THE Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is set to benefit in the distribution of the RX Box.
The RX Box is a multi-component program -- biomedical device, electronic medical records system and telemedicine -- designed to access life saving child care services for the disadvantaged and isolated communities in the region and nationwide.
Flor De Peralta, of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Cordillera and regional training coordinator of RX Box, said 31 RX Box will be distributed to identified areas in CAR. This, she said, aims to provide better access to life-saving healthcare service in isolated and disadvantaged communities in the region.
It is an information communications technology and innovations program developed by the DOST for its Smarter Philippines, which supports the Health departments program on universal health care.
"This Filipino-made electronic medical records system started in 2004 and developed by the University of the Philippines in Manila and Diliman. It underwent the requisite testing processes and prototypes and now, 1,000 devices with 31 of these to be distributed in identified areas in CAR. This RX Box is not only a monitoring device but has six other monitoring devices built in one box which is comprehensive," De Peralta said.
An RX Box has built-in medical sensors for monitoring blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, assessing the strength of contraction of the mother's uterus, as well as electrocardiogram and fetal heart monitor.
The device is capable of storing and transmitting patient data to allow health workers in remote communities to consult with medical experts in urban areas.
"We are hoping that this could also be used to identify the coronavirus but for this pandemic, this has helped because we were given an opportunity to deploy these in hospitals at the National Capital Region like the Philippine General Hospital, National Kidney Institute and other areas in NCR which are currently used to assist health frontlines to monitor Covid-19 patients," de Peralta added.
The precise readings recorded in RX Boxes like blood pressure, for example, provides the results of exact measurement readings.
Medical doctors provided with actual readings can now see the problem of certain patients upon receiving the recorded data online.
Aside from blood pressure components, the RX Box is also equipped with electrocardiography or ECG component, temperature component, fetal monitoring device or tonometer, which looks at child's pulse inside the mother's womb.
"In 2016, we had around 16 RX Box devices that underwent rigid research and from the 1,000 devices that have recently been produced. The Cordillera Region will be provided with 31 devices from the original 38 devices after seven devices were distributed in other regions which were used in NCR. DOST established certain criteria's for municipal health centers to qualify for the acquisition of RX Boxes particularly those in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas in the Cordillera," she said.