Using data systems to conduct health research in the Caribbean

Challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic

Bibliographic Data

ID14965271
AuthorsMarshall K Tulloch‐Reid (0000-0003-3081-4630, Pomona College, corresponding author), Marshall Kerr Tulloch-Reid (The Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.), Jacqueline Duncan (0000-0002-7440-4417, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.), Jacqueline P Duncan (0000-0001-5968-1179, University of the West Indies System), Keri-Ann Facey (The Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.), A J Williams (0000-0002-0482-7019), Akil Williams (Department of Paraclinical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.), Marsha Ivey (0000-0002-3205-1748, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.), Shelly-Ann Hunte (Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development, The University of the West Indies, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.), Eden Agustus (The Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.), Simon Anderson (0000-0002-4428-4290, The Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.), Maria Jackson (0000-0002-7031-7244, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.)
Year2025
Volume49
Pages1
Publication date2025-04-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1020-4989 • E-ISSN: 1680-5348
PublisherPan American Health Organization (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.26633/rpsp.2025.29
PMID40206566
OpenAlexW4409292527
LanguageEN
References cited5

We aimed to assess how control measures during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the metabolic health of people with noncommunicable diseases when severe restrictions on movement and safety concerns prevented the use of traditional methods of health data collection. To identify study participants, we attempted to use hospital laboratory databases in Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago. We planned to contact participants by telephone for verbal consent to complete a questionnaire and to extract health information (blood pressure and anthropometric data) from their medical records. In this article, we describe the challenges of collecting data from hospital systems to conduct this research during COVID-19. Only one of the four hospitals selected had dedicated information technology personnel able to access laboratory data systems for sampling. When laboratory data were obtained through the commercial vendor, the lack of unique identifiers made it difficult to link these reports to medical records containing contact information. Outdated telephone contact information limited our ability to recruit potential participants identified by this method. Three of four hospitals used paper records requiring manual chart review. There was inconsistent recording of biomedical data on medical record abstraction. As restrictions lifted, we resorted to traditional methods of recruitment to complete data collection. Strengthening routine data collection and implementing standardized, accessible, electronic data systems are essential to generate actionable health data in the Caribbean

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Data collection · Data science · Disease · Family medicine · Identifier · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Medical education · Medical emergency · Medical record · Pandemic · Pathology · Computer Science · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies · Medicine

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