitude toward dental caries prevention, and many claimed that they frequently included dental caries risk assessment and preventive oral health education in their clinical practices. Conclusion Most pediatricians had high knowledge and a positive attitude toward dental caries prevention, although responses varied in the practice component. It will be valuable to continue improving the oral health proficiency of pediatricians to benefit early dental caries prevention in young patients.
knowledge ; attitude ; practices ; dental caries ; pediatricians ; Philippines

OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of satisfaction with the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) among PhilHealth-accredited members of the four different medical societies (PCP, PPS, PCS and PSA) and identify areas for improvement of the NHIP.

METHODS: In 2006, UPM-NIH conducted satisfaction surveys among PhilHealth-accredited members of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS), Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS), and Philippine Society of Anesthesiologists (PSA) during their respective national conventions. The survey questionnaire used a Leikert scale to measure level of satisfaction and was based on the key performance areas of the NHIP identified in the validation framework of the InterAgency Validation Team and key informant interviews (KIIs) of selected medical doctors. Data analysis was done using SPSS ver 14.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Respondents from the PCS (surgeons) were only slightly satisfied with PhilHealth in general, while the respondents of the other three societies: (PCP - Internists, PPS - Pediatricians, and PSA - Anesthesiologists) were slightly dissatisfied with PhilHealth. Respondents of the four societies were satisfied with the accreditation process. Respondents were most dissatisfied with the length of time to be reimbursed and the amount reimbursed for their professional services. The respondents from the PCS tended to be more satisfied than the respondents of the PCP, PPS and PSA. Respondents expressed some dissatisfaction with the PhilHealth benefit package formulation. A significant percentage of respondents (about 27%) were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with PhilHealth. These respondents could swing PhilHealth satisfaction either way and PhilHealth should make efforts to make them satisfied.

The design of the survey tool precluded a qualitative analysis of the reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction. But the areas of most dissatisfaction identified by the respondents have to do with reimbursement: length of time and amount. In subsequent small group discussions with different physician service providers, it was observed that there was a general low level of awareness about the principles of social health insurance, benefit design and payment mechanisms. PhilHealth should address this with regular information and service improvement campaigns to engender a more proactive role for the service providers in achieving greater financial access to needed quality health services for all Filipinos.

Respondents had recommendations to improve PhilHealth performance in the following areas: accreditation, reimbursement, SPECIAL ARTICLE benefit package formulation, administrative process, and coverage and enrollment. Many of the recommendations had to do with increasing PhilHealth efficiency, unifying the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) and PhilHealth standards, simplifying and decreasing requirements for the different processes and improving PHIC's information system. They also recommended revising the relative value scale (PhilHealth's system of assigning a value to a certain procedure which serves as the basis for determining the amount for reimbursement), improving coverage, formulating comprehensive benefit packages focused on the poor, and effective identification of the poor for the Sponsored Program, (PhilHealth's program for enrolling the poor).

Human ; Male ; Female ; Relative Value Scales ; Anesthesiologists ; Philippines ; Social Security ; Insurance, Health ; Pediatricians ; Surgeons ; Societies, Medical