The Pan American Health Organization, in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency, has organized a regional training workshop to strengthen the quality, validation and use of mortality data across the Caribbean.
The workshop took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from June 23 to 25, with support from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative. It brought together health information and public health specialists from Caribbean countries working in health information systems, vital statistics, epidemiology and mortality coding.
The initiative is part of ongoing regional efforts to advance the digital transformation of health information systems and Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems. It also supports the implementation of ICD-11 and the modernization of mortality data capture, certification, coding and analysis processes.
Participants received practical training on the full mortality information workflow, from medical certification of cause of death to coding, validation, analysis and the use of mortality data for public health decision-making.
The workshop included sessions on DHIS2-based mortality workflows, ICD-11 mortality coding rules, validation and interpretation of DORIS outputs, data quality and the development of national and regional mortality reports.
Participants also explored the use of analytical tools such as ANACoD3 to improve the quality, consistency and comparability of mortality information across countries. These tools can help governments better understand health trends and make evidence-based policy decisions.
The training combined technical demonstrations, hands-on exercises and peer learning. Caribbean countries shared experiences on digital death certification, systems integration and institutional capacity strengthening.
The initiative is aligned with the Caribbean Roadmap for strengthening digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems and PAHO’s Plan of Action for Strengthening Information Systems for Health 2030.
By improving mortality data systems, countries can better monitor causes of death, identify public health priorities and design stronger health policies. Reliable mortality data is also essential for emergency preparedness, disease surveillance and long-term health planning.
Overall, the PAHO and CARPHA-supported workshop marks an important step toward stronger, more timely and effective health information systems in the Caribbean. By building technical capacity and promoting better use of data, the initiative supports improved public health decision-making across the region.
