The session brought together two clinicians working in very different environments, but facing the same underlying challenge: how to generate meaningful, usable data when resources, infrastructure, and time are limited.
The speakers were:
Dr Olubukola Ayodele, Consultant Medical Oncologist, University Hospitals of Leicester
Dr Andreas Barratt-Due, Senior Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Oslo University Hospital
Their experiences spanned UK oncology and critical care capacity building in Malawi, but their conclusions were closely aligned.
Why real-world data matters for equitable research
Clinical data is often fragmented across spreadsheets, paper records, and disconnected systems. This slows research, increases administrative burden, and makes it difficult to identify variation in outcomes.
Dr Ayodele illustrated this through the CONCISE study, a national real-world evaluation involving 21 NHS Trusts across all four UK nations. More than 1,000 patients were included in just four months — a process she noted would typically take close to a year using conventional methods.
Beyond efficiency, real-world datasets make inequities visible.
“Even within the UK, we see differences linked to deprivation and regional practice. Real-world evidence helps us understand that variation.”
She also described a living metastatic breast cancer registry, embedded directly into multidisciplinary team (MDT) practice. The registry supports audit, service planning, and trainee-led research by capturing structured data in real time and following patients longitudinally.
Importantly, she highlighted that lightweight, cloud-based platforms lower barriers for centres with limited IT capacity to participate in collaborative research.
Building registries in low-resource settings
Dr Barratt-Due shared lessons from long-term capacity-building work at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, where access to safe surgery, anaesthesia, and intensive care is severely constrained.
Previous attempts to maintain ICU registries relied on paper notes and complex spreadsheets and proved unsustainable. The team therefore developed a simple ICU registry, tracking a small number of essential variables such as admissions, ventilation, antimicrobial use, and survival.
After initially using Excel, the registry was transitioned to a shared digital platform.
“Establishing the registry was easier than expected.”
Within months, the team were able to quantify ICU mortality for the first time.
“Before, estimates ranged from 20 to 60 percent. Suddenly we have numbers.”
The data revealed a mortality rate of around 36 percent in a young patient population. While the registry did not solve the problem, it made it measurable — and therefore actionable. It is now informing service planning and future quality improvement initiatives.
The registry is maintained locally using only smartphones, basic internet access, and a small number of laptops.
Practical lessons for cross-border collaboration
During the panel discussion, several recurring themes emerged that are relevant for clinicians and researchers planning collaborative projects.
1. Governance must be agreed early
Clear rules on data access, confidentiality, and use help build trust and reduce delays. Restricting identifiable variables and managing permissions carefully reassured participating sites.
2. Simplicity enables sustainability
Tools must fit into routine clinical work. Ease of use allows local teams to maintain registries independently over time.
3. Engagement requires active effort
Collaboration does not sustain itself. Regular communication, visible progress, and an understanding of local incentives are essential — particularly in low-resource settings.
4. Data visibility accelerates improvement
When clinicians can see and analyse their own data, it enables faster learning and more targeted improvement, even before formal research begins.
From principle to practice
Across oncology in the UK and critical care in Malawi, a consistent message emerged:
Equitable collaboration becomes possible when clinicians can collect, understand, and act on meaningful data together.
Real-world registries and practical digital tools do not remove the complexity of global health research — but they make collaboration feasible, scalable, and grounded in everyday clinical practice.
As global cancer care and global health research continue to evolve, the experiences shared during this webinar show that equity is built through practical enablement, not abstract ideals.
