Design of a blended learning course for training community healthcare providers on ehealth-enabled newborn hearing screening

Objectives@#We present in this article the design and evaluation of a blended learning approach for training community healthcare providers in performing newborn hearing screening (NHS).@*Methods@#We developed a blended learning course for training community healthcare providers on eHealth-enabled NHS, following Bloom’s revised taxonomy of educational objectives. The training involved three components: computer-based training (CBT), face-to-face (FTF) training, and on-site coaching. We used surveys and post-training interviews following Level 1 Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model to get initial feedback on the training program. @*Results@#Thirty-one community healthcare providers from five rural health units and a private hearing screening center, with a mean age of 42.2 ± 12.0 years, participated in the pilot. 93.5% of the participants agreed that the program content met stated objectives and was relevant to their practice. The length of the course was perceived to be adequate. Overall satisfaction with the program was rated at 8.5 ± 0.9 (with ten as the highest). The majority expressed that the CBT and FTF course were satisfactory at 93.5% and 100%, respectively. All participants agreed that the course enhanced their knowledge of newborn hearing screening and telehealth. Positive reviews were received from participants on the use of CBT to improve theoretical knowledge before FTF training. Participants declared that FTF training and on-site coaching helped improved NHS skills and implementation. @*Conclusion@#Competent community healthcare providers are critical to strengthening the performance of the health system, and advances in the education and technology sectors offer promising potential in upskilling local healthcare providers. The increasing access of Filipino healthcare providers to improved information and communications technology (ICT) is a significant catalyst for pedagogical innovation, like the use of blended learning in the continuous professional development of health practitioners. As ICTs gradually penetrate the health sector, the challenge we now face is not whether but how we can use innovations in education strategies to benefit healthcare providers.

Implementation of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in the Philippines: A survey of registered newborn hearing centers

Background@#Universal newborn hearing screening is mandated in the Philippines through the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009 (RA 9709). Newborn hearing screening (NBHS) centers are required to perform screening tests, compile and submit data on screened newborns, and advise parents on the subsequent steps after NBHS.@*Objective@#The study aimed to conduct a survey of the implementation of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Program (UNHSIP) in the different regions of the country; and assess the information technology (IT) capabilities of hearing centers.@*Methods@#Fifty-one NBHS centers across twelve regions were surveyed through on-site inspections in 2016. Data was gathered on the centers’ testing capability, staffing, access to specialists, use of local protocols, connectivity, and IT capabilities. @*Results@#All surveyed centers followed the recommended protocols of the Manual of Operations of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009 (RA 9709). Among the 12 regions visited, only five (41.67%) had Category C centers with confirmatory testing and early amplification services as recommended. Majority of facilities (96.1%) were staffed by trained and certified personnel. A small percentage had access to subspecialists such as clinical audiologists (39.2%) and speech-language pathologists (23.5%). All facilities had computer access, but only 58.8% had internet access. Majority (94.1%) of the centers visited were not using the recommended data submission methods, specifically the use of registry cards and the online registry. Only 27.5% of centers had data on newborns who underwent confirmatory testing or early intervention. @*Conclusion@#Facilities were found to be compliant to NBHS screening protocols and majority complied with certification requirements for staff; but were found to be non-compliant with use of registry cards or the online registry. Majority of centers were able to contact the parents of neonates who did not pass newborn screening, but had no system to track outcomes. Lack of confirmatory and early intervention services in identified areas emphasize the need for development of regional centers. It is recommended that measures to improve the utilization of the online registry are taken.

Post-tonsillectomy dysgeusia: A case report

@#The authors report a case of post-tonsillectomy dysgeusia and discuss the pathogenesis, diagnostics, as well as treatment options done in several reported cases. A 37-year-old man who was diagnosed with recurrent tonsillitis underwent bilateral palatine tonsillectomy, and on the second post-operative day, post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage ensued which required emergency hemostasis at the operating room. Intra-operative findings include active bleeding on the left tongue base, wherein hemostasis was achieved via electrodissection. After the procedure, patient noted a disturbance to taste that persisted for several months. Dysgeusia is an unusual complication of tonsillectomy, occurring in 0.3% to 9% of cases.

Capillary Hemangioma of the temporal bone

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVES:</strong> To discuss a rare case of temporal bone capillary hemangioma and its diagnosis and management.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>Design:</strong> Case Report<br /><strong>Setting:</strong> Tertiary Government Hospital<br /><strong>Patient:</strong> One<br /><strong>RESULTS</strong>: A 44-year-old woman with a history of on-and-off right ear discharge, tinnitus and decreased hearing, and a pinkish, smooth-surfaced, non-friable, non-pulsating mass occluding the right external auditory canal, was initially treated for chronic suppurative otitis media with aural polyp. A punch biopsy due to persistence of disease despite medical treatment revealed capillary hemangioma. She underwent canal wall down mastoidectomy with obliteration to completely resect the tumor.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Capillary hemangiomas of the temporal bone are benign lesions that may lead to complications such as bone erosion, hearing loss, recurrent infection and bleeding if left untreated. Surgery remains the ideal treatment and recurrence is rare and the prognosis is good if resection is complete.</p>

The cost-effectiveness and budget impact of a community-based universal newborn hearing screening program in the Philippines

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> In 2000, the World Health Organization recommended implementation of universal hearing screening. The Philippines enacted this policy into law in 2009 as it was found to be cost-effective for the Philippines. The model at the time used a hospital-based approached to screening. This paper examines the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of implementing a community-based universal hearing screening program.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong> A model was developed following a community-based hearing screening program. Parameters were obtained through literature review, secondary data analysis, and consultation with experts. Cost-effectiveness was assessed for a single birth cohort from a public payer and societal perspective.<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A community-based universal hearing screening program was found to be cost-saving. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that results were sensitive only to treatment rate and follow-up rate. The program is also a high budget impact program.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> A community-based hearing screening program is cost-saving for the Philippines. Ensuring treatment and good follow-up in testing will ensure cost-effectiveness.</p>

Prevalence of medication errors in admitted patients at the Philippine General Hospital

BACKGROUND: Medication errors are preventable events that can cause or lead to inappropriate drug use. Knowing the prevalence and types of errors can help us institute corrective measures and avoid adverse drug events.OBJECTIVE: This study determined the prevalence of medication errors and its specific types in the four main service wards of a tertiary government training medical center.METHODS: This is a retrospective, descriptive chart review study. From the master list of admissions, systematic sampling was done to retrieve the required number of charts. Relevant pages such as order sheets, nurses' notes, therapeutic sheets were photographed. For prolonged admissions, only the first 7 days were reviewed. Each chart was evaluated by two people who then met and agreed on the errors identified.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of medication errors is 97.8%. Pediatrics had the most (63.3/chart), followed by Medicine, OB-Gynecology, and Surgery (7.3/chart). The most common type of errors identified were prescribing, followed by compliance, then administration errors.CONCLUSION: Medication errors are present in the four main wards in our hospital. We recommend orientation of all incoming first year residents on proper ordering and prescribing of drugs, as well as a prospective observational study to determine true prevalence of all types of medication errors.

Prevalence of medication errors in admitted patients at the Philippine General Hospital

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Medication errors are preventable events that can cause or lead to inappropriate drug use. Knowing the prevalence and types of errors can help us institute corrective measures and avoid adverse drug events.<br /><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> This study determined the prevalence of medication errors and its specific types in the four main service wards of a tertiary government training medical center.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong> This is a retrospective, descriptive chart review study. From the master list of admissions, systematic sampling was done to retrieve the required number of charts. Relevant pages such as order sheets, nurses' notes, therapeutic sheets were photographed. For prolonged admissions, only the first 7 days were reviewed. Each chart was evaluated by two people who then met and agreed on the errors identified.<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> The overall prevalence of medication errors is 97.8%. Pediatrics had the most (63.3/chart), followed by Medicine, OB-Gynecology, and Surgery (7.3/chart). The most common type of errors identified were prescribing, followed by compliance, then administration errors.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Medication errors are present in the four main wards in our hospital. We recommend orientation of all incoming first year residents on proper ordering and prescribing of drugs, as well as a prospective observational study to determine true prevalence of all types of medication errors.</p>

Granulation tissue mimicking a glomus tumor in a patient with chronic middle ear infection

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> To present an unusual cause of pulsatile tinnitus, presenting in a young adult suffering from chronic recurrent foul-smelling discharge from the same ear.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>Design:</strong> Case Report<br /><strong>Setting:</strong> Tertiary National University Hospital<br /><strong>Patient:</strong> One<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A 24 year-old woman presented with pulsatile tinnitus on a background of chronic recurrent foul-smelling discharge. Clinico-radiologic findings seemed consistent with a glomus tympanicum coexisting with chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma. She underwent tympanomastoidectomy with excision of the mass. Histopathologic evaluation revealed the mass to be granulation tissue.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Pulsatile tinnitus is rarely associated with chronic middle ear infection. Granulation tissue arising at the promontory may mimic glomus tumors when accompanied with this symptom. Despite this revelation, it would still be prudent to prepare for a possible glomus tumor intraoperatively so that profuse bleeding and complications may be avoided.</p>

Prevertebral soft tissue thickness among pediatric patients

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVES</strong>: This study aimed to determine the prevertebral soft tissue thickness among normal patients aged 0-14 years old in a tertiary government training hospital, to compare these values with divergent criteria in the standard otorhinolaryngology and radiology texts used in our institution, and to recommend adoption of a set of criteria based on the results.<br /><br /><strong>METHODS</strong>:<br /><strong>Design</strong>: Descriptive Study <br /><strong>Setting</strong>: Tertiary Government Hospital<br /><strong>Subjects and Methods</strong>: Lateral cervical radiographs taken from May 2007 to August 2009 which were initially read as normal were collected. Fifty (50) patients, 39 males and 11 females, aged 0-14 years old meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed and prevertebral soft tissue thicknesses (PVST) and cervical vertebral body diameter at levels C2, C5, C6 were measured and compared to criteria set by standard otorhinolaryngology and radiology textbooks.<br /><br /><strong>RESULTS</strong>: The average PVST at C2 ranged from 4.02 mm for 2-3 year-olds (n= 2) to 8.16 mm for 1 -2 year-olds (n=2). The average PVST at C5 ranged from 8.11mm for 1-2 year-olds to 10.75 mm for for 0-1 year-olds. The average PVST at C6 ranged from 7.13 mm for 1 - 2 year-olds to 10.36 mm for 0-1 year-olds. Only 12% of the patients satisfied the criteria set by Keats and Lusted, while 100% satisfied Duncan's criteria, 94% and 98% satisfied Wippold's first and second criteria respectively. <br /><br /><strong>CONCLUSION</strong>: All of the PVST criteria mentioned in Cummings' Textbook of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery had a more than 90% accuracy compared to only 12% for those mentioned in Keats and Lusted's Atlas of Roentgenographic Measurement. Therefore, we recommend the use of any criteria for PVST contained in the former over the latter.</p>

Extramedullary plasmacytoma in the maxillary sinus

Objective:To describe an intranasal mass initially diagnosed and treated as benign that eventually turned out to be a malignant extramedullary plasmacytoma of the maxillary sinus and to review the literature on its presenting signs and symptoms, diagnosis, management and pathophysiology. Methods: Design: Case Report Setting: Tertiary Public Hospital Patient: One Results: A 45-year-old male with persistent nasal obstruction and intermittent epistaxis underwent several biopsies of a mass shown on computed tomography scans as heterogeneously enhancing, expansile, occupying the left maxillary sinus with extension into the left nasal cavity with areas of erosion. Immunohistochemical staining was negative for cytokeratin (CK) and leukocyte common antigen (LCA). Complete excision yielded a final histopathologic interpretation of plasmacytoma. Laboratory examinations excluded multiple myeloma. The final diagnosis was extramedullary plasmacytoma and he was treated with post-operative adjuvant radiotherapy. Conclusion: Plasmacytoma may present in the sinu-nasal region and be part of a systemic disease like multiple myeloma. A high index of suspicion and thorough initial histopathological work-up may help in establishing a definitive diagnosis and providing optimum treatment.