Journals

Welcome to this special issue on COVID-19!

Going over the 8 articles in this issue will give the reader a very good idea of the breadth of research that is being done by our trainees, of course under the guidance and support of the consultant staff of the hospital. We have articles on the manifestations of COVID and a case series focusing on its neurologic manifestations. There are articles on the KAP toward COVID of our medical frontliners, as well as concerns of caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental concerns. We also have articles focusing on diagnostic tests (validation of a rapid antigen test, a meta-analysis comparing saliva and nasopharyngeal RT-PCR, and the clinical utility of cycle threshold values. Finally we also have an analysis of hospitalization costs of pediatric patients with COVID.

All these should show the commitment of PCMC in studying and unraveling the major medical story of our time. Here's to yet more relevant research to come!

Volume 18 Issue No 1 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the second issue of The PCMC Journal for 2022!

After a well-received special issue on COVID, which highlighted the research undertaken by our staff on the major medical story of our time, we go back to publishing the outstanding research output of our staff over the past year, though with an interesting article on the diagnostic usefulness of CXR for COVID. This shows that though the pandemic may be waning (hopefully!), its impact will still be felt for some time to come, even as we try our best to address the major causes of morbidity and mortality in our setting.

For this issue we also have several articles on neurological disorders: calvarial TB, autoimmune encephalitis, and increased intracranial pressure, as well as articles on pediatric severe asthma exacerbations and anesthesia for parturients undergoing cesarean section. All in all, an engaging snapshot for the rest of the year 2022. Happy holidays!

Volume 18 Issue No 2 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the first issue of The PCMC Journal for 2021!

Even as the pandemic continues, the need for scientific dissemination doesn't stop; in this regard the journal has taken some steps toward the wider dissemination of our researches: our application to be included in the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM), and also for our research output to be uploaded into HERDIN Plus. The Health Research and Development Information Network (HERDIN), is an online portal managed by the DOST PCHRD for the easy management and access of local health research. In this way researchers not only in the country but also around the world will have access to the research produced in our institution.

Finally as you may have noticed, for the first time we are including in our journal a number of the outstanding case reports from our residents. Together with the other research articles, this issue provides a snapshot of the research produced in PCMC for the past year.

Volume 17 Issue No 1 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the second issue of The PCMC Journal for the year!

As we write this, it is the last days of 2021. Just as we reflect on how to live in these pandemic times, so do we think how to best continue coming out with the journal. At present we are still on "hybrid mode," producing both an online and print issue. In the very near future, though, we will shift to a purely online model, as it is definitely more efficient to come up with online issues. The important point, though, is to try to be as searchable as possible, as we eagerly await word on our application for inclusion to WPRIM; we are already accessible on HERDIN Plus. Here's to a more productive and less disruptive 2022!

Volume 17 Issue No 2 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the first issue of The PCMC Journal during these pandemic times!

As before, the articles chosen for this issue are those which won during the residents and fellows research for a during the past year. The great disruptions to work and hospital operations during this year have been the main reason for the delay in coming out with this first issue.

As always, too, we try to look at the silver lining behind the great gray cloud of COVID. And it is that during this pause we were able to organize important research activities such as a manuscript writing workshop given by no less than the president of the Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors, Dr. Jose Lapena, and a meta-analysis workshop. Hopefully these will help prepare us to be better equipped for our future research endeavors given our new realities.

Here's to a more productive rest of 2020!

Volume 16 Issue No 1 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

As I write this, a lot has definitely happened, in our country and for this  journal: the pandemic (of course), and the workshop on journal writing. This was held last August over Zoom, given by no less than the President of the Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE), Dr. Jose Florencio Lapena. The latter would definitely not have happened without the former, as the shift to online learning has definitely made it a reality. Unfortunately though, the pandemic also disrupted the normal processes of coming out with the journal, which has resulted in this issue's delay. Be that as it may, we've decided to adapt Dr. Lapena's lessons and suggestions, which will certainly improve the quality of our journal. 

This is also the third consecutive volume for which we've been able to come up with two issues a year. Hopefully that will facilitate our application for inclusion to the western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM), and result in higher visibility for our journal, and our authors. Here's to a better 2021 where we hopefully see the light at the end of the long dark tunnel!

Volume 16 Issue No 2 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the first online issue of The PCMC Journal for 2019! 

If you are reading this in the PCMC website, that means we have finally made the migration to the internet. 

This is in line with our commitment to have two (2) issues a year, for our publication to be indexed in the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM), which will mean wider exposure for the quality researches being conducted by our staff in PCMC.

Volume 15 Issue No 1 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the second issue of The PCMC Journal for 2019!

As you may have noticed, we have now migrated to the digital realm. We hope this vastly improve access of the wider public to the important research studies being produced by our trainees and staff.

We are now hopefully well on the way to being accredited by Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM)  and thus being indexed in this important online database of medical literature.

May you have a meaningful holiday season!

Volume 15 Issue No 2 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the 1st issue of The PCMC Journal for 2018! As you may have noticed, all six articles in this issue are research studies on dengue done by our trainees. Admittedly most of these researches are not very ambitious, with most focusing on the clinical features of local patients with dengue seen in PCMC. But they do reflect the continuing interest and concern for our patients with this very common yet devastating illness. Hopefully this augurs well for more in-depth studies in the future, even as we continue to be a center of care for children with dengue.

On a final note, we are well on track to fulfilling our commitment to publish two issues of the journal a year. This will mean a greater chance of being included in the WPRIM (Western Pacific Region Index Medicus) database so that our articles will be searchable on the internet, and we can have more access to the resources of the Philippine Council for Health Research Development and other government bodies.

Wish us luck!

Volume 14 Issue No 1 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Editorial for Issue 2, 2018

Welcome to the 2nd issue of The PCMC Journal for 2018!

This issue showcases a good mix of the types of researches that our trainees carry out in the hospital, from meta-analyses, normative studies, clinical trials, prospective analytical studies, and a health policy study as well. Of course, these papers were chosen for having won in the various research fora that the hospital organizes each year. But we also hope that these researches can stimulate policy changes at the level of the individual health practitioner, and the institution as well.

Under the guidance of their research mentors, our trainees have produced relevant and meaningful researches that can have significant impact on our everyday practice. Thus we are proud to bring you and disseminate these outstanding research outputs! 

Volume 14 Issue No 2 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

Welcome to the first issue of The PCMC Journal for 2017!

In line with the recent accreditation and re-accreditation of PCMC by national bodies, and with its original thrust to be a research institution, the Office odf Research Development, which manages the journal, has taken steps to show its seriousness in achieving these goals.

Over the past years, there has been a serious lack of manpower and infrastructure (including information technology and access to scientific researches), as well as focus on the equally pressing needs of service and training, that have hobbled the hospital's plan to progress as a research institution. And yet in spite of that, the trainees and staff have continued to produce groundbreaking research and managed to achieve recognition of its research program as well as accreditation of its Institutional Review Board (IRB) by the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB). The hospital has also continued to attract pharmaceutical industry sponsored researches, which ensures funding and training for its participants.

The same problems of manpower and infrastructure have plagued the journal, which have impaired our ability to be included and maintained in various electronic databases such as the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM). Hopefully the same impetus from the hospital administration shall result in more regular production of the journal, and eventual indexing in other more established databases such as PubMed and Scopus. The long term goal is that the journal shall be seen as a worthy avenue for our staff and trainees to publish in, equal to any international publication.

The Editor

Volume 13 Issue No 1 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)

This is the second issue of The PCMC Journal for 2017, consisting, as before, of the best papers submitted by our fellows and residents in training, as attested by their having presented in the hospital’s annual research forum. The topics in this issue are as varied as anemia, breast milk, asthma, sepsis, and Kawasaki disease, all disorders which are among the most common or most important of the diseases encountered at the PCMC, hence of great interest to all health workers of the largest pediatric specialty hospital in the country.

More importantly, this keeps us on track toward achieving our goal of coming out with at least 2 issues of the journal yearly, to qualify being indexed and searched in local and international databases such as HERDIN of the DOST and the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM) of the WHO. The editorial staff enjoins everyone, trainees and consultants alike, medical and paramedical personnel, to continue producing high quality and high impact researches which we can showcase to other centers, in keeping with our original mission of being a research oriented health institution. The Editor

Volume 13 Issue No 2 ISSN: 0117-3774(print) 2704-3665(online)