Despojo, Chrisarle Anne Therese C.

May 20, 2021

Jereza, Daenna Corrine V. Science, Technology and Society: STS_Z
Mapus, Regine B.
Tobias, Erielle Mari P.
Wee, Salvador Clarence M.

Quantitative Article Critique

The Need for the Establishment of Biomedical Engineering as an Academic and

Professional Discipline in the Philippines- A Quantitative Argument

Biomedical Engineering along with technology, generates rapid and inevitable change and

gives the whole world an upgrade. Biomedical Engineering (BME) is concerned with

technological advancements that enhance human health and health care on a broad scale. As we

live in a world open for opportunities and with the positive response of the citizens to the use of

innovations in the various fields of the profession; numerous individuals are now involved in the

creation of high technologies that would improve the quality of life. The article written by

researchers Jamie Ledesma Fermin and Myles Joshua Toledo Tan entitled “The Need for the

Establishment of Biomedical Engineering as an Academic and Professional Discipline in the

Philippines- A Quantitative Argument” IEEE Access Volume 9 (3097-3111) published on

December 22, 2020, revealed and evaluated the demand of establishing a biomedical engineering

program in the Philippines through identifying the advancements and limitations in the different

countries in South-East Asia that exhibit progress in terms of the healthcare system; and will be

allowed to work with professionals from other fields.

 The title exhibits what the article conveys. It is clear, accurate and it can capture the

attention of many individuals, professionals, and other members of the academy in the path to

discover the field of Biomedical Engineering. This allows the citizens to explore and deepen their

knowledge about it. It is relevant not and misleading to the topic itself. Upon a thorough

examination of the abstract, this discloses information about the results the authors gathered. The

abstract comprises the objective, analysis, and conclusion. It is specific enough to address what is

the main purpose of the article, it is also well organized and easy to follow and understand. In

addition, the purpose was mentioned in the introduction where they want to establish the

correlation between the quantity of biomedical engineering research publications and the

advancement of healthcare systems in ASEAN nations so they can postulate the relationship

between BME research and the healthcare industry. Moreover, the article has several pieces of

evidence lacking, and supporting details are not enough to prove the study especially in the

discussion part where there are citations from different articles. Although, the discussions were

appropriate because they are related to the subject and had evidence to back up their claims. It is

sensible and rational for the author to cite the appropriate references which are needed by the

article to support its claims about the topic. It provides readers with a wide scope of data with the

involvement of our neighboring Asian countries which is relevant. The article was already good

and its sections are already specific enough just to address what the author wants its audience to

know and realize. The article contains substantial data that fully supports the idea, and the honesty

the article brings indicates the limitations regarding its establishment of BME here in the

Philippines. The authors strongly present this article to make a viable point with an impressive
dedication to prove the claims of BME as Academic and Professional Discipline in the Philippines

as a steppingstone to promote and the probable advancements that BME can render.

Following a detailed review of the paper, a crucial appraisal and insights have been

formulated regarding the research article. There are several focused topics in the discussion that

are thoroughly examined. The analysis methods used were sufficient for the thesis and yielded

important results. Choosing the ASEAN states as the scope for data collection presented a better

justification than just choosing a few neighboring countries. Furthermore, the authors were able to

create substantial discussions and findings because they utilized the 12 key criteria for healthcare

including the incidence of death rates inclusive to the ASEAN countries.

As mentioned in the A. Human Development Index and Life Expectancy subject matter,

according to the article “For elderly individuals to maintain good health, they must either observe

a healthy lifestyle or undergo regular medical checkups. However, because of the development of

healthcare, the associate costs also increase.” This suggests that most people who belong in the

age group between 60-65 years old and above suffer from financial instability due to high-cost

health care services. That brings about the demand for Biomedical Engineering to be established

in countries with low expectancy rates like Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and even the Philippines.

B. Pointing out in rehabilitation engineering, there is a great gap between being in a 3rd world

country than being a 1st world country. It would be great if there is already enough funding for the

establishment of Biomedical engineering as an Academic Professional Discipline in the

Philippines. It is disclosed that there is a substantial benefit to people with disabilities for instance

to aid them in their fast recovery with of course at a low-cost rate. C.As a developing country with
hopes of improving healthcare in remote areas. Telemedicine has been introduced as one of the

new forms of healthcare assistance and offers benefits through efficiency and efficacy in

promoting the health of the people, but critics have said that it also has its disadvantages. Let's say,

for example, not all people have the access to the platform, especially those people in remote areas.

D. Singapore is considered a typical country in the Southeast Asian nation. Out of the 10 members

of ASEAN according to the article published they surpassed the expected standards when it comes

to the incidence of mortality due to disease in 7 indicators for quality healthcare in ASEAN.

Furthermore, in the socioeconomic indicators regarding overall wellbeing and health populations

in ASEAN, they are above the mean. E. Moving forward the article also affirmed that Biomedical

Engineering can be an antidote to preventable maternal mortalities, specifically in the Philippines.

Statistically speaking, per 100,000 live births, the maternal mortality rates in HR1 decreased from

39.2 in 2016 to 29.9 in 2017, and finally 15.9 in 2018. In addition, there was a trend in the decrease

of maternal deaths due to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), PIH, and other indirect causes (Cagayan,

et al., 2020). We can heed to the decrease in the rate of maternal deaths in the Philippines every

year but still at a small scale. It would be an advantage for the country if Biomedicine Engineering

is adapted to bring forth the developments of tools and devices that would assist hospitals and

medical settings to have more workforce geared towards productivity and efficiency. F. According

to Data World Atlas, in 2019 the neonatal mortality rate in the Philippines was 13.3 deaths per

1,000 live births. If this newly designed portable, accurate, and low-cost device called Bili Spec

will be implemented in the Philippines through BME, the number of neonatal deaths will decrease

and improve. With this purpose in mind, health care facilities in the Philippines and newborns who

are experiencing concentrated bilirubin will be relieved from death. Resulting in increased life

expectancy and quality. G. Simultaneously, according to the report proclaimed in the article in
table 2, it asserts that nations like the Philippines, Laos, and Myanmar have the highest risk of

dying from NCDs with probabilities that are greater than one standard deviation above the ASEAN

means. It is reflected in the article from the World Health Organization (WHO) that states, NCDs

in the Philippines account for 68 percent of the overall deaths. This, in turn, causes an increase in

healthcare costs and a reduction in productivity in the country. In this agitated situation, the prelude

innovations by Biomedical Engineering extends new opportunities for the above-mentioned

countries to take the initiative to improve health care cost and reduce a toll from NCDs. H. ASEAN

countries have cases of people with Congenital Birth Defects which contribute to many deaths.

Biomedical Engineering has created a way to construct artificial tissues that is helpful in the field

of medicine. Advances with technology in line with the BME made it possible to lessen the CHB

rate in these countries. However, tissue engineering is questionable in terms of its success rate.

I. The researchers were able to find important associations, assess the behavior of the data,

and observe how far apart the values are from each other by using PCCs, R2, and core tendencies.

Furthermore, the tables and graphs present the data comprehensively and are reasonably simple to

comprehend. Thus, the claims of the authors that there exists a strong relationship between BME

publication volume and the different indicators were supported by these data collected. J. There

are improvements in healthcare standards with the help of biomedical engineering research as they

were able to innovate solutions in different departments in healthcare. Despite this, there are low

funds to support previous research which in time would divert attention to new and improved

research. According to the article “It is essential to point out that we are not establishing causation

here. Rather, one of many ways to interpret this is to see that countries that have low yields of

biomedical engineering research might give less importance to the improvement of healthcare
systems and the quality of healthcare.” the fact that they were willing to openly discuss the

drawbacks of bioengineering study and be able to acknowledge their limitations shows that the

authors are objective in creating this research.

In conclusion, the benefits of the inclusion of Biomedical Engineering in the Philippines

as a discipline can have a significant impact on the healthcare settings. Despite its advocacies,

there are several limitations for the Philippines. When it comes to economic status, the country’s

percentage of published BME does not manage to keep pace with other neighboring ASEAN

countries. Another point to consider is that biomedical engineering as a profession in the

Philippines is not yet established and most likely if the program were implemented graduates from

this degree will still choose to go overseas as there are more opportunities outside the country

where they are valued and well-compensated. In general, we are on the same page with the author’s

purpose which is to open a new idea and persuade the leaders in the academe and Department of

Science and Technology to give BME more attention, specifically on the resources needed before

the education program itself. This new opportunity will lead the Philippines not just to

advancement but also for a much better quality of care and services that will be brought to the

people.

References

J. L. Fermin and M. J. T. Tan, "The Need for the Establishment of Biomedical Engineering as an

Academic and Professional Discipline in the Philippines—A Quantitative Argument," in IEEE

Access, vol. 9, Dec. 22,2020 pp. 3097-3111, 2021, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3046655.

Cagayan, M. S. F., Ang-Bon, R. M., Garcia, F., San Juan, F., Llave, C., Banwell, C., & Llamas-

Clark, E. (2020). Barriers to an Effective Maternal Health Service Delivery Network: A

Qualitative Study among Health Providers in Legazpi City, Albay. Acta Medica Philippina, 54(5).

Philippines neonatal mortality RATE, 1960-2020. (n.d.). Retrieved May 08, 2021, from

https://knoema.com/atlas/Philippines/Neonatal-mortality-rate