International best practice for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (heart attacks) will be high on the agenda over the next two weeks.

This is when the National Commission for Chronic Non-communicable Disease (NCCNCD), in association with the Ministry of Health and the Chronic Disease Research Centre (CDRC), hosts a series of workshops on the issue.

The half-day sessions, which are also sponsored by the World Health Organisation/Pan American Health Organisation (WHO/PAHO), are aimed at realising improvements in diagnosis and documentation of these occurrences in Barbados. They will target non-consultant medical staff of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and medical staff at polyclinics across the island.

The first workshop starts tomorrow, Tuesday, May 18, with others slated for Wednesday, May 26 and Monday May 31. They will be conducted at the PAHO Headquarters at Dayrells Road, St. Michael, from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m.

Among the key facilitators at the QEH will be Consultant Cardiologist and Head of Cardiology Dr. Stephen Moe and Head of Medicine, Dr. Rudy Delice.?? General Practitioner Dr. Lynda Williams will also address participants.

Dr. Moe will speak on ???Criteria for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI)’ while Dr. Delice will address the ???Need for and importance of standardisation of AMI diagnosis’. ???Best practice for recording/documenting diagnoses of AMI’ will be presented by Dr Williams.

There will also be a presentation from the Barbados National Registry (BNR), which will examine its role in diagnosis – enhancing reporting of AMI to the BNR and BNR data feedback. This will be delivered by Director of the BNR, Angela Rose and Cardiovascular Disease Registrar, Gina Pitts.

PAHO/WHO Representative for the Eastern Caribbean, Dr. Gina Watson will deliver remarks at the official opening of the workshops, tomorrow, Tuesday, May 18, while Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth George will speak on behalf of the Health Ministry. Chairman of the NCCNCD, Prof. Trevor Hassell will welcome the participants and chair the sessions.

The workshops will aid the work of the BNR, which was established in 2008, as a national chronic disease registry, by the Ministry of Health and is now managed within the CDRC. The registry is being developed as an information system for public health action, which will provide descriptive details about the number of cases, deaths, access to services, diagnosis and treatment for all patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke and cancer.

jgill@barbados.gov.bb

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