{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T09:03:51Z","timestamp":1784538231723,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"University of the Philippines Manila","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784073600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Acta Med Philipp"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Health care systems develop not only through discovery and innovation but also through introspective analysis of our\u00a0experiences. This is achieved by looking inward at our own practices and behaviors that lead to outcomes. It is accomplished\u00a0through a readiness to challenge our own assumptions and admit the existence of our own biases. This method is certainly\u00a0helpful in quality improvement studies, such as one article published in this issue on \u201cPatient Safety Events and Additional\u00a0Hospital Stay and Direct Cost among Pediatric Patients in a Philippine Tertiary Government Hospital\u201d by a team of authors\u00a0led by Professor Edilberto Garcia.\nFar more than a mere retrospective analysis of data, introspective qualitative evaluation of our own performance as health\u00a0professionals provides invaluable lessons to develop health systems and improve outcomes. Introspection is a recommended\u00a0activity in developing a culture of patient safety.\nSelf-examination and analysis of prevalent culture likewise provide insights that can be developed into strategies to improve\u00a0health care delivery. This is most relevant for marginalized recipients of health care, such as the LGBTQ community. Aside from\u00a0reading about perceptions of care received by these individuals, the paper by delos Reyes and co-authors on the \u201cKnowledge,\u00a0Attitudes, and Practices of Filipino Healthcare Professionals on LGBT Health: Implications for Inclusive Care\u201d admits our\u00a0shortcomings as providers and calls for policy changes to implement better care through training.\nLastly, the development of health systems requires change management. Introspection is thus a valuable tool to learn\u00a0lessons through periods of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In a paper recently published by de Vasquez and co-authors,\u00a0collective introspection was promoted as a type of learning\u2014specifically reflective learning.\u00a0This was likewise embodied in\u00a0the study for organizational readiness in the article by de la Fuente on \u201cDevelopment of a Transformative Model of Change\u00a0for Mental Health Education, Research, and Service\u201d in this issue.\u00a0It is no small feat to undertake a qualitative assessment\u00a0of the unit one leads, and for de la Fuente, reflexivity may have enhanced the insights gathered from the participants rather\u00a0than detracting from the validity of the findings.\nThese three manuscripts featured in this issue illustrate that reckoning with our own selves, how we train, how we perform,\u00a0and how we build and implement systems are as important in providing health care. The integrity of the researchers allows\u00a0for the accurate portrayal of systems studied, identifying gaps, structural, cultural, policy, and others. Honesty provides us with\u00a0a clear pathway by which we can confront our shortcomings and pivot towards improvement to shape patient outcomes.\nThis systematic introspection helps us transform our systems with intentionality, preserving our intentions, providing\u00a0guardrails as we pursue our terminal goals. This type of scholarship is part of our collective professional duty.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.47895\/amp.v60i13.14467","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T08:14:04Z","timestamp":1784535244000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Introspective Analysis of Current Systems to Transform Health Care"],"prefix":"10.47895","volume":"60","author":[{"given":"Angela G.","family":"Sison-Aguilar, MD, MSc, MBA","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology\u2028College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital\u2028University of the Philippines Manila"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"27557","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]]},"container-title":["Acta Medica Philippina"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/actamedicaphilippina.upm.edu.ph\/index.php\/acta\/article\/download\/14467\/7206","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/actamedicaphilippina.upm.edu.ph\/index.php\/acta\/article\/download\/14467\/7206","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T08:14:05Z","timestamp":1784535245000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/actamedicaphilippina.upm.edu.ph\/index.php\/acta\/article\/view\/14467"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"13","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.47895\/amp.v60i13.14467","relation":{},"ISSN":["2094-9278","0001-6071"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2094-9278","type":"electronic"},{"value":"0001-6071","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]]}}}