Dear Jane,
I am not sure if your interests extend to information access to developin=
g
and transitional countries, but you would be very welcome to participate =
in
the Forum (details below). Even if not, there may well be things that we
could learn from one another on information provision to remote areas.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Neil Pakenham-Walsh
Programme Manager, INASP-Health
International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications
27 Park End Street
Oxford OX1 1HU
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1865 249909 Fax: +44 (0)1865 251060
Email (Health): [log in to unmask]
Email (general): [log in to unmask]
WWW: http://www.oneworld.org/inasp/
INASP-Health is a cooperative network to support the activities of health
information providers in developing countries. Participation is free of
charge and without obligation.
HEALTH INFORMATION FORUM
A series of 6 workshops to support the activities of organizations involv=
ed
in improving access to health information
Background
Healthcare workers in resource-poor countries often do not have access to
sources of information taken for granted by their counterparts in the
developed world - up-to-date textbooks, journals, and other materials to
guide the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. Despite the success=
es
of individual projects in addressing these problems - and the potential o=
f
information technology - it seems that the situation in many poorer
countries continues to worsen.
There are a number of different agencies in the field, North and South,
each with its particular focus, e.g. publishers, donation-distribution
programmes, librarians, editors and the healthcare professions themselves.
These agencies tend to work in isolation and there is no clear common
strategy that we can all say we are contributing to.
Several international meetings, including the landmark BMA meeting in
London (1994) and the 5th international congress of AHILA (Association fo=
r
Health Information and Libraries in Africa) have highlighted the need for
greater coordination among those involved in health information provision.
Working together more effectively
Leading UK-based health information provider organizations active in
developing and emerging countries met at the British Medical Association =
on
30th March 1998 to look at ways in which we might work together more
effectively.
Under the chairmanship of Professor KGMM.Alberti, President of the Royal
College of Physicians of London, participants representing a number of
organizations active in the provision of health information to
developing countries and countries in transition were invited to discuss
ways and means of working more closely through regular discussion and
contact.
Participants included:
Dr Joseph N E Ana (Nigerian Medical Forum)
Douglas Buchanan (British Council)
Michael Carmel (South Thames Library and Information Services)
Isabel Carter (Footsteps/Tear Fund)
Monica Cheesborough (Tropical Health Technology)
Andrew Chetley (AHRTAG)
Paul Chinnock (Africa Health and Medicine Digest)
Chris Coyer (Tropical Medicine Resource, Wellcome Trust)
Dr Hugh de Glanville (Medicine Digest)
Eileen Gillow (Educational Low-Priced Sponsored Texts)
Alexander Heroys (African Medical Research Foundation)
Dr A. Colin McDougall
Tony McSeanm (British Medical Association Library)
Dr Pauline Monro (Neurology International Partnership Programme)
Professor David Morley (Teaching Aids at Low Cost)
Maria Musoke (Makerere University, Uganda)
Dr Neil Pakenham-Walsh (INASP, minutes)
Professor E H O Parry (Tropical Health Education Trust)
Carol Priestley (INASP)
Philippa Saunders (Essential Drugs Project)
Jean G. Shaw (Phi, formerly SatelLife UK)
Dr Richard Smith (British Medical Journal)
Alice Tligui (International Health Exchange)
Anna Tomlinson (Royal College of Physicians)
Liz Woolley (CAB International)
The way forward
It was agreed there was a clear need for a forum to offer mutual help and
support to those involved in health information work, and thereby achieve
more effective working strategies.
As a result, INASP-Health has been asked to organize a series of workshop
meetings to examine specific issues relating to the information needs of
healthcare workers. Dr. Richard Smith has offered to provide meeting room
facilities at the British Medical Association for 2-monthly open meetings.
Administration is being undertaken by INASP-Health with the assistance of=
a
working group of volunteers from the steering meeting.
Objectives of the Forum
The main emphasis of the meetings will be to support and help those
involved in health information work, to encourage greater coordination an=
d
collaboration, and thereby achieve more effective working strategies.
The objectives of the forum are:
to facilitate contact and sharing of skills and experience
As a focus for the exchange of ideas, experience, information, and
contacts, the forum will help avoid duplication of effort or 'reinventing
the wheel', as well as prevent avoidable mistakes. It will also generate
debate and facilitate partnerships, leading to the development of new
approaches, whether printed and/electronic, to meet the needs of differen=
t
target audiences.
to promote analysis
The forum aims to improve the knowledge and understanding of participants
as to the needs of health information users and the most cost-effective
ways of meeting those needs.
to undertake advocacy
As a collective body of leading organizations in the field, the forum wil=
l
act as an advisory body to policy makers, publishers and other interested
parties with regard to health information.
Who will benefit?
=A7 Representatives of organizations involved in health information in
resource-poor countries: e.g. nongovernmental organizations, internationa=
l
agencies, publishers (print and electronic, North and South), medical
librarians (North and South).
=A7 Healthcare workers and their patients
Format of meetings
Each meeting will involve 30 to 50 participants. The meetings will be 2
hours in length and each will relate to a specific topic (see Programme
below). Each of the first five meetings will involve the following
sequential structure:
1. Speakers. Lead speaker (15 mins), plus two short presentations (10 min=
s)
from members of the group working on the topic under discussion
2. Questions
3. Discussion: split into working groups to explore the topic, exchange
experience and ideas, cooperation/analysis/advocacy, action plan, assign
group leader
4. Synthesis: working groups report back to the full session
5. Action: between meetings, working groups follow up planned actions
6. Feedback: at next meeting, groups feed back progress.
The sixth meeting will follow up on the various ideas developed through
earlier meetings, review the work of the Forum in its first year, and set
objectives for future work.
Participation
Participation will initially be mainly by invitation, according to the
topic of each meeting, although open participation will be encouraged
wherever numbers allow. Users and providers in developing and emerging
countries - healthcare workers, librarians and publishers - will be
represented wherever possible, both by direct participation in meetings a=
nd
by communication between the forum and relevant organizations such as the
AHILA and WHO. The programme of meetings will be posted on the INASP web
site, AHILA-Net and a limited number of other specialist sites. Forum
members will also use their outreach capabilities to publicize the events
and their outcomes.
Programme
Date Venue Topic Lead speaker
14 Jul 1998 Royal College of Physicians, London Improving access =
to
information for the isolated healthcare worker Andrew Chetley,
AHRTAG
8 Sep 1998 British Medical Association Improving access to
information for medical education Helga Patrikios,
University of Zimbabwe
10 Nov 1998 British Medical Association The role of local
information and resources Dr Erik Nordberg, AMREF, Nairobi.
Isabel Carter,
Tear Fund
19 Jan 1999 British Medical Association Where is the financial an=
d
political support for health information provision? TBC
16 Mar 1999 British Medical Association Open meeting for multiple
short presentations on health information activities TBC
May 1999 British Medical Association Review, synthesis, and
future directions TBC
Message text written by INTERNET:[log in to unmask]
>Sender: [log in to unmask]
Received: from mailout2.mailbase.ac.uk (mailout2.mailbase.ac.uk
[128.240.226.12])
by dub-img-5.compuserve.com (8.8.6/8.8.6/2.14) with ESMTP id
EAA25727;
Thu, 15 Oct 1998 04:50:46 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from naga.mailbase.ac.uk (naga.mailbase.ac.uk [128.240.226.3])
by mailout2.mailbase.ac.uk (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id JAA27081;
Thu, 15 Oct 1998 09:50:26 +0100 (BST)
Received: (from daemon@localhost)
by naga.mailbase.ac.uk (8.8.x/Mailbase) id JAA08811;
Thu, 15 Oct 1998 09:49:13 +0100 (BST)
Received: from mailhub.abdn.ac.uk (mailhub.abdn.ac.uk [139.133.7.23])
by naga.mailbase.ac.uk (8.8.x/Mailbase) with ESMTP id JAA08805;
Thu, 15 Oct 1998 09:49:10 +0100 (BST)
Received: from lyon (lyon.dgp.abdn.ac.uk [139.133.134.82])
by mailhub.abdn.ac.uk (8.8.7/8.8.5) with SMTP id JAA06738;
Thu, 15 Oct 1998 09:48:15 +0100 (BST)
Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1998 09:48:11 +0000
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=3DUS-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Priority: normal
X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Windows (v2.53/R1)
Subject: Health information in rural areas
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: [log in to unmask]
X-List: [log in to unmask]
X-Unsub: To leave, send text 'leave lis-medical' to [log in to unmask]
uk
X-List-Unsubscribe:
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: [log in to unmask]
Errors-To: [log in to unmask]
Precedence: list
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT
We are planning a future research column for Health Libraries Review
on the theme of health and community care information provision in
remote/ rural areas. In the first instance we are more interested in
looking at information for patients/ the public than health
professionals.
If you know of any ongoing or recently completed research or service
development projects on this theme, I'd be grateful for a name or
contact number/e-mail address.
The kinds of themes we want to cover are -
- are there particular access to health info issues for people in
remote/rural areas?
- what initiatives have been tried out in order to provide better
info/access to info
- have service developments/ projects tended to die or thrive?
- are there particular issues of promoting/disseminating
health info to rural areas?
- whose responsibility is it to provide such information?
Ideally we would like to locate some interesting projects in this
area.
Grateful for any contacts you can provide
Jane
Jane Farmer
Research Manager
Dept. of General Practice and Primary Care
Foresterhill Health Centre
Westburn Road
Aberdeen
AB25 2AY
tel:01224 663131 xt 53447
fax:01224 840683
E-mail [log in to unmask]
"What is now proved was once only imagin'd"
William Blake The marriage of heaven and hell 1793<
|
