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A Building Block Approach To Implement A Telehealth Clinic And Improve Primary Care Access In The Philippines: A Large-Scale Pilot Project, Annalicia Pickering, Wardah Rafaqat, Adi Balk, Milton Chen, Limuel Abrogena, Shuhan He, Mary Showstark, Alexander Davis, Aidan Chen, Jarone Lee

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

A limited number of healthcare workers and cost constraints encumber primary care access in the Philippines. To test telehealth as a low-cost and effective solution, a large-scale digital health clinic was implemented in the selected urban and rural communities. In collaboration with local authorities, our pilot telemedicine clinic was implemented for 3 days in January 2023. Patients were registered, and their vitals were assessed before they were seen by a remote US-based licensed physician who provided treatment rec-ommendations. Medical devices with real-time streaming capabilities, such as electronic stethoscopes, were utilized to enhance remote examinations. A total of 322 patients were …