Medical sign language handbook launched

MANILA, Philippines — A comprehensive Filipino sign language handbook on health-related terms was developed by medical students from the University of the Philippines-Manila (UPM) to enhance health care delivery to deaf patients.

The MediSIGN handbook “intends to bridge communication gaps between patients with hearing impairments and medical professionals,” according to Alex Nathaniel Gagalac, commissioner for the Standing Committee on Public Health of the UPM Medical Students for Social Responsibility (MSSR).

The History Taking section provides essential signs for obtaining a complete medical history, including health complaints, associated symptoms and other health-related details.

In the Philippines, hearing loss affects about 15 percent of the population, and approximately 540,000 Filipinos utilize FSL as their primary means of communication.

Despite this, many deaf individuals encounter challenges in communicating with health care providers, leading to dissatisfaction with the physician-patient interaction, primarily attributed to linguistic differences.

The MediSIGN Handbook began as a collective project initiated by MSSR applicants during the 2021-2022 term and was subsequently endorsed by the MSSR Standing Committee on Public Health. It was finalized this year in collaboration with the Philippine Association of the Deaf, Inc.

Toxicology

Another team of researchers from UPM has developed a toxicology-testing device that would help health professionals detect acute pharmaceutical poisoning, considered a public health problem.

The E-Tox Point of Care Testing comes in two models: the E-Tox-NPS which is designed to detect new psychoactive substances (NPS) such as ketamine, synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones and the E-Tox-PHX, which detects pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol, isoniazid and salicylate poisoning.

Citing data from the UP-Philippine General Hospital, Ailyn Yabes, principal investigator at the UP College of Medicine, said pharmaceuticals account for the lion’s share of inpatient referrals, with paracetamol as a major source of accidental and deliberate poisoning.

She cited the case of a 22-year-old female patient who overdosed on paracetamol and whose diagnosis and management were delayed which could have been avoided if there was a point-of-care device in the emergency room.

Yabes said current drugs of abuse test kits in the Philippines do not include NPS and existing lab-based testing platforms are often costly and require harmful chemicals.