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The Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians (PSPHP), together with the Philippine Society of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID), the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), and the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine (PSGIM) released yesterday, April 6, its unified recommended guidelines on COVID19 management in the primary care and hospital setting, as well as for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health workers.

The guidelines include the following:

• Classification of cases
• Community quarantine protocol
• Contact tracing protocol
• Management of pregnant patients and newborn care and breastfeeding.

The guidelines have been framed with local health systems in mind, with recognition of resources that may be present or absent in communities.  The patient-centric approach also highlights the role of BHERTS and community-managed Isolation Units in the frontline response. 

The guidelines may still be updated as new understanding on COVID19 disease and evidence on its management emerge. We highly recommend these guidelines for endorsement to Regional Offices, Provinces, and LGUs. 

The PSPHP technical team worked closely with its peers from the abovementioned professional societies, as well as with the concerned government and other partners, to gather evidence, review developments and update existing guidelines. 

PSPHP recognizes the direct and indirect efforts of its network in the inception of the primary care guidelines:

• Feedback synthesis from the DOH Health Care Workers Viber Group (>9,000 members) through the help of UP College of Medicine intern volunteers
• Volunteer municipal health officers and Doctors to the Barrios reviewers, former and current, representing different levels of the health system from cities and provinces, including GIDAs
• Volunteer independent consultants in health systems
• Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines
• Maternal and child health experts from Kalusugan ng Mag-ina, Inc., 
• Members of the Asia Pacific Center for Evidence-based Healthcare 
• Representatives of the Foundation for Family Medicine Educators, Inc. (FaMED), and
• Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes (AIHO)