There are about 14 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Barbados. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of the What's My Method game on participants' sense of agency, education, and empowerment around contraceptive decision-making. Patients receiving standard of care contraceptive counseling will be compared to those who play the game in addition to counseling.
In Barbados, levels of hypertension are high (40.7%) and cause of a high proportion of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the Stanford University-led Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) will be modified to form one of the basic components of a three-pronged intervention to improve blood pressure control. Our overall goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of a hypertension self-management program in community-based settings. With the advent of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) we recognize that it may be necessary to adapt the programme to accommodate virtual delivery. Our specific aims are to: 1. Adapt the Stanford (CDSMP) to ensure cultural appropriateness to Barbados. In view of the need to adhere to physical distance guidelines in the era of COVID-19 disease, modifications will be made to enhance virtual delivery while maintaining programme fidelity. We will engage stakeholders in performing modifications related to content, context and mode of delivery of the CDSMP program with the goal of ensuring cultural appropriateness. 2. Determine the clinical effectiveness of CDSMP combined with medication enhancement tools. We will conduct a cluster randomized trial in twelve faith-based organizations(FBOs) in Barbados. We are primarily interested in studying the changes in systolic blood pressure. Secondarily, we will also assess change in weight, medication adherence, dietary behavior and physical activity. 3. Understand the barriers and facilitators to implementation and sustainability of CDSMP plus self-monitoring tools in faith-based organizations. We will assess cost and sustainability of the intervention and qualitatively assess factors associated with barriers and facilitators of implementation in FBOs in Barbados. Impact and novelty: We aim to increase the proportion of patients with controlled hypertension leading to reduced illness and deaths from strokes and heart attacks in particular. Few studies have looked at a blended approach to CDSMP delivery and these will become more necessary in the era of COVID-19. Findings on the factors impacting implementation will be transferable to small island developing states and other predominantly black populations.
Many of the Caribbean island nations have no data on iodine status in their populations. Iodine deficiency in children can reduce IQ but can be easily corrected through a program of salt iodization. The study will be located at 11 islands of the Caribbean region. At each of the 11 study sites, we will measure the iodine status in school-age children by collecting morning spot urine samples for measurement of urinary iodine concentration (UIC). We will also measure height and weight in all children. We will collect a repeat, next-day spot urine sample in 1/3rd of children to adjust for intra-individual variation in spot UIC and calculate the distribution of population intake.
At the Psychiatric Hospital, there are limited mental health professionals to offer the standard of care that is expected at a psychiatric institution. Psychotherapy is most affected. However, there are mental health professionals in training and long waiting times before clients are seen, which provides an opportunity for an intervention to be carried out. The purpose of the study therefore, is to determine whether a group psychological intervention can primarily reduce self-stigma among outpatients at the Psychiatric Hospital. The intervention's effects on self-efficacy and quality of life will also be assessed.
The complications associated with uncontrolled type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are numerous; reducing the quality of life for the patient and consuming a considerable portion of healthcare finances. The Health of the Nation (HotN) 2011 study reported that 50% of the Barbadian population >65years old had a diagnosis of T2DM and that two-thirds of the population were overweight - which is a risk factor for the development of T2DM. Encouraged by the success of the Counterpoint study in the United Kingdom (UK), the Barbados Diabetes Reversal Study 1 (BDRS1) was established using a similar protocol; the aim of which was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a very low calorie diet to reverse T2DM in Barbados. At the end of the 8-week intervention period, the 25 participants had achieved an average weight loss of 10.1kg (22lbs). This was accompanied by an increase in the number of participants whose fasting blood sugars were now within normal range despite being off of their diabetes medication; and a decrease in the number of participants taking blood pressure medication. Participants transitioned to a solid diet over a 4-week period, with guidance on health dietary habits and regular exercise routines. The benefits accrued during the intervention phase were preserved at the end of the transition period. We now propose the Barbados Diabetes Remission Study 2 (BDRS2) as a sustainable community intervention - utilizing the local church as the community site. We hypothesize that this will enhance reach while reducing the cost of the study and will also facilitate the structures necessary for the social support of the participant.
Specific Aim: Implement an evidence-based diabetes prevention pragmatic trial for high risk pre-diabetic individuals of Caribbean-descent to reduce the incidence of diabetes. Hypothesis: This study seeks to test the hypothesis that implementation of a lifestyle intervention, with escalation to Metformin therapy will lower the incidence of diabetes among the highest risk pre-diabetic individuals of Caribbean-descent.
Our intent is to establish the International Registry to Improve Outcomes in Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN) as a prospective, international cohort of minimum 5,000 men with advanced cancer, including men with mHSPC and M0/M1 CRPC. The goal is to establish a population-based registry and recruit patients across academic and community practices from Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). Target accrual number and number of participating sites are subject to change based on accrual, funding, and interest in participation by other international sites. This cohort study will facilitate a better understanding of the variation in care and treatment of advanced prostate cancer across countries and across academia and community based practices. Detailed data will be collected from patients at study enrollment and then during follow-up, for a minimum of five years. Patients will be followed prospectively for overall survival, clinically significant adverse events, comorbidities, changes in cancer treatments, and PROMs. PROMs questionnaires will be collected at enrollment and every three months thereafter. Physician Questionnaires will be collected from all participating sites at patient enrollment, time of first change in treatment and/or one year follow-up, at each subsequent change of treatment, and discontinuation of treatment. As such, this registry will help identify the treatment sequences or combinations that optimize overall survival and PROMs for men with mHSPC and M0/M1 CRPC. By collecting blood at enrollment, time of first change in treatment and/or one year follow-up (plasma, cell free DNA, buffy coat / RNA), this registry will further identify and validate molecular phenotypes of disease that predict response and resistance to specific therapeutics. Additionally, every effort will be made to collect blood specimen at each subsequent change in treatment due to progression of disease. When feasible, existing tumor tissue may be collected for correlation with described blood based studies. All samples will be used for future research. This cohort study will provide the research community with a unique biorepository to identify biomarkers of treatment response and resistance.
The aim of this study is to introduce a new surgical technique for the removal of pterygiums that entails the use of bipolar electrocautery to secure the graft, rather than sutures. With this, the objective is to evaluate the benefits of a new technique for pterygium surgery with respect to postoperative patient comfort, surgery time, cost and recurrence rate.
Diabetes prevalence continues to rise worldwide, leading to the increasing use of insulin. This especially applies to developing countries where the needle-and-syringe method of administration remains the most affordable and effective form of hyperglycemic treatment. Competent health care professionals are required to ensure safe insulin initiation. The investigators will evaluate a teaching intervention on insulin initiation for medical students, and whether after experiencing that intervention the use of a checklist, during simulate insulin initiation, improves the education they provide to patients.
The increasing prevalence of diabetes is associated with increased insulin use. In developing countries it is frequently necessary to use insulin, with the needle and syringe method of administration being the cheapest approach. Competence of health care professionals is required to safely initiate insulin. The investigators will evaluate whether using a checklist during insulin initiation with a needle and syringe, can improve the safety and efficacy of its use.