BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The Philippine Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (PhilPEN) was introduced by the Department of Health through AO 2012-0029. This is anchored to WHO PEN, a prioritized set of cost-effective interventions that can be carried out to provide an acceptable standard of care at the primary health care level, even in low-resource settings. The study aims to evaluate the availability and adequacy of primary health care facilities in providing the PhilPEN package of interventions using the WHO assessment tool.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 25 randomly selected primary health care facilities in Metro Manila. Data were collected through structured interviews with facility staff and direct observation using a standardized questionnaire aligned with PhilPEN and WHO PEN guidelines. The tool assessed PhilPEN inputs (infrastructure, human resources, basic tools and equipment, essential medicines, record-keeping, financing) and services (risk assessment and screening, early diagnosis and monitoring, treatment and follow-up, counseling, referral of patients).

RESULTS

All facilities met the basic standards for infrastructure, human resources, record keeping, and financing. However, only 40% had all essential medicines, and just 16% had complete tools, including urine ketone/protein test strips. Risk assessment and patient counseling were consistently implemented, but early diagnosis and follow-up services were inconsistent due to training and supply gaps.

CONCLUSION

Primary health care centers in Metro Manila demonstrate partial readiness for PhilPEN implementation. Gaps in tools, medicines, and protocol availability should be addressed to optimize NCD service delivery.

Human ; Primary Health Care ; Noncommunicable Diseases ; Delivery Of Health Care ; Standard Of Care ; Cardiovascular Diseases

OBJECTIVE: To develop a digital intelligent multimodal shift handover system for the intensive care unit (ICU) and evaluate its application effect in ICU shift handovers. METHODS: A research and development team was established, consisting of 1 department director, 1 head nurse, 3 information technology engineers, 3 nurses, and 2 doctors. Team members were assigned responsibilities including overall coordination and planning, platform design and maintenance, pre-application training, collection and organization of clinical feedback, and research investigation respectively. A digital intelligent multimodal shift handover system was developed for ICU based on the Shannon-Weaver linear transmission model. This innovative system integrated automated data collection, intelligent dynamic monitoring, multidimensional condition analysis and visual reporting functions. A cloud platform was used to gather data from multi-parameter vital signs monitors, infusion pumps, ventilators and other devices. Artificial intelligence algorithms were employed to standardize and analyze the data, providing personalized recommendations for healthcare professionals. A self-controlled before-after method was adopted. Before the application of the ICU digital intelligent multimodal shift handover system (from December 2023 to March 2024), the traditional verbal bedside handover was used; from June 2024 to March 2025, the ICU digital intelligent multimodal shift handover system was applied for shift handovers. Questionnaires before the application of the shift handover system were collected in April 2024, and those after the application were collected in April 2025. The shift handover time, handover quality (scored by the nursing handover evaluation scale), satisfaction with doctor-nurse communication (scored by the ICU doctor-nurse scale) before and after the application of the handover system were compared, and nurses' satisfaction with the shift handover system (scored by the clinical nursing information system effectiveness evaluation scale) was investigated. RESULTS: After the application of the ICU digital intelligent multimodal shift handover system, the shift handover time was significantly shorter than that before the application [minutes: 20 (15, 25) vs. 30 (22, 40)], the handover quality was significantly higher than that before the application [score: 84.0 (78.0, 88.5) vs. 71.0 (55.0, 79.0)], and the satisfaction with doctor-nurse communication was also significantly higher than that before the application (score: 84.58±6.79 vs. 74.50±11.30). All differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). In addition, the nurses' system effectiveness evaluation scale score was 102.30±10.56, which indicated that nurses had a very high level of satisfaction with the ICU digital intelligent multimodal shift handover system. CONCLUSIONS The application of the ICU digital intelligent multimodal shift handover system can shorten the shift handover time, improve the handover quality, and enhance the satisfaction with doctor-nurse communication. Nurses have a high level of satisfaction with this system.
Intensive Care Units ; Humans ; Patient Handoff ; Artificial Intelligence ; Algorithms

BACKGROUND: Adolescence was associated with suboptimal diabetes control. Studies supporting the use of mobile technology to improve glycemic control and adherence to treatment had mixed results.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of SMS reminders on improving glycemic control in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)

METHODOLOGY: A randomized control study among adolescents with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus was done. Data were processed from 56 out of 64 subjects who were randomized into control (N=29) who received standard of care and SMS group (N=27), who received standard of care and a daily SMS reminder regarding diabetes self-care for 12 weeks. An adherence form was answered by all participants and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) before and after intervention was compared.

RESULTS: HbA1c did not significantly differ between SMS and control groups after 12 weeks of intervention (SMS 9.98+2.12 vs control 10.54+2.13, p value of 0.305). Post intervention, there was no significant difference between SMS and control group in terms of adherence to insulin injection (no p value), blood glucose (BG) monitoring (p value 0.106), and diabetic diet (p value 0.803). However, adherence on exercise was significantly higher among control group than SMS group (p value 0.003).

CONCLUSION: A 12-week SMS intervention reminder in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus did not significantly improve glycemic control and adherence to standard of care (insulin injection, blood glucose monitoring, diet and exercise).

RECOMMENDATION: Future researches could include a bigger study population and longer duration of intervention. Other forms of mobile technology could also be used as a form of reminder.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Child: 6-12 Yrs Old ; Adolescent: 13-18 Yrs Old ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Text Messaging ; Glycated Hemoglobin ; Therapeutics ; Technology ; Standard Of Care ; Self Care

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the standard of care in the management of gallstone disease with a slightly increased risk for bile duct injury. It is therefore essential that a standard grading system can be utilized and thus predict whether cholecystectomy can be completed laparoscopically or warrants the need for bailout procedure to prevent biliary injury. This study includes all patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Capitol University Medical Center and Maria Reyna Xavier University Hospital from March 2021 to January 2022. Total of 220 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy but only 173 patients were included due to incomplete data. Age, BMI, sex and G10 scoring were collected. This scoring system focuses on four components: the gallbladder’s operative appearance, whether distended or contracted, ease of access including limited access due to adhesions from prior surgery, the presence of sepsis in the peritoneal cavity, either biliary peritonitis or purulent fluid, and/or a cholecystoenteric fistula, and the degree of gallbladder adhesions. Descriptive statistics and univariate analysis were used to determine the need for bailout procedure in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It was found that each year increase in age raises the odds of doing bailout surgery by 8.2% (OR: 1.0823, p = 0.009), while higher G10 scores nearly triple the odds (OR: 2.9227, p < 0.0001). The G10 scoring system is a practical scoring system with easy to remember assessment variables. G10 score of greater than 3 with increasing age shown to have increased chance of employing bailout procedure.

Gallbladder ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Standard Of Care

Background: Management of COVID--19 patients during surges have been a challenge as hospitals have to deal with staff, room, and medication shortages. Among these medications is tocilizumab which is given to patients with severe/critical conditions. In Ospital ng Makati, patients are given baricitinib as alternative immunomodulator to prevent possible cytokine storm during tocilizumab shortages. The current recommendation for baricitinib is to give it in addition to dexamethasone and remdesivir for hospitalized COVID-19 patients requiring low to high-flow oxygen, and non-invasive ventilation. However, there is not enough evidence to recommend it as an alternative to tocilizumab in COVID--19 patients. This study aims to find out the real-world efficacy of baricitinib in addition to standard of care among admitted patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia admitted in Ospital ng Makati. Methods: This is a retrospective, case control study that reviewed records of adult patients admitted at Ospital ng Makati from December 2020 to May 2021 due to severe COVID-19. Patients who were given standard of care was compared to those who were given baricitinib by measuring the duration of clinical improvement, in-hospital all-cause mortality, number of hospital stay, and progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and need for mechanical ventilator. Results: The use of baricitinib led to a faster improvement time (10 vs 12 days) however did not reach level of significance (p=0.069). There was also no significant difference in the mortality, number of hospital days, and progression to ARDS between the two groups. Conclusion There is not enough evidence to recommend baricitinib as an alternative to tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID--19 infection.
COVID-19 ; Standard of Care

Humans ; Aminoquinolines/therapeutic use* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; Standard of Care

standard of care, they pose considerable risks and require prolonged postoperative rehabilitation. Obtaining proper informed consent and establishing realistic outcome expectations are imperative for successful postoperative outcomes.]]>
Congenital Abnormalities ; Contracture ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Male ; Penile Induration ; Penile Prosthesis ; Penis ; Rehabilitation ; Sensation ; Standard of Care ; Surgeons ; Transplants

OBJECTIVE: To compare patient survival outcomes between completion hysterectomy and conventional surveillance in locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the cervix after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).METHODS: Patients with adenocarcinoma of the cervix after CCRT were identified in a tertiary academic center database from 2004 to 2018. Patients received completion hysterectomy or surveillance after CCRT. We compared the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the patients with or without adjuvant hysterectomy. Surgery features, operative complications, and pathologic characteristics were documented. Patient outcomes were also analyzed according to clinicopathologic factors.RESULTS: A total of 78 patients were assigned to completion surgery and 97 to surveillance after CCRT. The PFS was better in the surgery group compared to the CCRT only group, at 3 years the PFS rates were 68.1% and 45.2%, respectively (hazard ratio [HR]=0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.282–0.749; p=0.002). Adjuvant surgery was also associated with a higher rate of OS (HR=0.361; 95% CI=0.189–0.689; p=0.002), at 3 years, 87.9% and 67%, respectively. Tumor stage, size, lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), lymphadenopathy were associated with PFS but not with OS. Hysterectomy specimens revealed 64.1% (50/78) of the patients had pathologic residual tumor. Patients age less than 60, tumor size over 4 cm, stage IIB and persistent residual disease after CCRT were most likely to benefit from hysterectomy. Hysterectomy was associated with a lower rate of locoregional recurrence but did not reach statistical significance (5.13% vs. 13.5%, p=0.067).CONCLUSION: Completion hysterectomy after CCRT was associated with better survival outcome compared with the current standard of care.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cervix Uteri ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Recurrence ; Standard of Care ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a relatively rare and aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine malignancy. It is characterized by high rates of recurrence and metastasis, both to regional lymph nodes and to distant locations. Its characteristic clinical manifestation is a single, painless, hard, erythematous nodule on a sun-exposed area, particularly in older men. Surgical management of both the primary site and the sentinel lymph node is the standard of care. In this article, we describe the diagnosis and treatment of a case of MCC in the left cheek.
Carcinoma, Merkel Cell ; Cheek ; Diagnosis ; Head ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Merkel Cells ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Skin Neoplasms ; Standard of Care

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study involved the analysis of computed tomography (CT) scan data from 125 Indian subjects of 18 years or older with normal imaging findings. Scans were obtained from patients with head injuries as a part of the screening process along with brain CT scans.PURPOSE: To establish the dimensions of lateral masses of the atlas vertebrae in normal disease-free Indian individuals.OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Lateral mass fixation has become the standard of care in fixation of the supra-axial cervical spine. Many studies have investigated the dimensions of lateral masses in cadaveric specimens; however, studies involving the radiological morphometric analysis of the lateral masses of the atlas vertebra in living patients are lacking.METHODS: Subjects underwent craniovertebral junction CT scans during evaluations of head injury. All had normal radiology reports. The CT scans were obtained using a CT Philips Brilliance 64 machine (Philips, Amsterdam, Netherlands) with a slice thickness of 1 mm and then analyzed using Horos software ver. 2.0.2 (Horos Project, Annapolis, MD, USA) on a MacBook.RESULTS: Lateral masses of the atlas vertebrae were found to be larger in males than females and larger on the right than the left side. The angle of permissible medialization was found to be larger on the right side. The analysis of the average dimensions indicated the conventionally described screw positions to be safe.CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides information that may help to establish standard dimensions of lateral masses of the atlas vertebrae among the normal Indian population. We demonstrate that there is no significant difference when compared with the Western population. The results presented here will be of use to clinicians as they may inform preoperative planning for lateral mass fixation surgeries.
Brain ; Cadaver ; Cervical Atlas ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Observational Study ; Spine ; Standard of Care ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed