PRESS RELEASE

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute collaborates in the development of a data collection tool for COVID-19 from hospitals

The system collects and consolidates daily data on suspected and confirmed cases

Dr. Orville M. Disdier, executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute), reported that the Institute, in collaboration with the Department of Health and the Task Force Physician, the design, development and implementation of a system for the daily collection and consolidation of data on COVID-19 in hospitals was completed. Through this system, epidemiologists at each hospital can easily and quickly enter basic data on suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19.

As explained by Disdier, the data required by the system are those necessary for the so-called rapid surveillance system. The content and logistics of this rapid surveillance system were designed and approved by doctors Cynthia Pérez and Enid García, in collaboration with other members of the Task Force and the Department of Health. The variables collected by the system are the following: Gender, age, municipality of residence, date of onset of symptoms, type of exposure, if the person was admitted to the hospital, if the person is on mechanical ventilation, if the person is in intensive care, date of taking the sample, type of test, result of the test, if the person died, and date of death, if that were the case.

“Faced with the urgent need for the Department of Health to have a rapid epidemiological surveillance system in hospitals, the Institute offered full assistance to the Department of Health and the Task Force Doctor. We are very grateful that they have accepted our collaboration. In just one week, we were able to implement the system and at this time hospitals send information in a fast, complete and standardized way about COVID-19 to the Department of Health. Rapid surveillance systems are essential to combat any epidemic or pandemic,” he argued.

The data that hospitals enter into the system is consolidated every day, at approximately 12:00 noon. After consolidation, epidemiologists from the Department of Health verify the quality of the data and make any necessary edits in consultation with hospital epidemiologists. Finally, the consolidated and verified data will be used by the Department of Health to generate daily statistical reports and for other epidemiological surveillance activities. It is also expected that this will help the Department of Health to comply with Act No. 209 of August 28, 2003, which requires them to share the official data generated with the Institute, an aspect with which the Department of Health has not fully complied with until now. In fact, this law establishes that the Institute is a co-owner of all the information and statistical product that government agencies develop, and that it can add and disseminate such information as it deems appropriate. “We urge the Department of Health to comply with the law and to send these and any other data related to COVID-19 to the Institute on a daily basis and promptly so that we can provide citizens with complete, reliable statistics with quick and universal access,” emphasized Dr. Disdier.

Disdier explained that this system of data collection and consolidation did not involve the use of additional funds, since it based its structure on other tools already existing at the Institute and on free-to-use programming languages, such as Python. The Institute's work team dedicated many hours of work to this project, despite all the challenges that COVID-19 represents for everyone in Puerto Rico and the fact that they are currently working remotely from home. The quality, efficiency and effectiveness of this new system is being verified daily by Institute personnel in collaboration with doctors Pérez and García, who have demonstrated a genuine commitment to overcoming COVID-19.

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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