BACKGROUND: Patient navigators are trained to provide support and guidance to patients throughout the cancer care continuum. They help "navigate" through the maze of doctors' clinics, outpatient centers, insurance and payment systems, patient-support organizations, and other components of the health care system. Yet there is no existing patient satisfaction tool to assess the patient navigation program in the Philippines for pediatric cancer. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate satisfaction with the patient navigation program using a validated Satisfaction with Interpersonal Relationship with Navigator (SN-I-Ph) Measure among Filipino caregivers in a tertiary referral center for childhood cancer. METHODOLOGY: The tool was first translated for cultural appropriateness, translated, and back translated into Filipino; the content validity and internal consistency were tested. Caregivers of Filipino children with cancer were recruited to answer the survey and the results analyzed. OUTCOME: Content validity for all 9 items was acceptable with scores of 4.5-5 and internal consistency showed satisfactory results with cronbach alpha of 0.9067. A total of 202 participants were recruited to join the survey. Results showed mean±SD of 42.6±7.8. All the 9 items showed excellent satisfaction. CONCLUSION: This study showed good satisfaction with the interpersonal relationship of the navigators among caregivers. Participants enrolled in the patient navigation program reported a positive overall experience with the medical care. RECOMMENDATIONS The tool is recommended for use among hospitals with the patient navigation program to assess satisfaction of the caregivers. Further studies can assess caregiver’s satisfaction as to logistic aspects as well as how to measure benefits and outcomes with the program.
Patient Navigation

BACKGROUND: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents the largest group of pediatric malignancies. The high cure rate of childhood ALL represents one of the most remarkable success stories in the war against cancer. In a lower middle income country (LMIC) like the Philippines, we reviewed the 5-year survival in a tertiary referral center. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the 5-year survival of childhood ALL at a tertiary referral center for childhood cancer. METHODOLOGY: Medical charts of newly diagnosed ALL ages 1 to 18 years old from January 2012 to December 2016 were reviewed. OUTCOME: A total of 435 subjects were included in the study. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) were 65.3% and 62.8%, respectively. The 5-year OS for standard risk ALL was 68.8% and for high risk ALL was 50%. The 5-year OS for the remission group was 83.7% and for the relapse was 21.1%. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that WBC count at diagnosis, risk classification, immunophenotyping, and relapse showed significant prognostic impact for mortality. CONCLUSION The 5-year OS and EFS were lower compared to developed countries but are comparable with other LMICs. The prognostic factors for relapse and mortality were compatible with the literature. Overall, the adopted treatment protocols for childhood ALL in this institution showed acceptable results.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of acute otitis media among children aged 2 to 6 months old in Sampaloc, Manila who were previously given 3 doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) protein D, diphtheria or tetanus toxoid conjugates) and those who did not receive the vaccine over a period of one year.
METHODS:
Design: Cohort Study
Setting: Primary Health Center in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines
Participants: Medical records of well children aged 2 to 6 months were reviewed for inclusion. Participants were categorized into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Both groups underwent baseline history and physical examination including otoscopy and any signs and symptoms of active ear infection were noted. Subjects were followed up for a period of one year on a monthly basis for signs or symptoms of acute otitis media.
RESULTS: A total of 176 subjects participated in the study. The overall incidence of AOM among participants was 5.11% (9 out of 176). An AOM incidence of 3.75% (3 out of 80) and 6.25% (6 out of 96) was found among the exposed and unexposed groups, respectively. Fisher's exact test (one-tailed) p value= .34, relative risk (RR) .6 (95% Cl 0.155, 2.323).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed no difference in the development of AOM in the two groups. However, based on the relative risk, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is still beneficial in preventing AOM in children.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Infant ; Diphtheria ; Otoscopy ; Inflammation