These boards help COVID-19 patients communicate with health workers

Help is on the way for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who have trouble communicating because of shortness of breath or intubation, or even through writing because of body weakness.

A non-profit effort called Project Shield has produced 500 communication boards to facilitate conversations between patients and healthcare workers.

The project partnered with Philippine Association of Speech Pathologists (PASP) and Cityway Printing Services.

“This will improve the health worker-patient relationship in a sense that they will have a voice through the communication boards when they will have difficulty enunciating what they feel, need, their fears, etc.,” said PASP head and speech pathologist Susie Pascual.

“It will also be easier for our specialists, nurses to let the patients know what they are doing for the patient,” she added.

The communication boards are made of a durable cardboard material and were laminated for sanitation purposes.

Project Shield is set to distribute the first batch of communication boards to hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients.

These include Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Lung Center of the Philippines, Makati Medical Center, the Philippine General Hospital, and others.

For those who wish to help Project Shield's efforts to produce face shields and communication boards, donations can be made through this account:

BDO Savings
Account name: Gilane Rodil-Yusay
Account number: 000900341513

As of Wednesday, the Philippines has 2,311 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 96 deaths and 50 recoveries. --Margaret Claire Layug/MGP, GMA News