title: Barriers and facilitators to establishing a national public health observatory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine what stakeholders perceive as barriers and facilitators to creating a national public health observatory (PHO) in Trinidad and Tobago.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study was conducted based on 15 key informant interviews carried out from April to September 2013. The key informants worked within the health care sector in Trinidad and Tobago. Using a semi-structured interview guide, information was collected on knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about creating a PHO; barriers and facilitators to creating and sustaining a PHO; legal considerations; and human resource and information technology requirements. Common themes of the responses were identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of participants supported the development of a national PHO, recognized its value in informing their work, and indicated that a national PHO could 1) provide information to support evidence-informed decision-making for health policy and strategic planning; 2) facilitate data management by establishing data policies, procedures, and standards; 3) increase the use of data by synthesizing and disseminating information; and 4) provide data for benchmarking. However, a number of barriers were identified, including 1) the perception that data collection is not valued; 2) untimely availability of data; 3) limited data synthesis, dissemination, and utilization to inform decision-making; and 4) challenges related to the allocation of human resources and existing information technology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Key informants support the development of a national PHO in Trinidad and Tobago. The findings align well within the components of the conceptual framework for establishing national health observatories. A stepwise approach to establishing a national PHO in Trinidad and Tobago, beginning with structural components and followed by functional components, is recommended. A national PHO in Trinidad and Tobago could serve as a model for other countries in the Caribbean.
authors.affiliation: University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Mount Hope, Trinidad and Tobago, Shalini.pooransingh@sta.uwi.edu.
authors.forename: Shalini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pooransingh
authors.affiliation: Office of the County Medical Officer of Health-Victoria, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Akenath
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Misir
authors.affiliation: University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Mount Hope, Trinidad and Tobago, Shalini.pooransingh@sta.uwi.edu.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramdath
authors.affiliation: University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Mount Hope, Trinidad and Tobago, Shalini.pooransingh@sta.uwi.edu.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramsewak
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaglal
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Goel
mesh_terms: D017691:Caribbean Region; D005006:Ethnicity; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D014300:Trinidad and Tobago