Caribbean HIS Program

Project Overview

The Caribbean HIS Program is part of a CDC-funded project in support of HIV strategic information activities in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. The goal of the HIS component of the project is to support the Ministries of Health in the two Caribbean countries in improving HIV Health Information Systems in order to ensure better reporting and monitoring of the epidemic.

Areas of Support

  • Electronic Medical Records Systems — building and providing TA in maintenance of systems that support national HIV testing efforts or patient care and treatment, as well as HIV case identification
  • Interoperability — creating linkages between lab systems and HIV care and treatment systems to improve patient data required in treatment
  • Data Warehouses — building and maintaining data warehouses to aid in data analysis and reporting
  • Dashboards and Reporting — building and maintaining dashboards and reporting platforms
  • Capacity Building — training and mentoring HIS staff equipping them with skills to maintain the above systems

​Accomplishments

New HIV EMR for Jamaica

  • Developed the TSIS2 EMR, the Jamaican Treatment Services Information System 2, an EMR based on Django/Python
  • National HIV Care and Treatment Information System for both public and private health facilities
  • Allows for the sharing and or transfer of client records between public and private facilities, ensures extra security and privacy for sensitive key population data and also deduplication of clients records through merging duplicates across facilities
  • Automated import of test results from the National Reference Lab into TSIS2 matching with the case
  • Also includes case closure, PMTCT, linkage to national lab, psychosocial visits, Treatment Readiness Assessment, and SMS alerts to drive retention in care
  • Backed by PostgreSQL, using a relational data model
  • Trained the SI team at the Ministry of health in further development and maintenance

New HIV Case-Based Surveillance System in Trinidad and Tobago

  • A DHIS2 Tracker-based data capture platform for entering all HIV case forms from Trinidad & Tobago 
  • Entry through a web browser or through an offline mobile app, with automatic synchronization to the server
  • Basic DHIS2 reports that help in monitoring the Case Reports entry efforts are facilities
  • Trinidad & Tobago’s HACU (HIV/AIDS Coordinating Unit) has been trained in maintenance of the DHIS2 Capture system

SUPA Data Warehouse and Analysis/Reporting System in Jamacia

  • A data repository serving as the backbone of Jamaica’s facility and Ministry data analysis and reporting for HIV
  • Power BI dashboards to support data visualization and analysis providing an overview of the HIV epidemic over the years with detailed data on HIV diagnosis, ART initiation and current regimen, viral suppression, and retention
  • Additional reports based on SQL Server Reporting Services to provide detailed line lists of individual cases for consumption by the facilities
  • Dashboards and reports are accessible only for user with the proper authentication and authorization
  • Expandable to support other datasets such as the Return to Care campaign

Mini-SUPA Data Warehouse and Analysis/Reporting System in Trinidad and Tobago

  • An expandable mini data warehouse for analysis and reporting of HIV data in Trinidad & Tobago
  • The mini-SUPA gives an overview of the HIV tests (with positive or negative results) and the progression along the treatment cascade for HIV+ cases
  • Data is imported from the DHIS2 platform, the legacy HIV+ capturing system, and from an EMR with treatment information
  • The Power BI dashboard provides an overview of the treatment cascade plus detailed information about the HIV testing
  • Ministry of Health staff are trained to add data sources and visuals to the Dashboard

Key Leadership

UCSF

  • Principal Investigator: George Rutherford, MD, MA
  • Leadership Team: Fitti Weissglas MSc, MBA, David Mugume,
  • Petra Schäfer MSc, Sharlene Jarrett PhD