03/05/2023
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ก ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
Written by Neil Benjamin Kho
On March 24, 2023, hepatitis informatics in the Philippines progressed to the next level with the launch of the UP Manila Standards & Interoperability Lab (UPM SILab) at the Bay City Ballroom, Citadines Bay Manila City. Dr Janus Ong, project leader, put a spotlight on the scourge of viral hepatitis in the country and Dr Alvin Marcelo explained the role of health data standardization and interoperability in controlling its spread. The UPM SILab was introduced to healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers who gathered for the end-of-project event of "๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐
๐." This event marked the culmination of a collaborative effort led by the UP College of Medicine, aimed at advancing healthcare informatics and improving the management of chronic viral hepatitis in the Philippines.
The event kicked off with welcoming remarks from Dr. Carmencita Padilla, the Chancellor of UP Manila, and Dr. Edward Wang, the Vice Chancellor for Research of UP Manila. They expressed their appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the project team and emphasized the importance of the project in addressing the burden of chronic viral hepatitis in the country.
The project aimed to develop a standards-based secure data exchange to improve monitoring of chronic viral hepatitis in the Philippines. By establishing computable standards, healthcare facilities using electronic medical records (EMR) will be able to securely exchange hepatitis data for improved patient care and outcomes.
One of the key outputs of the project was the development of informatics tools and resources to support data management and analysis. Mr. Jan Michael Herber, the Data Management Officer, presented the project outputs related to the Informatics Track. This included the various results, from the consensus of data standards among experts, creation of a FHIR profile, a workshop with EMR makers to guide implementation, and a monitoring dashboard for accessible data analysis. Following the presentation, Dr. Alvin Marcelo then led a panel discussion on the project outputs. The discussion, which had professionals involved in the different progressive layers of the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines, delved into the benefits and challenges of the current state of data processing, and how data standardization would benefit greatly from this interoperability endeavor.
The second part of the launch focused on the eLearning component of the project with Dr. Geohari Hamoy, project manager, presenting the outputs. This included the development of computer-based training and telementoring for primary care workers to improve their knowledge and skills in managing viral hepatitis. Dr. Janus Ong then led a panel discussion on the eLearning track outputs. The panelists shared their thoughts on the training and discussed the challenges and opportunities of incorporating this eLearning training into healthcare practice in the Philippines. The consensus was that the eLearning modules had the potential to improve healthcare professionals' knowledge and skills in managing chronic viral hepatitis, leading to better patient outcomes.
One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of awards to the participating EMR providers, which was headed by Dr. Janus Ong, Dr. Alvin Marcelo, and Mr. Gerard Paolo Villanueva. The ceremonial turnover of project outputs to DOH was also held. The closing remarks were then done by Dr. Gloria Nenita Velasco, director of the DOH Knowledge Management and Information Technology Services (KMITS) and Dr. Janus Ong.
