Ayedee Ace Domingo, MD
Director, National Telehealth Center
The National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila
http://doi.org/10.57043/transnastphl.2002.5076
Abstract
Major achievements in the past year include the development of the Strategic Plan for the National Telehealth Center, a teledermatology application, a teleradiology system, and the design of the Community Teleservice. Teleconsultation includes the development of a videoconferencing setup, customized development of videoconferencing software, protocols and policies on standards in care over e-mail or the internet, data security, and privacy standards. Distance education involves the development of distance education modules using internet technologies such as Flash and streaming audio and video.
The Center also aims to conduct software application development based on open-source technologies, such as Linux, PHP, PostgreSQL, and Java. Applications to be developed include geotelemedicine and teledermatology, in particular in the PGH, and were accomplished with the PGH Section of Dermatology. A teledermatology application was developed using Linux, PHP, and PostgreSQL. The results show that teledermatology is an accurate tool for diagnosing dermatologic conditions. This study also shows that healthcare providers are open to this new form of consultation. However, in contrast to findings in other countries, this study indicates that there seems to be hesitation on the part of the patients to use the technology.
A similar application for a web-based teleradiology system was also developed with the Department of Radiology, which compares store-and-forward technology with traditional negatoscope assessment. The design of a community teleservice center is being conducted with the cooperation of the Philippine Council on Health Research and Development and the Department of Transportation and Communication.