GLOBAL HEALTH
Telling the COVID-19 Data Story on a Global Scale
By Reshma Kakkar, manager, Informatics, Global Health; Solon Kidane, senior laboratory technical manager, Mozambique, Global Health; Rufus Nyaga,
informatics technical manager, Kenya, Global Health; Clement Phiri, senior technical advisor, Zambia, Global Health; Kasimona Sichela, developer/data
manager, Zambia, Global Health; and Elias Munshya, laboratory information systems support officer, Zambia, Global Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has created
a challenging data management
environment for public health, hospital,
clinical and private laboratories due to
the large volume of specimens requiring
testing within a short timeframe, the
associated epidemiology data that
have to be managed and reported, and
involvement of multiple stakeholders
with differing objectives. A successful
public health response is dependent on
timely and accurate laboratory results for
confirming cases and enabling contact
tracing. And a country-specific yet
consistent laboratory data management
strategy is vital. The significance of this
strategy cannot be overstated: preventing
multiple ad hoc databases, duplication
of cases and lack of linkage between
laboratory results and epidemiological
and/or clinical data is critical to ensure a
timely response.
Policy directions, new cases and
technology for conducting tests
and reporting, as well as case based
surveillance and incident management
are rapidly evolving. APHL’s previous
innovative data management approaches
in several countries under the United
States President’s Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Global Health
Security Agenda (GHSA) have served
to jump-start the response efforts for
managing and reporting laboratory data
for the pandemic. APHL has not only
built upon existing human resource
and infrastructure capacity but also the
trust and partnerships established with
respective Ministries of Health in Asia and
Africa over the past decade.
Established tools have proven to be
critical in rapidly responding to the data
management needs of the pandemic,
such as:
• A central laboratory data repository
to receive and record laboratory
data submitted from a variety of
data sources
• Interfacing of the testing analyzer
to allow automated capture of large
volumes of result data
• Remote test orders to decrease
data entry workload at the testing
laboratory, speed processing and
testing of the specimen and provide
rapid and accurate communication of
test results to health facilities
• Integration with external systems
requiring laboratory data.
Actions taken by APHL to strengthen data
management and reporting include:
• Standardized system/data collection
tools at the laboratory or testing site
were rapidly deployed
• Use of tools that staff on site at
national and/or sub national
levels were familiar with requiring
minimal training
• Remote access to be able to
troubleshoot and provide support
• Automation of individual test result
alerts and standard summary reports
• Developing solution to enable
integration of laboratory data with
case-based surveillance system in use
in the country.
APHL staff are continuing to work
with country governments to define a
consistent laboratory data management
strategy with a focus on:
• Establishing a working group
co-chaired by surveillance/
epidemiology and laboratory
departments to:
• Define minimum critical data
elements and/or fields to be
captured by laboratories including
test methods and protocols
• Map workflow process to establish
the sample path from sample
collection to results release and
identify points for capturing critical
data elements
• Develop guidelines for review of
authorized users of laboratory
and patient information captured
in laboratory and epidemiology/
surveillance data systems
• Data sharing agreements between
laboratory data systems and central
laboratory data repository or
epidemiology/surveillance database
electronically
• Establish or revise national privacy
rules protecting individually
identifiable information.
• Develop data use agreements
and policies.
• Partnering with a country’s national
laboratory director on developing a
strategic plan for:
• Rapid assessment of current
laboratory data management
systems at all levels of laboratories
• Identification of health centers and/
or specimen collection sites to be
connected to the testing laboratory
• Determination of any electronic
specimen referral methods or
systems available for remote test
orders and results receipt
• Implementation plans, timelines
and estimated expenses with
options for financial support for the
above activities. •
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org
Summer 2020 LAB MATTERS 21