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Using different data sources to inform a general practice and public health response to a global pandemic
Date
2025
Abstract
Background
COVID-19, the third significant coronavirus outbreak of the 21st century, caused 15 million deaths worldwide in its first two years. The public health response was unprecedented, yet early decisions were often made in the absence of robust data. Reliable data were urgently needed to inform disease surveillance, digital contact tracing efforts, seroprevalence studies, and appraise the impact on routine healthcare.
Aim
This thesis investigates how diverse data sources can inform responses to a public health threat, with a particular focus on general practice, public health and public engagement-all critical to the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Methods
• Papers 1 and 2: Analysis of open data sources in Ireland and nine Northwestern European countries, leading to the development of a public-facing online dashboard and collaborative practice-based evidence.
• Papers 3 and 4: Large-scale surveys assessing public attitudes toward digital contact tracing in Ireland.
• Paper 5: A seroprevalence study demonstrating the feasibility of general practice for research to better understand SARS-CoV-2 immunity.
• Paper 6: A retrospective analysis of 500,000 general practice consultations (2019-2021) to assess the pandemic’s impact on general practice activity.
Results & Discussion
This research highlights the critical role of open data, timely analytics, and public engagement in pandemic management.
Collaborative projects demonstrated how open data can generate valuable insights nationally and internationally. Findings from the seroprevalence study and general practice EMR analysis reinforce the central role of GPs in Ireland’s healthcare system. GPs adapted rapidly, maintaining essential services despite significant challenges. Public interest in digital contact tracing was strong, yet its real-world applicability and effectiveness remains uncertain.
This research underscores the need for standardised, routinely collected datasets to strengthen future public health responses and advocates for greater integration of data science in healthcare research. Lessons from COVID-19 should guide digital transformation in healthcare, fostering data-driven decision-making in public health and general practice care provision.
Supervisor
Glynn, Liam
Description
Publisher
University of Limerick
Citation
Collections
Files
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OCallaghan_2025_Using.pdf
Adobe PDF, 3.49 MB
Funding code
Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
External Link
Type
Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/