BACKGROUND: Timely initiation of therapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is routinely made based on total serum bilirubin levels. However, serial samplings by invasive needle pricks are needed for laboratory analyses. Studies comparing the correlation between serum bilirubin and transcutaneous bilirubin have yielded diverse results. A meta- analysis was done to find out the relationship between transcutaneous bilirubin measurements and serum bilirubin values. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze scientific articles regarding the accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin measurements among healthy neonates as an alternative screening for hyperbilirubinemia. STUDY DESIGN: Diagnostic Accuracy meta- analysis. METHODS: Studies on the accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin measurements were identified through intensive literature search. Local studies were confirmed thru personal communication. RESULTS: Three hundred eighteen studies were identified through literature search. Ten studies met the eligibility criteria. Eight of the ten studies reported results as correlation coefficients. The pooled estimates of correlation coefficients is high at r = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.84 to 0.857). Five studies reported results with data for diagnostic accuracy. The pooled analysis for sensitivity and specificity are high at 0.84 (95% CI 0.8-0.88) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.77-0.81) respectively. The pooled likelihood ratio has a significant difference with a pooled positive LR of 4.19 (95% CI 2.98-5.9, P<0.01) while the negative likelihood ratio is 0.23 (95% CI: 0.17 to 0.29). The AUC for transcutaneous bilirubinometry is 0.89. CONCLUSIONS Transcutaneous bilirubin measurement can be an alternative in monitoring the risk of healthy neonates for hyperbilirubinemia based on the pooled analysis of correlation coefficient and diagnostic accuracy.

Background: Surveys in disability are getting more and more attention from the Governments and contributes towards improve service provision for people with disabilities. Objective: To describe the prevalence of people with disabilities at The Chi Linh demographic and epidemiological surveillance system (CHILILAB), Hai Duong province in 2007. Subject and Method: The cross - cutting survey conducted in the CHILILAB which has a population of 65.438 people, the WHO questionnaire of disability screening was used. Result and conclusion: Disability prevalence in Chi Linh occurs in 28.2% of the population. It is noted that the disability prevalence increases significantly with age groups: 81.8% of those who are over 60, 58.2% those aged of 40 - 59 and only 8 - 9% of those aged under 40. In addition, the disability prevalence is higher in the rural areas, women, the poor and the illiterate. It is necessary to have more study on the prevalence of people with disabilities in wider ranges. \r\n', u'\r\n', u'\r\n', u'
Prevalence ; Disability prevalence ; Disability

Background: People with disabilities have been coping with barriers that make it difficult for them to access public services. Many of them are poor, illiterate and out of work. Objective: To describe some characteristics of disabled people living in the communities of Chi Linh district, Hai Duong province. Subject and methods: Interview all of the 18.473 disabled people living in the seven communities of Chi Linh district, Hai Duong province. The contents of the interviews includes: economic-social information (income, education, job and martial status) and disability status (disability form and cause). Results: Nearly three fourths of disabled people are at the age of 45 and over. There are more women than men, with the male/female ratio at 1:1.8. Almost all of the disabled people are the Kinh in Chi Linh and 10.8% of them belong to the poor households. One in ten disabled people are illiterate and two thirds of disabled adolescents are at lower secondary school or lower. Difficulty in seeing is the most common among the kinds of disabilities, accounting for 81.9% of disabled people and about three fourths with one disability. Among the causes of disability, aging accounts for 71.5%, this is followed by illness. Conclusion: There is the need to reduce the rate of disability at the age of 45 and over, reducing the rate of sight related difficulties and increasing the accessibility of disabled people to educational services.
disability persons ; characteristics

Background: The pandemic has reshaped the lives of everyone, including the way learning is delivered. Online learning in Physical Education (OLPE) is a form of distance learning where fundamental concepts of physical fitness are conducted remotely through the aid of technology. Objectives: The study aimed to explore students' lived experiences in OLPE through the reflective narratives and photos generated from digital diary entries they made every other day for three weeks. The specific objective includes describing the students' feelings, processes, and realizations. Methodology: Eight health professions students participated in this hermeneutic phenomenological study. The reflective accounts were analyzed following the interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach and revealed super-ordinate themes clustered into three categories: feelings, processes, and realizations. Results: The first category is feelings evoked with super-ordinate themes, namely optimism with the course, appreciation of the teachers' attitude, empathy towards others, and desperation for a better set-up. The second category is processes experienced with super-ordinate themes, namely self-directed learning, awareness of the body, and dealing with heavy academic requirements. The third category is realizations with super-ordinate themes, namely experience of OLPE was a rollercoaster ride of successes and challenges, an experience that led to desires for improving self and the course, and finally, an opportunity for reflective learning. Conclusion Reflective accounts of feelings, processes, and realizations as students experience the sudden shift to OLPE are crucial in improving curricular policies and instructional designs for achieving quality outcomes.
Education, Distance ; Physical Education and Training

Background and Objectives: Reforms in health professions education in the past decade entails the development of effective curricula that impact and improve health outcomes. Along with health professionals, barangay health workers (BHW) are not spared from experiencing curricular mishaps when they undergo trainings for community health work. This article described the process of a participatory approach in curriculum development for BHWs in a local community in the Ilocos Region. Methodology: An exploratory sequential mixed method design was used for this pilot study. The method was framed from six (out of ten) steps in the Research and Development Cycle; these steps were categorized in three phases: 1) needs assessment, 2) participatory curriculum development, and 3) implementation of the curriculum and evaluation. Results: Our findings yielded both qualitative (Phases 1 and 2) and quantitative (Phase 3) data which were analyzed separately and sequentially. Phase 1 revealed findings based on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats found in the community's health care context which were used to determine the four potential training topics to develop a curriculum. Phase 2 generated a curriculum on hilot wellness through the participation of the local government and curriculum experts. Phase 3 produced evaluative data on the reaction, learning, and behavior of BHWs towards the implemented curriculum on hilot wellness. Conclusion The participatory curriculum development process entailed the generation and analysis of data from the community that produces a curriculum for the community. This curriculum does not only offer sustainable and longitudinal health care services but is sensitive to the values and culture of the community while considering the notion that learning it not linear. This article demonstrated that a participatory approach in curriculum development within health professions education can be pursued to address the everchanging healthcare needs of local communities.
Health Workforce ; Public Health ; Workforce ; Health Personnel ; Curriculum ; Occupational Health ; Community Health Services

OBJECTIVE: MRI-Ultrasound fusion guided targeted biopsy has revolutionized the diagnosis of prostatecancer through accurate identification, localization and characterization of prostatic lesions utilizingthe prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) scoring system by multiparametric MRI(MPMRI). The fusion prostate biopsy system on the other hand, enables accurate targeting and easyaccess of the tumor. The study objective is to determine the detection rate of clinically-significantprostate cancer using fusion biopsy, and to establish the correlation between PI-RADS score andGleason's score. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine the correlation betweenPI-RADS score and the presence of prostate cancer using MRI-Ultrasound fusion guided transperinealprostate biopsy. This was carried out from June 2017 to July 2018 in a single institution. One hundredthirty five (135) men were included in this study. They presented with an elevated PSA, abnormalDRE or a previous negative prostate biopsy, but with a persistent rise in PSA. A total of 220 prostatelesions were identified. The following characteristics were measured: patient age; the size, location,the PI-RADS score of each lesion, the maximum PI-RADS score for select patients; and the Gleasonscore of discovered tumors. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty PI-RADS 3, 4 and 5 lesions were detected in 135 patients by MPMRI.131 of the 220 lesions were scored as PI-RADS 3, 61 as PI-RADS 4 and 28 as PI-RADS 5. Theselesions were biopsied using the MRI-Ultrasound fusion guided transperineal prostate biopsy system.Thirty-three out of the 131 PI-RADS 3 lesions (25.2%), 44 out of the 61 PI-RADS 4 lesions (72.1%)and 24 out of the 28 PI-RADS 5 lesions (85.7%) respectively were positive for malignancy. Overall,there were 101 (45.9%) lesions classified as PI-RADS 3 to 5 that were positive for prostate carcinoma.Seventy four (74) of the 135 patients (54.8%) were diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma. Nineteenout of 65 patients with a maximum score of PI-RADS 3 (29.2%), 33 of 44 with a maximum of PI-RADS 4 (75%) and 22 of 26 with a maximum of PI-RADS 5 (84.6%) harbored malignancy. In termsof location, 45 of the 101 (44.6%) malignancies were in the peripheral sector, 31 (30.7%) in theanterior sector, and 25 (24.8%) in the central sector of the prostate. The mean Gleason grade of PI-RADS 3, 4 and 5 lesions were 6.61, 7.73, and 7.38, respectively. Using Spearman correlation, the rhocoefficient was 0.3153 (p-value =.00013) which denotes a significant positive relationship betweenGleason and PI-RADS score. CONCLUSION This is the first comprehensive Philippine study on Multiparametric MRI-Ultrasoundfusion-guided transperineal prostate biopsy. Present data validate the superiority of MPMRI in theidentification, localization and characterization of prostate cancers. The authors also verified thepositive correlation between PI-RADS score and Gleason score. Finally, they demonstrated theaccuracy of the MRI- ultrasound fusion-guided transperineal prostate biopsy system in targetingprostate lesions.

The Philippine Interprofessional Education and Collaboration (PhIPEC) Conference is the first-ever national program held in the Philippines on interprofessional education and collaboration (IPEC). This project, initiated through an inter-university partnership between University of Santo Tomas and Angeles University Foundation, aimed to facilitate uniform understanding of IPEC across higher education institutions and health facilities as well as to instigate IPEC related researches in the country. The two-day conference was able to gather over 80 participants from more than 10 health and social care professions and 15 speakers who shared their expertise in health education and practice. Aside from these, the initiative has also gathered more than 500 followings in Facebook Page and 161 members in the mailing list. With the turn-out of this initiative, there was a move to rename the group into PhIPEC Network. The network has been agreed upon to serve as an informal entity that represents a collective of Filipino health and social care professionals towards advocating collaborative learning and health care services. Future directions were also determined focused on considering IPEC initiatives in education, practice, research, and policies.
Interdisciplinary Placement

Background: The substance addiction and rehabilitation situation in the Philippines is a complex health and social crisis that has plagued individuals, groups, and communities in the past decades. While pluralistic and critical approaches to address the drug demand reduction issue are available, hegemonic practices continue to eclipse evidenceinformed approaches underpinned by resiliency and occupational justice perspectives. Methodology: This case study utilized a qualitative and interpretive approach to describe the practice processes of localized community-based drug rehabilitation programs in selected Filipino communities and to propose concrete practice processes to improve the development and implementation of the local community-based drug rehabilitation. Two independent focus group discussions were conducted. Participants were health care professionals, community workers, and citizens who have an affinity to the substance addiction rehabilitation setting. Framed by the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework, specifically the practice process “engage collaboratively with partners,” qualitative data extracted from the focus group discussions were thematically analyzed. Results: Three themes emerged: (1) Changing perspective: starting from the community; (2) Better together: collaboration and coordination in substance addiction and rehabilitation; and (3) “Juan for All, All for Juan”: contextualized strategies in substance addiction and rehabilitation. The findings in the case study reaffirm the value of shifting from an individualistic (symptom-eradication) to populational (social and systemic interventions) perspectives in developing community-based drug rehabilitation programs. Conclusion To reify occupational justice and resiliency approaches, proposed strategies include understanding drug use from critical and occupational perspectives, enacting social modeling and mentorship, promoting inter-agency and inter-professional collaborative practices, and infusing culturally appropriate strategies in the development and implementation of local community-based drug rehabilitation programs.
Occupational Therapy

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, which includes coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral artery disease. It is currently the leading cause of death worldwide. Currently, there is paucity in the available epidemiologic data of CVD in Southeast Asia (SEA).

To determine the prevalence, mortality rate, and associated risk factors of CVD (specifically ischemic heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease) among adult populations in SEA.

A systematic review of published articles between 2015 and 2020 was conducted. The authors also searched the World Health Organization database and publicly available health department websites of Southeast Asian countries.

The overall prevalence of CVDs in SEA is 5.48%. Specifically, the prevalence of ischemic heart disease is 1.54% and is highest in Thailand (2.54%). Ischemic stroke has a prevalence of 1.03% and is highest in Indonesia (1.97%). Prevalence of peripheral artery disease is 1.36% and is also highest in Thailand (1.92%). Mortality rate from CVD in SEA is 13.41%. Hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and hypertension are the most common risk factors, with prevalence of 41.2%, 21.1%, and 20.9%, respectively.

The prevalence and mortality rate of CVD in SEA remain high and are associated with high prevalence of underlying risk factors. Interventions should be strengthened to improve the overall picture in the region. Collaborative efforts among Southeast Asian countries are essential not only in generating comparative epidemiologic data but also in sharing best practices in lowering CVD mortality and morbidity.

Due to restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational therapy (OT) programs in the Philippines postponed face-to-face internship indefinitely. While guidelines encourage the use of the different alternative strategies in emergency remote learning, many Filipino clinical supervisors are apprehensive about online internship to prepare interns for clinical practice. In response to the growing concerns regarding online internship, an online forum was organized and attended by 23 clinical supervisors who shared their experiences and reflections. The online forum included sharing of speakers from major practice settings, breakout sessions, and sharing of insights from the breakout sessions. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Four themes emerged: issues and challenges in using telehealth as part of OT internship; maximizing technology in OT internship; re-envisioning competencies of students and internship supervisors towards the quality of client care, and; potentialities for the future of OT internship. Components of online internship will stay and must be further developed even after the pandemic. Through the forum, clinical supervisors can achieve collective goals in order to effectively educate OT interns amid unprecedented times.
Telemedicine ; COVID-19