Recognizing that only 1,000 out of 4,000 children diagnosed with cancer receive proper care and medication, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) has vowed its unwavering support to the Aruga sa Batang may Cancer (ABC) Initiative that seeks to provide a web-based pediatric palliative care service in the country.
"The DOST-PCHRD continues to support the “Aruga sa Batang may Cancer (ABC) Initiative program that aims to alleviate health burden among pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer through the development and implementation of a website focused on the delivery of palliative care services,” DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said on the DOSTv Facebook page on Friday, April 30.
"The program addresses gaps in knowledge, expertise, and accessibility of palliative care services for pediatric patients, their primary caregivers, and healthcare professionals,” he added.
Launched on March 22, 2018, the program is implemented by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) in partnership with Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC), Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH), Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), and Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
The tertiary hospitals serve as their deployment sites.
De la Peña said the program offers learning management systems (LMS) for healthcare professionals and primary caregivers of pediatric patients with cancer, pediatric oncology registry for health facility administrators, and telemedicine platform that may be used in Rural Health Units (RHUs), city health centers, and tertiary healthcare facilities in PCMC, BRTTH, VSMMC, and SPMC.
"It aims to reduce travel time and expenses for pediatric patients with cancer and their primary caregivers, as the technology allows them to avail of follow-up teleconsultations in RHUs/health centers nearest to their residence,” he said.
"It also seeks to enhance the knowledge on pediatric palliative care for healthcare professionals and primary caregivers of pediatric patients with cancer and increase clinical data on the course and management of pediatric cancer cases for health facility administrators and the Department of Health,” he added.
The DOST chief noted that since March 2019, there have been 3,153 unique visitors to the learning management system for primary caregivers of pediatric patients with cancer.
"On the other hand, there are 127 enrollees and 11 completers of the Pediatric Palliative Course for Physicians (PPCP). The course was re-developed into two parts for better student retention. There are 682 enrollees and 272 completers of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) course,” he said.
He said the project team is consulting the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on possible accreditation of the PPCP and ELNEC.
De la Peña said last year, the direct patient-to-doctor telemedicine mode was developed aimed at ramping up patient enrollment and to address restrictions brought about by the implementation of community quarantine and other safety measures secondary to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
"Since pediatric patients with cancer are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and other infections, they are encouraged to stay home and to limit their exposure to other people. In this mode of telemedicine delivery, the pediatric patient and their primary caregiver may directly consult oncologists or palliative care specialists through the online platform, while at home,” he said.
He said 24 healthcare professionals from the four tertiary hospitals and their partner RHUs and local health centers have so far been trained in the use of the telemedicine platform.
"As of April 26, 2021, the telemedicine platform has served a total of 170 unique patients from CAR, Region 2, Region 3, NCR, Region 4A, Region 4B, Region 5, Region 7, Region 11, and Region 12,” he said.
Meanwhile, the project team also developed a pediatric oncology registry to gather data on, and monitor health outcomes and provision of clinical care to pediatric patients with cancer consulting in PCMC, BRTTH, VSMMC, and SPMC.
"The data of pediatric patients who availed teleconsultations were integrated into the hospital-based pediatric oncology registry. This is also in compliance with Republic Act No. 11215 or the National Integrated Cancer Control Act,” de la Peña said.
"The telemedicine platform and the pediatric oncology registry will be licensed for free to PCMC, BRTTH, VSMMC, and SPMC. To date, the draft licensing agreement is being reviewed by the legal offices of the partner tertiary hospitals.”
He said UPOU will manage, maintain, and continuously offer the LMS to primary caregivers and healthcare professionals of pediatric patients with cancer.