Resilience levels among Filipino non-medical personnel at a Tertiary Government Hospital in Metro Manial during the COVID-19 Pandemic - July 2021

Objectives@#This study aimed to measure the resilience level of non-medical personnel of the University of the Philippines Manila – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and determine whether this was associated with sociodemographic factors such as gender, length of service and job position.@*Methodology@#A cross-sectional study that included non-medical personnel using convenience sampling via email was done. Data was obtained through the 14-item Resilience Scale (RS-14) as well as a sociodemographic factors questionnaire. Descriptive and non-parametric correlational analysis of data was used.@*Results@#One hundred twenty five of the 153 respondents (81.70%) garnered a resilience score of 74-98 or moderate to high resilience level, while 28 or 18.30% had a resilience score corresponding to very low and on the low end. The mean resilience score was 81.8, corresponding to a moderate resilience level. More women than men had a resilience level of moderate to high. Respondents with greater than 5 years of work experience within the hospital had higher resilience levels than those who were less experienced. Moderate to high resilience levels were found in more administrative than non-administrative personnel. No significant association was found between resilience level and the factors analyzed. In terms of Resilience Core Characteristics, all comparisons between demographic factors of interest and Self-reliance, Purpose, Equanimity, Perseverance and Authenticity yielded insignificant results except for Self-reliance versus length of service, which showed a weak but significant relationship. Exploratory factor analysis found that the unidimensionality of the RS-14 Scale (US Version) still applied when administered to Filipinos in this particular population.@*Conclusion@#Majority of the non- medical personnel of the UP -PGH had moderate level of resilience. There was a lack of significant association between resilience level and demographic characteristics like age, length of service, and position in the study sample. In terms of Resilience Core Characteristics, comparison between length of service and self -reliance showed a weak but significant relationship.

Supporting medical educators to ensure wellness of medical students

@#Most medical faculty members assume various roles such as educator, administrator, clinician, and researcher. (1) Furthermore, they act as role models for students and instruments to improve student wellness. Strategies geared towards the faculty can therefore promote a top-down approach to enhancing student wellness. (2) Unfortunately, there is a dearth of data about this. If we expect the faculty to take care of students’ wellness, then we must ascertain the faculty’s wellness as well.

New requirements for Psychiatry Residency Training Programs (PRTPs) in the Philippines

@#It has been more than a decade since the Committee on Standardization and Accreditation of Residency Training was renamed Board of Accreditation of the Specialty Board of Philippine Psychiatry (SBPP). The SBPP is composed of two bodies namely the Boards of Accreditation and Certification. These bodies are mandated to uphold the highest standards of accrediting psychiatry residency training programs (Board of Accreditation) and granting diplomate status to graduates of these programs (Board of Certification). Guided by the biopsychosocial and spiritual model of health, the Board of Accreditation remains steadfast in ensuring that psychiatry residency training programs continue to be relevant to current demands of mental health and psychiatric care in the country. In addition, it sees to it that these programs are in harmony with global standards. As psychiatry faces new challenges in the third millennium, certain innovations and iterations in the manner by which mental illnesses are diagnosed, treated, and prevented must be set in place. Through its Millennium Developmental Goals, the United Nations has declared that the achievement of gender equality is an effective way of combating disease. Mental health problems and psychiatric disorders are closely linked with gender-related issues. Yet, many residency training programs in the Philippines have not formally and systematically integrated gender sensitivity into their curricula. The same can be said of the concepts of religion and spirituality. Numerous researches have established the positive link between religion and spirituality and mental health.

Cognitive Dysfunction in Asian Patients with Depression (CogDAD): A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunction is a predominant symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), contributing to functional impairment. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to assess and describe perceived cognitive dysfunction amongst Asian patients diagnosed with MDD. The secondary objective was to explore the associations between depression severity, perceived cognitive dysfunction and functional disability. METHODS: This was a multi-country, multi-centre, cross-sectional study. Adults with a current episode of MDD were recruited from 9 university/general hospital clinics in Asia. During a single study visit, psychiatrists assessed depression severity (Clinical Global Impression-Severity, CGI-S); patients completed questionnaires assessing depression severity (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items, PHQ-9), perceived cognitive dysfunction (Perceived Deficit Questionnaire-Depression, PDQ-D) and functional disability (Sheehan Disability Scale, SDS). RESULTS: Patients (n=664), predominantly women (66.3%), were aged 46.5±12.5 years, lived in urban areas (81.3%) and were employed (84.6%). 51.5% of patients were having their first depressive episode; 86.7% were receiving treatment; 82.2% had a current episode duration >8 weeks. Patients had mild-to-moderate depression (CGI-S=3.3±1.0; PHQ-9=11.3±6.9). Patients reported perceived cognitive dysfunction (PDQ-D=22.6±16.2) and functional disability (SDS=11.3±7.9). PHQ-9, PDQ-D and SDS were moderately-to-highly correlated (PHQ-9 and SDS: r=0.72; PHQ-9 and PDQ-D: r=0.69; PDQ-D and SDS, r=0.63). ANCOVA showed that after controlling for patient-reported depression severity (PHQ-9), perceived cognitive dysfunction (PDQ-D) was significantly associated with functional disability (SDS) (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Asian patients with MDD reported perceived cognitive dysfunction. There is a need for physicians to evaluate cognitive dysfunction in the clinical setting in order to reach treatment goals, including functional recovery beyond remission of mood symptoms.