Research

As the national university, we champion and support innovative research that addresses the country’s most pressing challenges.

04 Aug 2023

UP System

Continuing ignition practices have transformed Tau-Buhid Indigenous lands into “territories of fire”

The article challenges the assumption that land tenure is contingent on acquiring a land title. It argues that for Indigenous...

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02 Aug 2023

UP Los Baños

Occupational therapists can be tapped to design age-friendly cities and communities

Urban planning for age-friendly environments is an important issue, and occupational therapists and occupational scientists could contribute to planning such...

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31 Jul 2023

UP Manila

Injuries suffered by workers on the job such as from falls and contact with sharp objects had been fatal

Although Occupational Health and Safety has been introduced as early as 1971, the protection of workers remained insufficient globally as...

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27 Jul 2023

UP Cebu

Human population growth threatens the largest and only protected key biodiversity area in Cebu Island

The continuing pressure on the natural environment exerted by human activities such as land conversion has been threatening to drive...

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25 Jul 2023

UP Diliman

The seaweed Saccharina japonica, an important aquaculture crop, shows increased photosynthetic activity under blue light

Saccharina japonica kelps grow naturally in the subtidal zone up to more than 20 m, where blue light (400–500 nm) is...

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21 Jul 2023

UP Los Baños

Teachers are influenced by their own beliefs in how they promote scientific argumentation in class

This qualitative multiple-case study discusses the importance of investigating the alignment of four biology teachers’ beliefs and practices when teaching...

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20 Jul 2023

UP Mindanao

Future solid waste management system in Davao City should prioritize plastic waste treatment

To reduce adverse environmental impact, municipal solid waste management (MSWM) practices in developed countries are adopted in developing countries without...

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19 Jul 2023

UP Los Baños

Pesticide residues were found in commonly consumed vegetables and those labeled “organic”

Pesticide residues on vegetables pose food safety concerns. In this study, an assay called the Rapid Bioassay for Pesticide Residues...

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19 Jul 2023

UP Diliman

Surface constraint approach optimizes the design and trajectory of solar sails that are constrained to move on surfaces

Solar sailing is a propulsion technology that uses the solar radiation pressure of the sun as a source for thrust....

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18 Jul 2023

UP Diliman

Studies on disasters can only be inclusive if scholars and practitioners “decolonize” themselves

The discussions on the decolonization of knowledge in disasters are not entirely new and have been the subject of inquiries...

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14 Jul 2023

UP Diliman

“Filipinized” system that aims to make online learning accessible to nursing students and teachers presented at international conference

The project “Development of a Filipinized Learning Management System” (FLMS), funded by the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Program of the the...

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10 Jul 2023

UP Los Baños

Transgender poet reflects on what it means to live under the new presidency

Now is no longer the time for poets is a suite of three poems with the following titles: “To write
another...

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Research

Dying is not a medical experience but also a social and psychological one. We would like to ease the suffering of terminally ill and very sick patients by providing proper care and a “good death” or dying experience in our hospitals. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about new challenges and restrictive protocols. In this study, the barriers to and facilitators of a “good death” from the viewpoint of COVID-19 survivors, relatives, and healthcare providers were described. This is the first qualitative study in the Philippines that explores the perspectives about “good death” and experience of hospitalization, dying, and burial during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital. The study was done in a COVID-19 tertiary hospital in Metro Manila from September to December 2021. Three groups of target participants joined the study: eight survivors of severe/critical COVID-19, nine close relatives of COVID-19 patients who died, and nine healthcare providers of COVID-19 patients who died. Interviews were conducted through video calls. A total of 26 participants were interviewed. The experiences with COVID 19 were influenced by the fear of the infection and isolation restrictions during hospitalization. All groups expressed fear of COVID-19 and death, the importance of family in the healthcare process, difficulty in communication, and cremation as necessary but not preferred. A “good death” is perceived as a peaceful, prepared experience. The main barriers to a “good death” were the strict restrictions on physically comforting and communicating with patients. Video/voice calls and compassionate health care providers facilitated a better hospitalization experience. Healthcare providers and hospitals can improve on how they care for severely ill patients in order to facilitate a “good death” among Filipino patients.

Read full paper: https://actamedicaphilippina.upm.edu.ph/index.php/acta/article/view/5650