May 2021 | San Fernando, Pampanga
Another feather in the cap was gained by the College of Pharmacy of Our Lady of Fatima University-Pampanga Campus (OLFU Pampanga) when it landed the People’s Choice Award for a research poster it presented in the recently-concluded Luzon Regional Scientific Meeting-Scientific Poster Session.
Organized by the Department of Science and Technology-Central Luzon Health Research and Development Consortium (DOST-CLHRDC), the OLFU victors presented their research entry, “Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceived Barriers of Healthcare Workers of Mariveles District Hospital in Bataan during COVID-19 Pandemic.” Said research work was declared as the People’s Choice Award in the scientific poster competition during the 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the National Academy of Science and Technology, held last May 11-12, 2021.
The researchers behind the winning scientific poster were: Heaven Martin, Collin Magcalas, Gracely Anne Miguel, Angelica Moldes, Hazel Ann Santos, and Ma. Cristina Vitug. The team was ably advised by: Jemar Wilian Labausa, RPh, and Mariel Nina Esguerra, RPh.
Heaven Martin gives a snapshot of their research entry:
“Healthcare workers are the frontline defense against the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Inadequate knowledge, inappropriate attitudes, and perceived barriers related to family, government, and physical health of healthcare workers can directly influence practices and lead to delayed diagnosis, poor infection control practice, and the spread of disease. Hence, the present study sought to determine the Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceived Barriers of Healthcare Workers in Mariveles District Hospital in Bataan during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A total of 30 eligible health care workers had a knowledge percentage mean score of 80.67% (SD: ±13.85) indicating a good knowledge score. A percentage mean attitude score of 82.34% concluded that the HCWs were identified to have a positive attitude. Furthermore, the HCWs perceived partially the barriers with an average mean of 2.42 (SD: 0.50), with the most perceived barrier (83.33%, mean: 2.83, SD: 0.83) of the possibility of putting their family at risk of COVID-19 contamination. Lastly, healthcare workers predominantly used social media as the main source of information about COVID-19 (30%, n = 9). Overall, these findings were crucial and should be addressed by the government, hospital administration, and policymakers to establish effective policies, measurements, and protocols focusing on the aforementioned perceived barriers by the HCWs.”
Congratulations to the research team and the College of Pharmacy of OLFU Pampanga which is under the leadership of Dean Olive De Vera and Program Head April Lingat. Also lauded for their support are Dr. Michael Joseph Dino and Dr. Adrian Bon Santiago, Director and Campus Coordinator, respectively, of OLFU’s Research Development and Innovation Center.
Story Credits: Dr. Adrian Bon Santiago
