CREATING HOPE THROUGH ACTION

Mental health has received a lot of support worldwide especially with isolation and anxiety brought on by the COVID19 pandemic.  In our country, there is a Philippine Mental Health Law to promote programs that support mental health and protect the rights of people suffering from mental illness.

World Suicide Prevention Day is an annual event observed on September 10th.  It was established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Creating Hope Through Action” is the triennial theme for the World Suicide Prevention Day from 2021-2023. This theme serves as a powerful call to action and reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and that through our actions we can encourage hope and strengthen prevention.

During our institutional SOTTO LIVE Productions on facebook, The Side Notes VSMMC Documentaries episode on suicide prevention, on survivor shared her experiences with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation with a spiritual approach to salvation.  

One practical advice she mentioned is to simply ask people how they are doing, because one key message is that "we are not alone".  There is no shame in asking for help and there is an alternative to suicide.

Join us tonight at 9PM MLA time on #HealthXPH to discuss CREATING HOPE THROUGH ACTION:

T1.  What challenges did you face this week?  How are you today?

T2.  Share an experience of seriously talking with someone about your troubles, feelings and emotions.

T3.  What resources are available in your locality for suicide prevention and crisis intervention?

Social Media Management for Hospitals

Does your hospital have a social media presence?

I remember a time when the image of our hospital was that of "the hospital of last resort" for patients in life-threatening conditions when more often than not, doctors could not longer do anything because the patients are referred too late... I've heard of monikers like "The Mona Lisa Hospital" because they lie there and they die there.  However it was the COVID-19 pandemic that accelerated the hospital's social media presence due to daily updates on patient census and the emphasis on quality data management as well as transparency and accountability.

Creating a social media account for the hospital is both a privilege and a great responsibility.

When our hospital first created an official Facebook account in 2018, people were always posting their complaints and even wishing that the government close down the hospital.  However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we need to do what we can to intensify public information dissemination and to use what we have.  So we started Facebook Live sessions, and The Sotto Live Productions was born with its first ever broadcast on March 25, 2020 hosted by Dr Helen Madamba and Atty Rey Cris Panugaling with our very first guest Dr Van Philipp Baton from the Department of Health Central Visayas Center for Health Development, discussing responsible social media use.  Initially planning to conduct these sessions once a week, there was pressure to provide updates on a daily basis.

Later on, the hospital hired designated communications team to manage internal and external communication of the hospital.  It put pressure on data managers to ensure quality and accuracy in the information posted on social media accounts of the hospital.  It allowed the patients and stakeholders to peek into the hospital activities and to be more aware of the real situation on the ground to adjust their behaviors appropriately, but it also allowed supporters to provide feedback to the hospital for areas for improvement.

T1.  Do you think hospitals should have a social media presence?  Why or why not?

Social media has a lot of benefits connecting patients and their healthcare workers together despite geographic barriers and quarantine issues during the pandemic.  Patients are able to join virtual communities, consult with their healthcare providers and even participate in research.  Healthcare workers use social media to promote patient health care education.

T2.  What are the risks and benefits of hospital social media accounts?

#HealthXPH has always promoted healthcare providers to have a social media presence and advocated for hospitals to develop their own social media policies.  Dr Iris Isip-Tan helped author the social media policy for their hospital, but for those who also want to do the same, this needs to be adapted and approved by the hospital administration, disseminated to the entire staff with corresponding penalties for violations.

T3.  What tips can you give for social media management of hospitals?

Join us tonight on #HealthXPH at 9PM MLA time to discuss about social media management for hospitals!

Hello and Goodbye

Hellos and goodbyes are part of life.  People are part of your life for a reason, for a season and for a lifetime.

He was part of my life for a reason: to teach me not to be too trusting, and to be objective about giving instructions and being transparent about work outputs.

They are part of my life for a season, there to learn from one another, borne out of need not unsatisfied but there comes a point for farewells because we need to follow our heart's desires and go where God leads...

Those who stay are there for a lifetime, to provide comfort, to witness one's life journey and to share the milestones.

Realizing Universal Health Care

Our technical exam for DOH asked about the critical policy issues that we need to address in order to realize universal health care. Many of our #HealthXPH friends are either into public health and therefore well-versed with universal health care or involved with crafting health policy. So let’s discuss your view points:

T1. What critical policy issues need to be addressed in order to realize universal health care?

In Central Visayas, we have one or two tertiary level hospitals and the rest of the hospitals primary or secondary level. Our DOH Regional Office provided version 2 of our Central Visayas Health Referral System Manual, and implements a real-time electronic referral system with a centralized DOH7 emergency healthline patient navigation for those not yet in a health facility and in need of healthcare access.

T2. What evidence-based strategy can we propose to address these critical policy issues to realize universal health care?

The DOH also instituted balanced scorecards for all DOH hospitals. This is good way to encourage good governance and to promote meritocracy among government employees. We need metrics to tell us if we are doing things right or not. After all, our real bosses are the patients we serve.

T3. What are good success indicators for universal health care?

Central Visayas Regional Unified Health Research Agenda

Today, researchers from member organizations of the Central Visayas Consortium for Health Research and Development (CVCHRD) and representatives of special populations and local government units gathered together to identify the research priorities for health, assisted by the Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes (AIHO).

The methodology was fairly simple using three (3) meta cards for each participant to suggest the top priority research topics for health, then sharing with a small group to group together topics that we agreed on and those that could be grouped together.  During the plenary, all the research topics suggested by the participants, including those grouped together, were presented for scoring.  

There were fifteen (15) criteria suggested by the WHO that the participants chose from until a consensus was arrived at.  The group chose five (5) criteria: feasibility/practicality, potential for policy impact, equity, capacity-building potential and innovation.

From there, each research topic was scored according to the five (5) criteria and ranked until we had come up with the top ten (10) research topics according to weighted criteria scores. 

There you have it, top ten health research priorities for the region!

THORNS hiding the ROSE

From Facebook Memories, this was a photo from 3 years ago when Atty Rey Cris Panugaling and I were still doing our afternoon runs of SOTTO LIVE.  We were mainstay hosts of everyday programs and these were helping us cope with daily challenges during the COVID19 pandemic.

We learn to be thankful for the many blessings we have received and stop looking out for things we don't have.

GOD knows what we need long before we realize to ask him.  When it was time for Kenneth to leave because he received an unexpected golden opportunity, Craches was there with nothing else to do so she signed up to work for me again.  When someone informs you they are leaving for greener pastures, you realize that is the reason why someone else applied for a similar position - to fill in the void that would be created, so that transition would not be so difficult. PROVIDENCE.

Nobody is perfect.  It is our flaws that give us character.  

No matter the thorns that prick us whenever we try to get close, understand that the difficult life experiences caused those thorns to grow in order to protect oneself and in order for us to survive.  

Oftentimes, we have a need to be right.  We have a need to express what we truly think and what we truly feel inside, to be true to ourselves, but we have to consider that in so doing, we might be hurting others and alienating them.  We allow OUR thorns to grow so that nobody would be able to see the beautiful rose inside because they are too wary of the thorns.  We keep others at arms' length so that they don't get too close.  We forget that sometimes it is better to be kind, that loving involves humility and letting other people in.

But we keep ourselves locked up because we don't want to be dependent on others.  We want everything to be neat and tidy.  We need to be in control.  When we keep saying NO or other words that sting just as much, soon they might just give up, thinking the rose is not worth getting pricked by thorns....

Digital Transformation For Health

As the point person assigned to lead digital transformation in our health facility, I would like to discuss this to learn more about what is currently available and how this concept is applied to health.  Admittedly not an expert on the topic, I started searching for definitions and how different concepts are related to one another.

Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new business processes, culture and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements.

    Digitization is the process of converting information from analog to digital.

    Digitalization is using digital data to simplify how you work.

    Digital transformation adds value to every customer interaction.

Benefits of digital transformation include increased efficiency, greater business agility and unlocking of new value for employees, customers and shareholders.

Also, Melissa Kress of csnews.com share about the Three Rs of digital transformation that having the right people, the right process and the right systems in place spells success.

Starting 2020, Hospital Statistical Reports were submitted through the Online Health Facility Statistical Reporting System (OHFSRS).

In 2021, Dr Eric Tayag promoted telemedicine as a game changer in the pandemic, since digital health could reduce the cost of health services.

For 2023, the Department of Health has mandated the digitalization of eleven (11) areas of hospital operations to be included in their hospital balanced score cards.  This includes use of hospital information systems, electronic health records, teleconsultation, and electronic patient navigation.

T1.  Cite examples of how digital transformation is applied for health in your area.

T2.  What are the barriers to digital transformation for health?

T3.  What do you think are the enabling factors for implementation of digital transformation for health?