Health information privacy in the Philippines: Trends and challenges in policy and practice

CONTEXT: Evolution of the scope and context of privacy and confidentiality brought about by use of information and communications technology in healthcare. OBJECTIVE: To review the legal, professional and ethical landscape of health information privacy in the Philippines. METHODOLOGY: Systematic review of literature and policy frameworks. RESULTS: Philippine laws jurisprudence recognize and protect privacy of health information as a general rule; impose upon individual practitioners and institutions the obligation to uphold such right; and may apply in both the traditional and eHealth milieu. There is no existing policy framework that addresses issues relating to [a] access to health information by non-health professionals, [b] use of health information for non-health purposes, and [c] rules relating to collection, storage and utilization of electronically-derived or -stored information. A privacy culture, on either the provider's or client's side, is also lacking in the country. CONCLUSION: Technological developments have outpaced policy and practice. There is a need to unify the patchwork of regulations governing the privacy of health information; advocate for a privacy culture among professionals and patients alike; fortify the evidence base on patient and provider perceptions of privacy; and develop and improve standards and systems to promote health information privacy at the individual and institutional levels. 

Telepathology in the Philippines: A review and future prospects

BACKGROUND: Challenged with insufficient number and maldistribution of pathologists, the Philippines seemed poised to benefit from telemedicine. METHODS: The first modern Internet-based telepathology consultation was conducted between the University of the Philippines Manila and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in 1997. RESULTS: While the first remote telepathology consult was a success, more than a decade after this historic referral, telepathology remains in the fringes of mainstream pathology practice despite its huge potential to benefit the underserved population. Challenges with human, organizational, and technology factors hinder its progress. CONCLUSIONS: While the original consultation faced difficulties in human capacity, connectivity and infrastructure, rapid developments in governance and technology have the potential to eliminate these problems. Substantial improvements in recent years now provide a more conducive environment to deliver telepathology services to remote areas. This paper proposes a framework for the establishment of mature telepathology services to enable its use in areas of greatest need in the country