BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Humans need constant interaction for a better well-being. It is advisable to actively participate socially to acquire psychological support and elicit satisfaction. In fact, social participation is a key driver of life satisfaction among the elderly. This study aims to describe social participation and life satisfaction among employees of a premier university in Manila, Philippines and infer their relationship through activity theory.

Seventy-one participants ages fifty years and older as of June 30, 2020 representing various employee categories participated in the online survey: a) faculty; b) research extension and professional staff; and c) administrative staff. Ten key informant interviews (KIIs) were likewise conducted to determine their opinions and perceptions on social participation in campus.

Social media usage and “malling” ranked the highest, contributing to 76% and 48% of the activities for indoor and outdoor activities, respectively. In terms of membership, professional organizations comprised 69%. On the other hand, 68% of organization members were elected officers. The relationship between social participation and life satisfaction were observable as indicated by the high rate of social participation and low percentage of participants who reported life dissatisfaction (4%).

High levels of social participation in terms of indoor and outdoor activities; membership including activeness in organizations; as well as positions held in organizations may indicate high levels of life satisfaction. Further research on a large sample size may explore statistical analysis on the longitudinal effects of social participation and life satisfaction.

INTRODUCTION

The suspension of face-to-face education across all public and private institutions in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted nationwide adoption of blended learning-a hybrid model combining online and modular instruction with limited in-person components, while blended learning became primary instructional approach during this period, the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital School of Midwifery‘s specific implementation lacked formal evaluation. This study aimed to analyze students’ and instructors’ experiences, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with blended learning during the pandemic-era “new normal,” addressing a critical gap in assessing pedagogical effectiveness in specialized vocational training contexts.

This study used mixed method approach to assess of DJFMH midwifery students and instructors’ experiences, self-efficacy, and satisfaction by using quantitative questionnaires and qualitative focus groups to explore deeper insights. This pattern enabled the researchers to evaluate the level of experiences, self-efficacy, and satisfaction but also the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

The findings revealed that the demographic profile predominantly consists of young, single, first-time midwifery students with no prior experience in information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy experience and limited professional background. This group was compared to a more experienced cohort of instructors, with both groups using PLDT as their internet service provider. Both students and instructors reported moderate agreement regarding blended learning experiences. In addition, the results indicated a positive correlation between experience and satisfaction. However, there was only a weak correlation between experience and self-efficacy. Instructors generally reported high self-efficacy, while students expressed mixed feelings about their preparedness and skill acquisition, especially in practical midwifery competencies. Overall, both groups demonstrated moderate levels of satisfaction with the blended learning approach. Instructors largely report higher self-efficacy, while students exhibit mixed feelings about their preparedness and skill acquisition, particularly regarding practical midwifery competencies. Both groups display moderate satisfaction with blended learning, especially appreciating its flexibility in time and location, as well as the fresh perspectives it brings to education. However, they also identify several challenges, including the pressure of expectations, limited adjustment to online platforms, technological issues, gaps in applying midwifery skills, disparities in learning resources, and environmental distractions. Despite recognizing the strengths of blended learning, there remains a strong preference among participants for in-person instruction.

The study highlighted the need for multifaceted approach to midwifery education that addresses the disparities in ICT literacy, preferences for in-person instructions, technological competencies, emotional wellbeing, and practice. Policymakers should focus on practical skill development of students and the professional development of instructors to create a more effective and supportive environment. Future studies should conduct longitudinal research to track the progress of students’ skills and confidence.

BACKGROUND

Long-term treatment and medication compliance are critical for managing conditions like hypertension, yet only 20% of cases are well-controlled, mainly due to socioeconomic factors. The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 offers a 20% discount on medications to improve compliance, but many seniors need to be made aware of these benefits. Evaluating satisfaction with the Act, specifically regarding its medication-related provisions, is essential for enhancing compliance and health outcomes among senior citizens.

This study examined the association between satisfaction with the medication provisions of the Senior Citizens Act, the frequency of senior identification card usage, and medication compliance among hypertensive patients.

We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study with 458 hypertensive senior citizens in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, Philippines. Senior citizens were randomly selected and completed a survey using a validated, self-developed questionnaire and the Hill-Bone High Blood Pressure (HB-HBP) compliance scale. We performed linear regression analysis to examine the association between their satisfaction and the use of senior citizens’ benefits on their medication compliance.

Senior citizens were 60-88 years old (mean 69; standard deviation [SD] 5.9). Thirty-eight percent were satisfied with the Senior Citizens Act and 49% regularly used their senior citizen card. Senior citizens scored an average of 46.82 (SD 4.96) on the HB-HBP compliance scale (possible range = 14-56), indicating high compliance. Those dissatisfied with the Senior Citizens Act were less compliant with their antihypertensive medications [B (unstandardized beta) = -1.65, 95% CI (Confidence Interval) = -2.70, -0.61]. Similarly, those who rarely or never used their senior identification cards (B = -1.54, 95% CI = -2.61, -0.48) and those who used them occasionally (B = -1.43, 95% CI = -2.57, -0.29) showed lower medication compliance compared to those who used them regularly.

Senior citizens who are satisfied with the medication provisions of the Act and regularly use their senior identification cards exhibit higher compliance with their antihypertensive medications than those with lower satisfaction and infrequent card usage. Interventions should prioritize educational sessions to inform senior citizens about the benefits of the Senior Citizens Act, including how to use their identification cards to access medication discounts effectively.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate citizens' awareness, availment, satisfaction, and perceived need for action with health services offered by a rural municipality in Samar, Philippines. Methods: This study utilized an explanatory-sequential research design, involving 150 participants selected through the Kish Grid Method via a multi-stage sampling approach within the community. The Citizen Satisfaction Index System was employed to assess the levels of awareness, utilization, and satisfaction with health services in the municipality. Results: Among the assessed health services, the cohort had low awareness and low availment on services for communicable diseases, basic dental/oral hygiene, and reproductive health. While high awareness was observed for childbirth services, there was low availment on these. The participants showed high awareness and availment for only two services namely, free general consultation and the free medicine program. While high satisfaction was seen among all services that were assessed, the participants also expressed a high perceived need for action to improve their delivery. Conclusion This study presents a comprehensive view of rural healthcare in Samar, Philippines. Despite high satisfaction rates, gaps persist in the citizen’s awareness and availment due to accessibility, costs, fear, misinformation, and cultural differences. The findings of this study can guide policymakers in identifying gaps in healthcare in rural areas.
Primary Health Care ; Health Services ; Awareness ; Personal Satisfaction

Background: Long-term treatment and medication compliance are critical for managing conditions like hypertension, yet only 20% of cases are well-controlled, mainly due to socioeconomic factors. The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 offers a 20% discount on medications to improve compliance, but many seniors need to be made aware of these benefits. Evaluating satisfaction with the Act, specifically regarding its medication-related provisions, is essential for enhancing compliance and health outcomes among senior citizens. Objective: This study examined the association between satisfaction with the medication provisions of the Senior Citizens Act, the frequency of senior identification card usage, and medication compliance among hypertensive patients. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study with 458 hypertensive senior citizens in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, Philippines. Senior citizens were randomly selected and completed a survey using a validated, self-developed questionnaire and the Hill-Bone High Blood Pressure (HB-HBP) compliance scale. We performed linear regression analysis to examine the association between their satisfaction and the use of senior citizens’ benefits on their medication compliance. Results: Senior citizens were 60-88 years old (mean 69; standard deviation [SD] 5.9). Thirty-eight percent were satisfied with the Senior Citizens Act and 49% regularly used their senior citizen card. Senior citizens scored an average of 46.82 (SD 4.96) on the HB-HBP compliance scale (possible range = 14-56), indicating high compliance. Those dissatisfied with the Senior Citizens Act were less compliant with their antihypertensive medications [B (unstandardized beta) = -1.65, 95% CI (Confidence Interval) = -2.70, -0.61]. Similarly, those who rarely or never used their senior identification cards (B = -1.54, 95% CI = -2.61, -0.48) and those who used them occasionally (B = -1.43, 95% CI = -2.57, -0.29) showed lower medication compliance compared to those who used them regularly. Conclusion Senior citizens who are satisfied with the medication provisions of the Act and regularly use their senior identification cards exhibit higher compliance with their antihypertensive medications than those with lower satisfaction and infrequent card usage. Interventions should prioritize educational sessions to inform senior citizens about the benefits of the Senior Citizens Act, including how to use their identification cards to access medication discounts effectively.
Human ; hypertension ; medication adherence ; Philippines ; satisfaction ; personal satisfaction

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to investigate citizens' awareness, availment, satisfaction, and perceived need for action with health services offered by a rural municipality in Samar, Philippines.

This study utilized an explanatory-sequential research design, involving 150 participants selected through the Kish Grid Method via a multi-stage sampling approach within the community. The Citizen Satisfaction Index System was employed to assess the levels of awareness, utilization, and satisfaction with health services in the municipality.

Among the assessed health services, the cohort had low awareness and low availment on services for communicable diseases, basic dental/oral hygiene, and reproductive health. While high awareness was observed for childbirth services, there was low availment on these. The participants showed high awareness and availment for only two services namely, free general consultation and the free medicine program. While high satisfaction was seen among all services that were assessed, the participants also expressed a high perceived need for action to improve their delivery.

This study presents a comprehensive view of rural healthcare in Samar, Philippines. Despite high satisfaction rates, gaps persist in the citizen’s awareness and availment due to accessibility, costs, fear, misinformation, and cultural differences. The findings of this study can guide policymakers in identifying gaps in healthcare in rural areas.

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic, incurable inflammatory disease that often frustrates patients and negatively impacts quality of life, affecting treatment satisfaction.

This study evaluated treatment satisfaction, medication adherence, and dermatological quality of life in Filipino patients with plaque-type psoriasis.

Ninety-five patients at a tertiary dermatology clinic completed surveys using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM 1.4), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-4 (MMAS), and Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI). Disease severity was measured using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI).

Patients reported moderate to high treatment satisfaction, medium medication adherence, and minimal quality of life impairment across all treatments. Convenience satisfaction was significantly correlated with educational attainment. Satisfaction with effectiveness and convenience was strongly linked to medication adherence, while overall satisfaction was tied to disease severity. Additionally, satisfaction with side effects was significantly related to quality of life.

All three treatment modalities remain vital for managing psoriasis in low- resource settings. Emphasizing medication side effects, treatment convenience, and their impact on quality of life can foster a more patient-centered approach.

BACKGROUND

Hospitals in the Philippines have been a workhorse even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. Risk of burnout is high among healthcare providers and it can have a significant impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery. Identification of employee burnout is important since it is usually overlooked and it is presumed to be related to a lower level of life satisfaction.

To correlate the Level of Life Satisfaction and Work-Related Burnout among the Hospital Operation and Patient Support Service Employees of a tertiary government gospital in 2023.

A cross-sectional study was used to evaluate the correlation of work-related burnout and level of life satisfaction using self-administered questionnaires to regular HOPSS employees. Data gathered was then analyzed to get the descriptive statistics and to test the Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r).

Most of the respondents are of the male gender and belonged in the 31 to 40 years age group. The average age of the respondents is marked at 40.3 years old and the average stay in the institution is 7.8 years. Burnout assessment revealed a majority of low burnout levels across the three dimensions of burnout, whereas level of life satisfaction was generally high. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was -0.46578 with a p-value of 0.00305.

The study has shown a statistically significant negative correlation between the level of work-related burnout and the level of life satisfaction, wherein there is a higher level of life satisfaction among those with lower levels of work-related burnout.

Objective: To understand the current situation and the main influencing factors of residents' satisfaction with the built environment of China's Hygienic City Initiative. Methods: From the list of China's hygienic cities (excluding county-level cities), 61 cities were randomly selected in equal proportion and the eligible respondents were randomly selected by using the "Questionnaire Star" network platform to carry out the online questionnaire survey. A self-made satisfaction evaluation scale was used to investigate the satisfaction of the included respondents with the urban built environment and search for relevant data on the city level. The two-level multi-factor mixed effect model was constructed to analyze the influencing factors of residents' satisfaction with the built environment of China's Hygienic City Initiative. Results: The age range of 2 465 respondents was mainly between 18 and 40 years old (79.9%), with males being the main group (45.8%). The total score of residents' satisfaction with the built environment of China's hygienic cities was (69.14±13.24) points. Based on four standardized dimensions of sense of gain, the result showed that the satisfaction of urban governance had the highest score (65.08 points), followed by urban environmental sanitation (63.68 points), urban lifestyle (59.97 points) and urban basic function (59.02 points). The analysis results of the two-level multi-factor mixed effect model showed that compared with residents with an annual average concentration of inhalable fine particles in the environment>48 micrograms/cubic meter, residents with an average concentration between 38 and 48 micrograms/cubic meter [β (95%CI): 1.65 (0.08, 3.21)] and≤37 micrograms/cubic meter or less [β (95%CI): 1.98 (0.53, 3.43)] had higher satisfaction. Compared with residents whose proportion of the secondary industry to GDP was≤40.9%, residents in cities with a larger proportion had a lower satisfaction level [residents with a proportion of 40.9%-48.03%, β (95%CI):-2.21 (-3.93, -0.49); residents with a proportion greater than 48.03%, β (95%CI):-2.58 (-4.58, -0.59)]. Compared with residents with a junior high school or lower education level, residents with a higher education level had a lower satisfaction level [β (95%CI):-2.37 (-4.57, -0.17)]. Residents of universities and above [β (95%CI):-3.82 (-6.05, -1.60)], regularly participate in physical exercise [β (95%CI): 5.78 (4.71, 6.84)] and self-rated good health status [β (95%CI): 6.39 (5.33, 7.45)] had a higher satisfaction level. Conclusion: The satisfaction of residents with the built environment of China's hygienic cities is still acceptable. Satisfaction is related to individual characteristics such as residents' cultural level, type of residence, frequent participation in physical exercise, and self-rated good health status, as well as urban-level factors such as green coverage rate in built-up areas, annual average concentration of inhalable fine particles, and the proportion of GDP in the secondary industry.
Male ; Humans ; Cities ; Personal Satisfaction ; Health Status ; Built Environment ; China

OBJECTIVES: Gastrointestinal endoscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. The satisfaction degree of gastrointestinal endoscopy can directly affect the patient's compliance and further impact the treating effect. At present, there is no scale to evaluate the satisfaction degree of gastrointestinal endoscopy in China. This study aims to develop a satisfaction scale of gastrointestinal endoscopy suitable for national conditions and to evaluate its reliability and validity, which provides a tool for clinic to evaluate patients' satisfaction with gastrointestinal endoscopy. METHODS: The original gastrointestinal endoscopy satisfaction scale was compiled by literature review, consulting senior endoscopists and experts. Through the first round of survey about 120 patients, the original scale was analyzed and modified according to the results to get the gastrointestinal endoscopy satisfaction scale (formal scale). The formal scale was used to conduct the second round of survey about 200 patients. The reliability and validity of the scale were analyzed and evaluated according to the survey results. RESULTS: The reliability of the original scale was good but the validity was poor. The formal scale had 2 dimensions and 10 items, the Cronbach's alpha and split-half reliability were 0.889 and 0.823. The structure validity index χ²/df was 2.513, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.094, goodness of fit index (GFI) was 0.914, adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) was 0.861, comparative fit index (CFI) was 0.946, normed fit index (NFI) was 0.915. The aggregate validity was general, the discriminative validity was good, and the direct score of patients was strongly correlated with the total score of the scale. CONCLUSIONS The gastrointestinal endoscopy satisfaction scale has good reliability and validity, which can be used as a tool to evaluate patients' satisfaction with gastrointestinal endoscopy in China.
Humans ; Reproducibility of Results ; China ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Patient Compliance ; Personal Satisfaction