BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the third highest incidence in the Philippines. Currently, there is a paucity in literature that is focused on the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of Filipinos regarding CRC screening. This is the first study in the Philippines that describes this.

This is a cross-sectional study that validated a 52-item Filipino questionnaire on the knowledge on colorectal cancer, willingness to undergo CRC screening, and perceived benefits and barriers to fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and colonoscopy. The study enrolled household heads more than 20 years of age residing in both urban and rural communities in the Philippines.

The UP-PGH CRC KAP (University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital Colorectal Cancer Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices) and Rawl Questionnaire’s validity and internal consistency were established in a pilot study of 30 respondents. A total of 288 respondents were then enrolled to the main study group with a median age of 54.0. Knowledge scores for prognosis and utility of CRC screening were modest (6.3/12 and 8.4/20, respectively). Perceived benefit scores to FOBT and colonoscopy were high (9.9/12 and 13.9/16, respectively).Median scores to barriers to FOBT and colonoscopy were intermediate (22.5/36 and 35.8/60, respectively). Notably, a vast majority (86.1%) were willing to participate in CRC screening programs initiated by the government, and 46.9% agreed to undergo screening tests even as out-of-pocket expense.

The UP-PGH CRC KAP Questionnaire as well as the Filipino translation of the Rawl Questionnaire are reliable and valid tools in extensively assessing the knowledge of Filipinos on CRC and willingness to undergo screening, as well as the benefits of and barriers to FOBT and colonoscopy. Knowledge scores were modest suggesting that directed educational campaigns and awareness programs can aid in increasing awareness about CRC and its screening. Household income and highest educational attainment were significantly positively correlated with knowledge scores, and perceived benefits of and barriers to CRC screening. Scores were generally comparable between urban and rural communities.

Background: Hypertension remains the leading risk factor for mortality due to cardiovascular diseases worldwide. In the Philippines, this is the second most common cause of morbidity, with a rate of 602.4/100,000. Contributory to this burden is low adherence to lifestyle modifications in the general population and among healthcare workers (HCWs). This is observed despite HCWs’ knowledge and access to health services. Key to addressing this problem is patient education regarding healthy lifestyle, which has proven benefits on blood pressure control. Supportive methods, such as text messages and phone calls, can improve adherence. However, there is a gap in local data regarding tele-education, content, and healthcare workers. Objectives: The study aimed to determine adherence to a healthy lifestyle among hypertensive healthcare workers, specifically 1) adherence score to diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, and alcohol intake after 8 weeks of tele- education; 2) change in adherence from baseline to week 8; 3) change in adherence of those who underwent standard versus intensified tele-education. Methods: A randomized, controlled intervention study with 40 participants was conducted. Baseline adherence was recorded at the beginning, standard and intensified tele-education at week 4, and final adherence measurement at week 8. Results Baseline data revealed low total adherence to healthy lifestyle, with the lowest scores for diet (0%) and physical activity (20%). Highest change after week 4 of tele-education was seen in the intervention group diet (50%) and physical activity (70%). Total adherence increased in control (10%) and intervention (45%) groups. However, only the intervention group showed statistical significance (p-value < 0.001). Conclusions. Thus, intensified tele-education given one month after standard face-to-face education is an effective way of increasing adherence of hypertensive HCWs to a healthy lifestyle.
Hypertension ; telemedicine ; patient education

INTRODUCTION: The number of injuries and expenses from unsafe delivery of health care has heeded the call for a greater patient safety advocacy. The development of an effective reporting system contributes towards this cause. The study aimed to explore the perceptions of nurses regarding critical incidents and investigate the factors affecting their decision to report a certain event. METHODS: Focus group discussions including 28 nurses working in the service wards of a tertiary hospital, and the data gathered were analyzed using descriptive qualitative approach. RESULTS: Three key themes emerged from the discussions: (1) perceptions of an incident, (2) attitudes, norms, and culture of incident reporting in the workplace, and (3) perceptions and suggestions for management actions and improving the reporting system. The study showed that various factors tend to interplay in the identification of an incident as well as the consideration to perform the behavior. DISCUSSION The primary practice and education implications focus on changing the workplace culture and proper orientation of the staff, while further research regarding the role of reporting, and appropriate analysis of error reporting among other health care professionals would be recommended.
hospital communication systems ; nursing education ; critical incidents ; patient safety

Introduction: Patient education is an integral component of diabetes mellitus care. The emergence of different methods and characteristics of patient education has led to varying outcomes of quality of life (QoL). Herein, we systematically searched for published studies reporting patient education and its methods and characteristics for improving the QoL of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: In this scoping review, eligible studies from six databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Springer Link, Science Direct and Google Scholar) were identified. The keywords used in the search strategies were as follows: health education, health promotion, patient education, diabetes care, QoL, diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two reviewers independently screened all references and full-text articles retrieved to identify articles eligible for inclusion. Results: A total of 203 articles were identified in the initial search. Of them, 166 were excluded after screening the titles and abstracts. Further full-text screening led to the subsequent removal of 22 articles, leaving 15 articles eligible for data extraction. Conclusion There is a broad array of methods of patient education for improving the QoL of patients with T2DM. Self-management education with supplementary supervision and monitoring effectively improves QoL. Future studies must emphasise the application of holistic education covering psychological distress, diet plan, and physical health.
Health Education ; Health Promotion ; Patient Education as Topic ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Quality of Life

Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; rehabilitation ; Critical Illness ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Pandemics ; Patient Education as Topic ; Pneumonia, Viral ; rehabilitation ; Respiratory Therapy ; methods

PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the effects of nursing interventions based on the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior (ETPB) regarding self-efficacy for exercise (SEE), physical activity (PA), physical function (PF), and quality of life (QOL) in patients with lung cancer who have undergone pulmonary resection.METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted between July 2015 and June 2018 in two university-affiliated hospitals. The intervention included pre-operative patient education, goal setting (action and coping planning), and feedback (behavior intention and perceived behavioral control). The intervention group (IG) (n=51) received nursing interventions from the day before surgery to 12 months after lung resection, while the comparison group (CG) (n=36) received usual care. SEE, PA, PF (dyspnea, functional status, and 6-minute walking distance [6MWD]), and QOL were measured before surgery and at one, three, six, and 12 months after surgery. Data were analyzed using the χ² test, Fisher's exact test, Mann–Whitney U test, t-test, and generalized estimation equations (GEE).RESULTS: There were significant differences between the two groups regarding SEE (χ²=13.53, p=.009), PA (χ²=9.51, p=.049), functional status (χ²=10.55, p=.032), and 6MWD (χ²=15.62, p=.004). Although there were no time or group effects, the QOL mental component (Z=−2.78, p=.005) of the IG was higher than that of the CG one month after surgery. Interventions did not affect dyspnea or the QOL physical component.CONCLUSION: The intervention of this study was effective in improving SEE, PA, functional status, and 6MWD of lung cancer patients after lung resection. Further extended investigations that utilize ETPB are warranted to confirm these results.
Dyspnea ; Exercise ; Humans ; Intention ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung ; Motor Activity ; Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Nursing ; Patient Education as Topic ; Quality of Life ; Self Efficacy ; Walking

PURPOSE: Diabetes mellitus has been either the fourth or fifth leading cause of death among Taiwanese adults during 1995–2015. Older adults with diabetes are at higher risk of developing diabetic macrovascular and micro-vascular complications. The purpose of this study explored the self-management experiences of middle-aged and older adults with diabetes through a focus group. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit patients with diabetes from the metabolic outpatient clinics of medical centers and regional hospitals in Taiwan. Two focus groups, comprising a total of 23 participants, were employed to collect data, and group discussions were held a total of four times in an education room that was distant from clinical areas. RESULTS: Three themes were generated from analysis of the collected data: (1) “listening to the voice of the body and observing physical changes,” (2) “re-recognizing diabetes and challenges,” and (3) “self-management implementation dilemmas.” This study provided new insights into the experiences of middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan regarding their self-management of diabetes. CONCLUSION: Healthcare teams should be involved in the self-management education of patients with diabetes as early as possible to reduce patients' anxiety and to develop more patient-centered, culture-sensitive clinical skills. In addition to monitoring patients' self-management, healthcare professor should pay more attention to patients' successful adaptation to and coexistence with the disease.
Adult ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anxiety ; Cause of Death ; Clinical Competence ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Education ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Patient Care Team ; Patient Education as Topic ; Self Care ; Taiwan ; Voice

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the trend in functional changes over time and factors associated with the number of areas showing functional decline in older adults who had been discharged from acute care hospitals. METHODS: This longitudinal study involved 156 patients aged ≥ 65 years who were admitted to one tertiary hospital in Seoul and discharged home. Authors investigated patient demographic and health-care characteristics and the number of areas showing functional decline at 1 and 3 months after discharge. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Poisson regression models. RESULTS: The number of areas showing functional decline increased between admission and 1 month after discharge and had declined slightly at 3 months after discharge. The factors associated with the number of areas showing functional decline at 3 months after discharge were age, education level, and length of hospitalization (p < .05); the factors associated at 1 month after discharge were medical department and caregiver relationship (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that older patients with no spouse or those with their elderly spouse as their caregiver are at risk of functional decline in a greater number of areas after discharge. Therefore, a comprehensive health-care policy to ensure care continuity is required for functional health maintenance for older adults after hospital discharge.
Adult ; Aged ; Caregivers ; Continuity of Patient Care ; Education ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Seoul ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Spouses ; Tertiary Care Centers

PURPOSE: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the current awareness and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as well as attitudes toward CAM, in patients with cancer and their family members in South Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 21 and October 31, 2017, a 25-item questionnaire regarding CAM experiences among cancer patients and their family members was conducted in 10 oncology clinics in South Korea after institutional review board approval at each institution. RESULTS: In total, 283/310 patients were analyzed. The median age was 60 years, and 60% were male. Most of the patients were actively receiving anticancer treatment at the time of the survey. A total of 106 patients (37%) had experienced a median of two types (interquartile range, 1 to 3) of CAM. Belief in CAM (odds ratio [OR], 3.015; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.611 to 5.640) and duration of disease (OR, 1.012; 95% CI, 1.004 to 1.020) were independent factors for using CAM in multivariable analysis. Belief in CAM was significantly associated with current use of CAM (OR, 3.633; 95% CI, 1.567 to 8.424). Lay referral was the most common reason for deciding to use CAM, and only 25% of patients (72/283) discussed CAM with their physicians. CONCLUSION: Patient attitudes toward and confidence in CAM modalities were strongly associated with their CAM experiences, and only a small number of patients had an open discussion about CAM with their physicians. A patient education program for CAM is needed.
Complementary Therapies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Patient Education as Topic ; Referral and Consultation

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate patient safety perception and patient participation, and to provide basic data for the development of patient participation education programs.METHODS: The subjects of this study were 183 patients with at least one experience of the Hemato-oncology Department at a tertiary hospital in Seoul. Data were collected from April 11, 2019 to May 7, 2019 using structured questionnaires including patient safety perception and patient participation.RESULTS: The patient safety perception score was 4.23±0.48 out of 5. The patient participation score was 4.30±0.53 out of 5. Patient safety perception was significantly different according to age (p=.008), education (p=.045), employment status (p=.031), marital state (p=.037), medical department (p=.004), comorbidity (p=.046), and patient participation education (p=.010). Patient participation was significantly difference in age (p=.020), education (p=.004) and employment status (p=.005). The correlation between the patient safety perception and patient participation was statistically significant (r=.75, p < .001).CONCLUSION: It is necessary to improve the system for medical staff, patients and medical institutions in order to enable patients to communicate with medical staff in a satisfactory manner and participate in patient safety activities.
Comorbidity ; Education ; Employment ; Humans ; Medical Staff ; Patient Participation ; Patient Safety ; Seoul ; Tertiary Care Centers