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The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious public health threat that continues to permeate all populations and sectors in the country, and the job sector is no exception. To protect the welfare of the Filipino workforce, the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and stakeholders from the different medical societies in the Philippines issue this handbook, which compiles essential information based on important issuances on COVID-19 prevention and management in the workplace. This hopes to provide proper guidance and appropriate information to all Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Committees and other key stakeholders to empower them in ensuring that Filipino employees and workers everywhere in the country know how to protect themselves, their colleagues, and families from the threat of COVID-19.
Version 1 as of September 2020. This handbook will be updated as we compile the most recent evidence and policies relative to the workplace, as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
You may download the Workplace Handbook on COVID-19 Management and Prevention here.
Workplace Handbook -Version 1 _ Sept. 30-> NOTE: The COVID-19 Living Clinical Practice Guidelines contains UPDATED recommendations and evidence summaries. Click here to be redirected to the COVID LCPG.
This Interim Guidance on the Clinical Management of Adult Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Infection (Version 3.1) is an update of the March 31, 2020 guidelines released by the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. New evidence have been published since then necessitating this update.This document is written to guide clinicians and health care workers in their COVID-19 related management decisions. It is based on available scientific evidence that is also rapidly evolving, as more is discovered about the pathophysiology of SARS CoV-2 and the pathogenesis of the disease. As such, the recommendations in this guideline are based on limited, often low-quality evidence, and need to be carefully balanced with clinical judgment. The use of investigational drugs should be discussed with the patient or a legally authorized representative carefully outlining the potential adverse reactions and the potential clinical benefits of these investigational drugs. A signed informed consent should be obtained by the clinician.
DOWNLOAD the Interim Management Guidelines for COVID-19 (Version 3.1) here.
The performance of surgeries, especially elective surgeries, has been affected as healthcare facilities responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, surgery and other interventional procedures are invaluable aspects of healthcare even during disasters, mass casualty incidents, and even during pandemics. An organized and well-planned approach is needed to protect healthcare workers performing surgery and to rationally use available PPEs.
This document aims to provide guidance on how to assess the risk of COVID-19 transmission to the surgical team and recommend the necessary PPE to be used for every scenario. This is intended for surgeons, infectious disease specialists, internists and other physicians who will perform procedures or evaluate patients prior to such procedures. Other personnel involved in the surgical team might also find this document useful. Optimizing operating room infrastructure and other infection prevention and control measures are not within the scope of this document. Recommendations from this document may change as new evidence becomes available.
DOWNLOAD the Risk Assessment of Surgeries in the Context of COVID-19 document here.
PSMID-PHICS Guidelines for Risk Assessment of Surgeries during COVID19 26May2020It has been 4 months and healthcare workers start to burn out. Many healthcare workers get sick, and no life is worth one million pesos. We are not superheroes. We are not immune to the virus. As a matter of fact, many healthcare workers (like nurses) opt to resign because of the risks in their lives without proper compensation. Yes, it is our duty to take care of the sick, but we have lives and families of our own to protect. When we get infected, it should not be always blamed on breech in PPE protocols. Are PPEs provided appropriate and of good quality? We have been reusing, extending use, or improvising PPEs. Many private hospitals are on the verge of bankruptcy.
In some provinces, there are only one or two IDS specialists, in others, none. We have felt the surge of cases the past month and believe me when I say that lately patients are more critical and we see more morbidities and mortalities even among the young ones, and sometimes even among our colleagues in the medical field. Aside from managing COVID patients, we continuously monitor the implementation of Infection Prevention and Control measures in our institutions, we coordinate patients to the Regional and City Health Surveillance Units, and we attend to numerous meetings with the hospital administration on how to better cater to our COVID patients. The Infectious Diseases Specialists, just like all frontliners, are spread out too thin. This is not just about physical exhaustion; it also takes a toll on our emotional and psychological wellness. But let me affirm our commitment to serve as health care workers. We are one with the country in the fight against COVID-19.
We call for the solidarity of all stakeholders and the cooperation of each and every Filipino. This war against COVID is not just in the hospital level; it starts in each one of us, in each household, and in each community. Therefore, we appeal to the public to strictly adhere to preventive measures such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, and wearing of masks and face shields. Cliché as it seems but prevention is key to saving lives.
Now more than ever, the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, together with the Philippine College of Physicians, remain committed to serving the Filipino people especially during this public health emergency of international concern. We remain dedicated to saving lives and reducing the burden of infectious diseases in the country. We urgently need health care reform for better health in the community.
A few friendly reminders from the most asked questions on COVID-19.
Attention: Healthcare Practitioners
Here is the updated DOH guidelines on the management and referrals of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases under Code Red.
The Department of Health (DOH) recently confirmed a localized transmission of COVID-19 in the country. With this, the DOH raised the Code Red Alert Level 4, Sub-level 1 of the COVID-19 Alert System.
Know what does Code Red Alert Level 4, Sub-level 1 mean. What can we do in the advent of this declaration? See this infographics from the DOH.
As we eagerly await the celebration of the Society’s 50 years as the leading Microbiology and Infectious Disease Organization in the country, let us trace with fondness the golden path we have traversed. (Visit https://www.psmid.org/history/)