The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) recently spotlighted three innovative projects under its Digital and Frontier Technologies for Health (DFTH) Program.
This initiative forms part of the ten priority health and research and development programs aimed at revolutionizing healthcare delivery in the Philippines.
The projects were unveiled during the Talakayang HeaRT Beat – Digital Technologies for Health event held on May 27, where experts shared advancements that promise to improve health outcomes across various demographics.
- i-SULAT (Intelligent Stroke Utilization, Learning, Assessment and Testing)
The first project, led by Dr. Edison Roxas from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), introduces a software tool designed to analyze children’s handwriting.
This program not only aims to enhance handwriting consistency but also assists occupational therapists in detecting underlying neurodevelopmental delays, including Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and autism.
Future phases of the project will explore its potential in early identification of strokes and Parkinson’s disease in the geriatric population.
- ImGTS (Immersive Gamification Technology System)
The project utilizes virtual reality gameplay to meet the therapeutic needs of individuals with neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy and dementia.
Entering Phase 2 of clinical trials, this project has two branches. One focusing on Alzheimer’s patients with behavioral psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which uses motion-controller wristbands to interact with the game projected on a screen.
The other branch is designed for pediatric patients with cerebral palsy, with the game projected through the Meta Quest 2 headset, while the patient is suspended from a harness to allow freedom of movement.
The research arms are run by Dr. Veeda Michelle Anlacan and Dr. Maria Eliza Aguila, respectively, both from University of the Philippines Manila (UPM).
- HealthPH: Intelligent Disease Surveillance for Public Health Using Social Media
Finally, the HealthPH represents a cutting-edge approach to disease monitoring. This software harnesses natural language processing and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze social media posts for emerging health threats.
This allows the program to take understand figurative jargon and other contexts commonly used on Filipino social media, that pertains to disease symptoms.
The pilot study covers multiple languages, including Ilocano, Cebuano, Tagalog, and English, and identifies symptoms of diseases such as such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, Covid-19, and acute upper respiratory infections (AURI).
Led by Dr. Mideth Abisado from the National University (NU), the program aims to aid in formulating public health decisions, and prevent severe outbreaks.
