AFES A.S.-O.N.E.: ASEAN Survey Of Needs in Endocrinology in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Gabriel Jasul Jr. University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM)-Philippine General Hospital
  • Elizabeth Paz-Pacheco University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM)-Philippine General Hospital
  • Cecilia Jimeno University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM)-Philippine General Hospital
  • Ketut Suastika Indonesian Society of Endocrinology (ISE) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7895-382X
  • Zanariah Hussein Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society (MEMS)
  • Norlaila Mustafa Malaysian Endocrinology and Metabolic Society (MEMS)
  • Aye Aye Aung Myanmar Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (MSEM) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0844-7379
  • Jeremyjones Robles Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism  (PSEDM) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6704-564X
  • Melvin Khee Shing Leow Endocrine and Metabolic Society of Singapore (EMSS) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2837-5889
  • Chaicharn Deerochanawong Endocrine Society of Thailand (EST) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9666-7050
  • Nguyen Thy Khue Vietnam Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology (VADE) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1160-5681
  • Tran Huu Dang Vietnam Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology (VADE)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.035.01.10

Keywords:

survey, Southeast Asia, COVID-19, endocrine care, SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

*Visual Abstracts prepared by Dr. Francis Xavier Mislang

Objectives. The COVID-19 pandemic has made a major impact on hospital services globally, including the care of persons with diabetes and endocrine disorders. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 in the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies (AFES) member countries; to describe challenges, changes and opportunities in caring for patients with endocrine diseases, as well as in fellowship training programs, and endocrine-related
research in the AFES countries.

Methodology. The AFES ASEAN Survey Of Needs in Endocrinology (AFES A.S.-O.N.E.) was an open-ended questionnaire that was sent to the presidents and representatives of the AFES member countries by email. Responses from Societies were collated and synthesized to obtain perspectives on the emergent issues in endocrinology in the Southeast Asian region during this pandemic.

Results. The burden of COVID-19 cases varied widely across the AFES member countries, with the least number of cases in Vietnam and Myanmar, and the greatest number of cases in either the most populous countries (Indonesia and the Philippines), or a country with the highest capability for testing (Singapore). The case fatality rate was also the highest for Indonesia and the Philippines at around 6%, and lowest for Vietnam at no fatalities. The percentage with diabetes among patients with COVID-19 ranged from 5% in Indonesia to 20% in Singapore, approximating the reported percentages in China and the United States. The major challenges in managing patients with endocrine diseases involved inaccessibility of health care providers, clinics and hospitals due to the implementation of lockdowns, community quarantines or movement control among the member countries. This led to disruptions in the continuity of care, testing and monitoring, and for some, provision of both preventive care and active management including surgery for thyroid cancer or pituitary and adrenal tumors, and radioactive iodine therapy. Major disruptions in the endocrine fellowship training programs were also noted across the region, so that some countries have had to freeze hiring of new trainees or to revise both program requirements and approaches to training due to the closure of outpatient endocrine clinics. The same observations are seen for endocrine-related researches, as most research papers have focused on the pandemic. Finally, the report ends by describing innovative approaches to fill in the gap in training and in improving patient access to endocrine services by Telemedicine.

Conclusion. The burden of COVID-19 cases and its case fatality rate varies across the AFES member countries but its impact is almost uniform: it has disrupted the provision of care for patients with endocrine diseases, and has also disrupted endocrine fellowship training and endocrine-related research across the region. Telemedicine and innovations in training have been operationalized across the AFES countries in an attempt to cope with the disruptions from
COVID-19, but its over-all impact on the practice of endocrinology across the region will only become apparent once we conquer this pandemic.

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Author Biographies

Gabriel Jasul Jr., University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM)-Philippine General Hospital

Past President, Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM)

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Diabetes, Thyroid and Endocrine Center, St. Luke's Medical Center, Quezon City

 

Elizabeth Paz-Pacheco, University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM)-Philippine General Hospital

Past President, Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM)

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

The Medical City, Pasig City

Cecilia Jimeno, University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM)-Philippine General Hospital

Past President, Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM)

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

UPCM Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Manila

Ketut Suastika, Indonesian Society of Endocrinology (ISE)

President, ISE

Head, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism

Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar Bali

Zanariah Hussein, Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society (MEMS)

President, MEMS

Medical Department, Hospital Putrajaya

Norlaila Mustafa, Malaysian Endocrinology and Metabolic Society (MEMS)

Senior Consultant, Endocrinologist and Head

Department of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz, UKM Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur

Aye Aye Aung, Myanmar Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (MSEM)

President, MSEM
University of Medicine, Mandalay, Myanmar

Jeremyjones Robles, Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism  (PSEDM)

President, PSEDM

Scientific Chairman, 20th ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies (AFES) Manila November 2019

Treasurer, Philippine Thyroid Association

Consultant, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu City 

Training Officer, Department of Internal Medicine, Cebu Velez General Hospital

Associate Professor 2, Cebu Institute of Medicine

 

Mobile: +63 - 9173218880  

Email: doc_jer_cebu@msn.com

Phone: +63 - 32 - 2547221(Chong Hua Medical Arts Building Capitol Clinic)

Phone: +63 - 32 - 5206400 (Cyberdocs Clinic)

 

 

Melvin Khee Shing Leow, Endocrine and Metabolic Society of Singapore (EMSS)

President, EMSS

Department of Endocrinology, Division of Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital

Chaicharn Deerochanawong, Endocrine Society of Thailand (EST)

President, EST

Diabetes and Endocrinology Unit, Rajavithi Hospital College of Medicine, Rangsit University, Bangkok

Nguyen Thy Khue, Vietnam Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology (VADE)

Past President, VADE

Professor Emeritus, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh

Tran Huu Dang, Vietnam Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology (VADE)

President, VADE

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Published

2020-05-29

How to Cite

Jasul Jr., G., Paz-Pacheco, E., Jimeno, C., Suastika, K., Hussein, Z., Mustafa, N., Aung, A. A., Robles, J. ., Leow, M. K. S., Deerochanawong, C., Khue, N. T., & Dang, T. H. (2020). AFES A.S.-O.N.E.: ASEAN Survey Of Needs in Endocrinology in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies, 35(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.035.01.10

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