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In its commitment to maintain the efficiency of the Regional Unified Health Research Agenda (RUHRA) and to address relevant health-related issues and concerns through health research, the Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-EVCHD) spearheads the conduct of the two-day RUHRA Consultation with Stakeholders, in partnership with Eastern Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium (EVHRDC), at Leyte Park Hotel, Tacloban City on February 19-20, 2019.

The participants of the activity are composed of representatives from different member institutions of the EVHRDC, Provincial Health Offices (PHOs), Municipal Health Offices (MHOs), National Government Agencies (NGAs), Hospitals, Health Institutions, and Research Coordinators/Directors of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). 

The EVHRDC Coordinator, Dr. Lucia Dauz, introduced the EVHRDC and presented the EVHRDC Directions and the Health Research Opportunities in Eastern Visayas. 

Dr. Dauz emphasized the need for cooperation and coordination among the participants in order to achieve the main objective of the activity: the updating of the priority topics or researchable areas which will be the basis in approving proposals for funding by the EVHRDC. 

Mr. Leonido Olobia, the Research Coordinator of the DOH-EVCHD, spearheaded the review, discussion, and brainstorming on the different research agenda in Region 8, which was actively participated by the representatives from the different stakeholders.

There are 21 priority topics for RUHRA 2017-2022: Service Delivery, Communicable Diseases, Maternal and Child Health, Health Technology Development, Health Care Financing, Health Governance, Health Knowledge Management, Environmental Health, Lifestyle Diseases, Disaster Risk Reduction & Management and Climate Change Adaptation, Reproductive Health & Family Planning, Nutrition, Mental Health Problems, Health Infrastructure, Traditional and Alternative Health Medicine, Health Promotion, Health Regulation, Drug & Substance Abuse, Gender & Development, Geriatrics, and Disability.

Among these 21 topics, the body agreed to remove Health Infrastructure from the list of priority research areas; hence, 20 topics are left in the updated RUHRA 2017-2022.

The activity concluded with a call for proposals and presentation of the DOH capsule proposal and PCHRD full-blown proposal formats for those who are interested to engage in research activities with EVHRDC.

III. STANDARD MATRIX FOR RESEARCH PRIORITY AREAS/TOPICS

Priority Area 1: Service Delivery

Rationale: To address the issues on the effectiveness of service delivery networks, referral system, and health services.

Sub Topics:

1. Rehabilitative/Palliative care
2. Effectiveness of Referral System

Priority Area 2: Communicable Disease

Rationale: To conduct researches on the epidemiological status and health seeking behaviors on communicable diseases

Sub Topics:

1. Tuberculosis and other respiratory tract infections
   1. Prevalence of TB among children
   2. Causes of rise of MDR TB
2. Diarrheal Disease Management and Control
   1. Community and household attitudes and practices towards preventing Diarrhea
3. Dengue Vector Control
   1. Bioassay and Insecticide-Resistance
4. HIV-AIDS
   1. Sexual Health of Men having sex with men
   2. Social Stigma
5. Schistosomiasis
   1. Assessment/ Utilization of Research Conducted
6. Capillariasis
   1. Prevalence and incidence in Region 8

Priority Area 3: Maternal and Child Health

Rationale: To conduct researches on health seeking behavior, effectiveness of local interventions, and epidemiology of maternal and child health.

Sub Topics:

1. Child
   1. Child Development of Antibodies from Immunizable Vaccines
   2. Eye Health
   3. Attitude of Filipinos on vaccination
   4. Incidence of congenital anomalies
2. Maternal Health
   1. Effectiveness of halfway house in GIDA areas
   2. Effectiveness of BeMONC Training on MMR
   3. Lifestyle and Pregnancy

Priority Area 4:  Health Technology Development

Rationale: To conduct research work on the development of new diagnostic devices, drugs, and utilization of other health technologies.

Sub Topics:

1. Functional foods
2. Drug discovery
   1. Molecular Analysis for Drug Discovery
   2. Drug Discovery for Cancer
3. Hospital Equipment and Biomedical Devices
   1. Diagnostics
4. ICT in heath
   1. GIS - Based mapping for outbreak monitoring and surveillance

Priority Area 5: Health Care Financing

Rationale: To assess the impact of health financing programs in the region and identify policy gaps.

Sub Topics:

1. PhilHealth services/costs
2. Medical Assistance Fund Utilization

Priority Area 6: Health Governance

Rationale: To address issues on the governance system and assess local health programs in the region.

Sub Topics:

1. Impact assessment of health related policies and programs
2. Impact of 4Ps to health outcome indicators
3. Inter Local Health Zone
   1. Effectiveness of Implementation Process applied by DMOs on Local Health Systems Development on Inter-local Health Zones

Priority Area 7: Health Knowledge Management

Rationale: To assess the local information management system and develop new mechanisms for a better information management system.

Sub Topics:

1. Assessment of Health related indicators in existing community based management information system
2. Surveillance of reported infectious and non-infectious diseases

Priority Area 8: Environmental health

Rationale: To address environmental health and sanitation issues in the region.

Sub Topics:

1. WASH Implementation Assessment (Impact for Policy Development)
2. Waste Disposal and management of Region VIII
3. Water quality and potability in Region VIII

Priority Area 9: Lifestyle diseases

Rationale: To address gaps in non-communicable diseases in the region

Sub Topics:

1. Genito-urinary diseases (kidney and urinary problem
2. Genito-urinary diseases among children
   1. Chips Consumption As a Risk Factor For UTI Among School Children in Tacloban City
3. Prevalence of gout among fisherfolks in Tacloban City

Priority Area 10: Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation

Rationale: To conduct researches addressing the health effects of disasters and climate change

Sub Topics:

1. Effects/risk of climate change to all ages
2. Assessment of climate change adaptation strategies
3. Nutrition in Emergencies
4. Hospital Capacity Assessment on Health Emergency Management

Priority Area 11: Reproductive Health and Family Planning

Rationale: To address knowledge gaps on reproductive health practices and health seeking behaviors in the region

Sub Topics:

1. Family Planning
   1. Factors Affecting Acceptability of Family Planning Method
2. Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health
   1. Increase incidence of HIV among young people in Region VIII
3. Human sexuality education
   1. Assessment on the implementation of human sexuality education

Priority Area 12: Nutrition

Rationale: To conduct researches on nutrition-related health problems in the region

Sub Topics:

1. Obesity in children (practices and attitude)
2. Malnutrition and other nutrition-related health problems
3. Factors Affecting High incidence of hyperthyroidism

Priority Area 13: Mental Health Problems

Rationale: To address knowledge gaps in the epidemiologic pattern, service delivery and rehabilitation of mental health

Sub Topics:

1. Depression and suicide
   1. Incidence and Factors of Depression in Adolescents
2. Post-traumatic Disorders
3. Mental retardation, children with special needs
4. Mental Health in Workplace (Harassment, Bullying)
5. Health effects of computer games addiction   

Priority Area 14: Traditional and Alternative Health Medicine

Rationale: To conduct researches focusing on the traditional and alternative medicine that has the potential to be applied to lifestyle and other diseases.

Sub Topics:

1. Clinical Researches on homeopathy
2. Clinical Researches on Acupuncture for pain, substance addiction
3. Clinical Researches on naturopathy, Ayurveda and anthroposcopic medicine
4. Adjunctive treatment for cancer, diabetes, COPD and CVD

Priority Area 15: Health Promotion

Rationale: To address knowledge gap on health promotion and education in the community

Sub Topics: Effectiveness of IEC materials in health promotion

Priority Area 16: Health Regulation

Sub Topics: To evaluate the implementation of regulatory policies and assess the compliance of regional stakeholders to regulations.

1. Compliance to Hospital Standards
2. Food and Drug Administration
   1. Study on the Use of Rate of Selected Antibiotics in Tacloban City
   2. Presence of Pharmacist in Licensed drug establishments
   3. Practice of Medication Counselling Skills
   4. Dispensing of Antibiotics without prescription
   5. Adverse Drug Reporting by Health Practitioner

Priority Area 17: Drug and substance abuse

Rationale: To conduct researches on epidemiological data and address knowledge gaps on drug and substance abuse in region 8.

Sub Topics:

1. Drug Surrenders Quality of Life
2. Perceptions on Drug Abuse and Trafficking
3. Prevalence of Drug Abuse Among Different Age Groups in the region

Priority Area 18: Gender and Development

Rationale: To address health related issues on gender and development

Sub Topics:

1. Gender and development issues and policies on Health and health-related practices
2. Violence against Men, Women, LGBT, and Children

Priority Area 19: Geriatrics

Rationale: To collect baseline data on the aging population in the region and assess current health services for the elderly

Sub Topics:

1. Prevalence and incidence studies on diseases of the elderly
   1. Accidents/trauma
   2. Dementia
2. Longevity of Life for the aged
3. Healthy aging programs
4. Quality of life for the elders
5. Palliative (hospice) care
6. Home health care

Priority Area 20: Disability

Rationale: To address knowledge gaps on disability and implementation of health services

Sub Topic: Stroke (Quality of Life Post Stroke Patient/ Recovery vis–a-vis compliance)

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