Clinical Skills Training, Cagayan de Oro City

CECAP in collaboration with Jhpiego, An Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Xavier University-Dr. Jose P. Rizal School of Medicine (XU-DJPRSM) and XU-Community Health Care Center (formerly known as German Doctors) conducted a 6-day Clinical Skills Training Course on the Single Visit Approach in XU-DJPRSM from May 4 to 9, 2008.

A total of 18 participants joined the Single Visit Approach (SVA) workshop. The workshop was facilitated by a team of trainers who participated in the recently concluded Clinical Training Skills Course last January 7 to 12, 2008 in the Cancer Institute, University of the Philippines- Philippine General Hospital. The team of trainers includes Cecilia Ladines-Llave, MD, Project Director of CECAP Philippines, Marie Josephine Almaria, MD, Training Coordinator, Ruth Semilla-Beltran, MD, Director of CECAP Visayas, and Joyceline Silao, MD, CECAP Champion in Manila Doctors Hospital.

The training officially started with the warm welcome from Dr. Jaime Bernadas, Regional Director of DOH-CHD-10, emphasizing that cervical cancer plagues women and early detection is an effective method in dealing with this crisis. He pledged that DOH-CHD 10 will be CECAP’s partner and will help this program in any way they can.

Dr. Jana Joy Tusalem, Regional Director of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society – Northern Mindanao Chapter gave a short speech afterwards inspiring the participants to pursue acquiring new knowledge and skills which will arm them as they fight cervical cancer.

Ms. Josefina Joson, former representative of the 1st District of Nueva Ecija prepared a short message wishing the participants continued commitment in this worthy cause.

This 6-day workshop was filled with different sorts of interactive lectures, learning exercises, demo-return demo with anatomic models, and many methods of evaluation in the form of games, quizzes and image assessment exercises facilitated by the CECAP Trainers. A brief lecture on HPV Vaccination was also given by Dr. Marissa Mercado, the only gynecologic oncologist in Cagayan de Oro.

After adequate practice with models, the participants were able to perform services to actual clients for 4 days. Each of them was given the opportunity to perform group counseling with the aid of the CECAP flipcharts. The participants were assigned to clients and were tasked to take clinical history, perform pelvic examination and VIA, and cryotherapy when indicated.

In 4 days of clinical practice, the participants were able to screen a total of 92 women of the 25 to 45 year old age bracket, for which among 91 patients, VIA was performed. 86 patients were found to be VIA negative, 5 patients were VIA positive with acetowhite lesions that are eligible for cryotherapy. Treatment was subsequently done to these patients on the same day of their initial consult. 1 patient was found to be suspicious for cervical cancer and since facilities in the XU-CHCC permitted, biopsy was done and the patient was then referred to NMMC, the referral institute in Cagayan de Oro.

Towards the end of the workshop, the participants were tasked to present their action plan regarding treatment and referral decision making, preparing their clinical site to provide VIA and cryotherapy services and project implementation. Dr. Belinda Pañares, a participant and the Regional Director of CECAP-Visayas presented the CECAP Program in Minglanilla and shared their best practices which served as an avenue to her fellow participants for learning to establish and strengthen their own sites.

The Graduation was attended by the President of Xavier University, Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, the Country Director of German Doctors, Mr. Dietmar Schug, the Chief of Clinics of Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), and Ms. Joson, all of whom are very supportive of the CECAP Program in Northern Mindanao. Special awards were also given to participants who excelled in the written examination, image assessment and clinical practice.