The 2020 World Congress of Bioethics confers the Medard Hilhorst for Oceania region prize to the poster, “When Reviewers are Reviewed: obstacles and ethical dilemmas when ethics reviewers themselves are the subjects of study,” based on a study funded by the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD).

From the project “Gender Competence in Ethics Review in the Philippines” led by Professor Fatima Alvarez Castillo, current president of the Social Inquiry and Building Capacities in Research, Inc. (SIBCRI), the winning poster highlights ethical dilemmas encountered in the aforementioned study. The poster was authored by Daphne Joyce Maza and Joel Estacio who were assistant investigators of the project.

In the study, gender competence is defined as the “knowledge and ability to recognize risks, harm, vulnerabilities, discrimination, and other forms of unfairness for research participants that ensue from gender.” To examine gender competence in the Philippine ethics review, the researchers interviewed ethics reviewers and gender experts.

“We realize that gender issues are often unrecognized or unseen even among those who are highly educated,” Prof. Castillo said about the team’s motivation in pursuing the project. This was affirmed by the results of the study which found that there is a need for considerable improvements in gender competence among ethics reviewers. Aside from misconceptions about gender, there were gaps in addressing gender issues in ethics review.

One recommendation of the research team is for the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) to create policies that could strengthen the gender competence of research ethics committees. The PHREB may identify gender competence as a mainstream competence among RECs, incorporating it in the accreditation processes of RECS as well as in capacity building activities and programs.

“As the national coordinating agency for health research efforts in the country, we recognize ethics review as an equally important part of the research process,” said DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Jaime Montoya. “We must ensure that our health research community gears towards the advancement of healthcare without compromising the rights and welfare of research participants regardless of gender,” added Dr. Montoya.

From the team’s experience in joining the 2020 World Congress of Bioethics, Prof. Castillo encourages the country’s bioethics community to take an active role in fostering a robust ethical research culture in the country by continuing to study and address existing issues in ethics review. Having faced challenges as well in conducting their study, Prof. Castillo advises researchers to persevere and collaborate with their respective ethics committees to overcome obstacles.

The submission “Gender Competence in Ethics Review in the Philippines” was also shortlisted for the Mark Ehrenreich Prize in Healthcare Ethics for the Oceania region, a paper presentation category in the 2020 World Congress of Bioethics. The co-investigators of the study are Nimfa Bracamonte, Ernesto Gregorio Jr and Erlinda Palaganas. (Written by Alyana Kaye Bacarra)

Source: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6581-pchrd-funded-study-wins-medard-hilhorst-prize-at-2020-world-congress-of-bioethics

As the Philippines enters the peak typhoon season, small islands like Marinduque are placed at a higher risk to extreme weather events — a looming plight that coincides with the still existing COVID-19 pandemic.

When there is an impending weather event, it is vital to assess its health risks to vulnerable communities. This will enable locals and officials to act and prepare with sufficient time to avoid threats to health, harm, and casualties. Coupled with early warning systems, populations at greater risk will be equipped with proper tools to get useful information for better disaster preparedness and response.

This is the impetus for Dr. Delia Senoro’s team at Mapua University in devising the eSalba mobile and web-based application that empowers both households and local government units (LGUs) to strengthen the health resiliency of small communities by enabling locals to report an incident to authorities, thereby allowing quicker and more coordinated disaster response of LGUs as it provides locations of reporters, responders, evacuation and health centers in the community.

          

As an assistive, modernized, and enhanced early warning and communication tool, one unique feature of eSalba is that it generates data for health vulnerability map of communities, allowing locals, decision-makers, and responders to view populations that are most vulnerable to health-related outcomes brought by disasters and other socioeconomic factors. 

With the capability to warn about possible health disease outbreaks in a specific area, the app will strengthen preparedness and management of LGUs to both impending disasters and health-related problems as it provides useful information needed for short-term response and long-term policymaking, development, and improvement.

Planned to benefit the LGUs, particularly barangay and municipal health workers, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (DRRMOs) at the municipal and provincial level, the eSalba is expected to reach the communities in Marinduque before September 2020. 

This initiative is a component of the program commonly referred to as D-HIVE (Development of Health Index: Vulnerability to Extreme Environmental Events) for Marinduque Island, funded under the Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA) research program of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD).

The app has undergone its first test run last June 29, 2020 which was participated in by 42 Marinduque locals composed of barangay officials, local health workers, SK Chairperson, MDRRMO staff, and D-HIVE Team. (Written by Christine Jane Gonzalez)

Source: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6580-mapua-researchers-devise-new-disaster-warning-tool-for-marinduque-locals

Call for Research Proposals: AHEAD-HPSR Program

With the pressing need to continuously develop ways to prevent COVID-19 transmission especially among healthcare workers, the University of the Philippines - Manila (UPM), with support from the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), will conduct the project: “SIBOL Personal Protective Equipment - Design and Development of Locally-Manufactured, Reusable, Powered, Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR).”

The project proponents aim to design and develop an innovative PAPR as chemical and biological protection for COVID-19 high-risk procedures such as intubation, endoscopies, sample collection, and testing, among others. The equipment will serve as additional personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19 while they care for the infected patients.

A PAPR uses a pump that moves contaminated air through a high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filter which removes particulates through mechanical and electrostatic mechanisms. Built with three main components, the motor or air pump, the filter, and the mask or helmet, the PAPR provides contaminant-free air to the user.



Figure 1:  3D image of the SIBOL PAPR prototype


“By conducting the project, we are aiming to offer additional protection for our healthcare workers, so that they may be able to carry out their tasks safely and comfortably,” says project leader Dr. Samuel Arsenio Grozman.

“Our healthcare workers are at the core of our battle against COVID-19,” emphasizes DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Jaime C. Montoya. “It is imperative that we mobilize our resources and maximize our capacities to provide R&D solutions that will assist and protect them in this fight,” he adds.

Aside from developing a PAPR that will meet the standards set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the project also aims to activate the supply chain towards the production and testing of PAPR in the country.

As a highly-communicable disease with no definitive treatment, COVID-19 continues to pose risks to public health, especially healthcare workers who work at the frontlines. (Written by Jwynne Gwyneth Macan)

Source: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6574-dost-pchrd-up-manila-to-develop-powered-air-purifying-respirator-papr-for-healthcare-workers