Background There is limited information on how the barriers to interprofessional collaboration (IPC) across various professionals, organizations, and care facilities influence the health and welfare of older adults. This study aimed to describe the status of IPC practices among health and social workers providing care for older adults in the Philippines; investigate the perceived barriers to its implementation and perceived effects on geriatric care; and identify possible solutions to address the barriers limiting collaborative practice. Methods A case study approach was utilized employing 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews and 29 focus group discussions with care workers from selected primary health care units, public and private hospitals, and nursing homes that are directly involved in geriatric care delivery in two cities in the Philippines. Overall, 174 health and social workers consented to participate in this study. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis using NVivo 12® was used to identify and categorize relevant thematic codes. Results Interprofessional geriatric care provided by health and social workers was observed to be currently limited to ad hoc communications typically addressing only administrative concerns. This limitation is imposed by a confluence of barriers such as personal values and beliefs, organizational resource constraints, and a silo system care culture which practitioners say negatively influences care delivery. This in turn results in inability of care providers to access adequate care information, as well as delays and renders inaccessible available care provided to vulnerable older adults. Uncoordinated care of older adults also led to reported inefficient duplication and overlap of interventions. Conclusion Geriatric care workers fear such barriers may aggravate the increasing unmet needs of older adults. In order to address these potential negative outcomes, establishing a clear and committed system of governance that includes IPC is perceived as necessary to install a cohesive service delivery mechanism and provide holistic care for older adults. Future studies are needed to measure the effects of identified barriers on the potential of IPC to facilitate an integrated health and social service delivery system for the improvement of quality of life of older adults in the Philippines.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an in-service, short-term training program in improving the attitudes toward, and readiness and activities for collaboration among community health workers (CHWs) in a primary care setting in the Philippines. A randomized controlled trial was adopted dividing participants into an intervention (n = 42) and a control group (n = 39). Attitudes toward, and readiness and activities for collaboration were measured using three standardized scales before and at 6 months after the training. A significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed in the Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS) scores between pre- and post-test in the intervention (6.3 ± 8.3 [Mean ± SD]) and control groups (0.7 ± 8.2). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed an independent positive association between the intervention and greater improvement in the ATHCTS score (Coefficient β = 6.17; 95% CI = 0.82, 11.53; p = 0.03) at follow-up, after adjustment for age, years in current occupation, and social support role of participants. The results demonstrated the efficacy of the intervention for improving the attitudes of CHWs toward collaborative practice in the care of older adults.

Injury among older adults is a serious health concern, but little information is known about it, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of, and examine the socioeconomic, demographic, and health determinants of, self-reported injuries among older Filipinos. Using a pooled data of 21,316 community-dwelling residents aged 60 years or over from three waves of the Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey, multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between participants’ characteristics and reports of injuries. The total prevalence of self-reported injuries over a 10-year period was at 1.2%. Older adults with either government or private health insurance were more likely to report experiencing injuries (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14–2.11), regardless of socio-demographic and economic status. In contrast, female older adults were found to be associated with a lower likelihood of self-reported injuries, after adjustment for other variables (AOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.53–0.88). Older adults who attained secondary education or higher also showed a lower likelihood of self-reported injuries (AOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.31–0.92). The proportion of older adults with injuries in the Philippines is still relatively low. However, preventive approaches with a special focus on gender, educational attainment, and health insurance status of older adults are warranted.

Background: Health policies in the Philippines have evolved in response to increasing health demands of older adults. However, there is a lack of research on equity among the ageing population in low-middle income countries. The objective of this study was to identify the trends in National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) coverage and healthcare utilization among older adults in the Philippines for the period from 2003 to 2017, during which NHIP expansion policies were implemented, focusing on reductions in socio-economic inequalities. Methods: A literature search of policies for older adults and an analysis of four

Background Health literacy determines an individual’s decision-making process in providing judgment concerning appropriate healthcare. Considering the various purposes of literacy for people, functional health literacy (FHL) was identified as a type of literacy that is measured by the application of literacy skills to health-related materials as a result of health education. The objective of this study was to identify the possible socio-demographic correlates of FHL of Filipinos. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,303 Filipinos aged 15 to 70 years old in 2018–2019 utilizing the National Health Literacy Survey. Functional health literacy was determined using the FHL-5 Test which measured prose, document, and numeracy skills. Descriptive analysis presented socio-demographic characteristics and level of FHL. Log-binomial regression was used to estimate associations of FHL adequacy with socio-demographic characteristics. Results Overall, the study involved 1,997 (86.7%) qualified participants. Most of them demonstrated prose literacy skills and had adequate FHL. Adjusted regression analyses showed that participants with a college-level education (Adjusted prevalence ratio [APR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.27–1.60), categorized under domestic service occupation (APR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.03–1.37), and those residing in urban areas (APR: 1.14, 95% CI 1.06–1.24) were significantly more prevalent in exhibiting FHL adequacy. In contrast, male participants and individuals aged 60 years or above were less likely to demonstrate FHL adequacy. Conclusions The study presents a baseline assessment of the functional health literacy level, measured using the FHL-5 Test, of adults in the Philippines. Majority of the participants demonstrated FHL adequacy, with relatively higher scores in prose than numeracy literacy. The measurement of FHL adequacy can inform policies on methods of health education and communication, emphasizing the need to stratify the audience based on socio-demographic characteristics and adapt the content and design of informational materials for population-based health educational programs.

Background A growing number of older adults require complex care, but coordination among professionals to provide comprehensive and high-quality care is perceived to be inadequate. Opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills important for interprofessional collaboration in the context of geriatric care are limited, particularly for those already in the workforce. A short-term training programme in interprofessional collaboration for health and social care workers in the Philippines was designed and pilot tested. The programme was devised following a review of the literature about geriatric care education and group interviews about training needs. The objectives of this paper are to introduce the training programme and to evaluate its influence on attitudes and readiness to collaborate among participants using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Methods A total of 42 community health workers and 40 health institution workers participated in the training in July 2019. Quantitative indicators were used to evaluate attitudes towards and readiness for collaboration before and after the training. Content analysis was performed of responses to open-ended questions asking participants to evaluate the training. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was applied to determine the patterns of similarities or differences between the quantitative and qualitative data. Results Significant improvements were seen in scores on the Attitudes Towards Health Care Teams Scale among community health (P < 0.001) and health institution (P < 0.001) staff after the training. Scenario-based case studies allowed participants to work in groups to practise collaboration across professional and institutional boundaries; the case studies fostered greater collaboration and continuity of care. Exposure to other professionals during the training led to a deeper understanding of current practices among health and social care workers. Use of the scenario-based case studies followed by task-based discussion in groups was successful in engaging care professionals to provide patient-centred care. Conclusions This pilot test of in-service training in interprofessional collaboration in geriatric care improved community and health institution workers’ attitudes towards such collaboration. A 3-day training attended by health and social care workers from diverse healthcare settings resulted in recommendations to enhance collaboration when caring for older adults in their current work settings.

This article examined the literature dealing with the application of sociomateriality perspectives to interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaboration (IPC). A scoping review methodology was followed based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. A systematic database search was performed in September 2021 to retrieve literature published from 2007 onwards, with forty-three papers meeting the inclusion criteria. These papers included research articles, book chapters, conference papers and commentaries, with the majority originating from Europe. Findings were summarised thematically: (1) Power as a sociomaterial entity shaping IPE and IPC; (2) Inclusion of non-health professionals in reimagining IPE and IPC practices, and (3) The critical understanding of sociomateriality. The results suggest that a sociomateriality perspective can allow for the reimagination of the contemporary and future practices of interprofessionalism.