ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Leukemia, though proven to be curable, still poses a serious problem for thecountry as the number of patients steadily increases every year. To address this concern, a number of studieswere conducted to analyze not just the physical but also the psychological effects of diagnosis on patients.However, data are still lacking on the effects of this illness on parents of the patients, especially on how parentscope with the imminent distress brought about by the situation. The study aims to explore the copingbehaviors of parents of leukemia patients towards their children's illness and to determine the factors thataffect the distress of these parents.Methodology: The coping mechanisms of Filipino parents of leukemia patients and the factors that contributefurther to their distress were investigated. A case study was conducted involving six parents from the LeukemiaIndigent Fund Endowment in the Lung Center of the Philippines who qualified under the inclusion criteria set inthe study. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Their responses wererecorded, transcribed, and assessed through thematic analysis.Results and Conclusions: The major coping mechanisms gathered were: Denial, Acquiring Social Support, andFaith. The nature of their coping mechanisms greatly depends on factors that induced their distress afterdiagnosis of their child. On one hand, for those whose distress was provoked by their knowledge that leukemiais fatal, their immediate coping mechanism was total denial followed by social support from other parents ofleukemia patients. On the other hand, for those whose distress was prompted by the financial constraints thatcome along with the illness, while there is denial, the major coping mechanism was acquiring social support interms of financial needs. Only after having these immediate actions that they become open to emotional andmoral support, together with other coping mechanisms such as having faith, repression of other activities,being optimistic or being passive.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Monitoring of vaccination coverage is vital for the prevention and control of vaccine-preventable diseases. Electronic immunization registers have been increasingly adopted to assist with the monitoring of vaccine coverage; however, there is limited literature about the use of electronic registers in low- and middle-income countries such as Mongolia. We aimed to determine the accuracy and completeness of the newly introduced electronic immunization register for calculating vaccination coverage and determining vaccine effectiveness within two districts in Mongolia in comparison to written health provider records. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional record review among children 2–23 months of age vaccinated at immunization clinics within the two districts. We linked data from written records with the electronic immunization register using the national identification number to determine the completeness and accuracy of the electronic register. Results: Both completeness (90.9%; 95% CI: 88.4–93.4) and accuracy (93.3%; 95% CI: 84.1–97.4) of the electronic immunization register were high when compared to written records. The increase in completeness over time indicated a delay in data entry. Conclusion: Through this audit, we have demonstrated concordance between a newly introduced electronic register and health provider records in a middle-income country setting. Based on this experience, we recommend that electronic registers be accompanied by routine quality assurance procedures for the monitoring of vaccination programmes in such settings.