Dear HIFA colleagues,
On behalf of the HIFA Steering Group, I would like to thank HIFA member Bianca Pilla (JBI) who is delivering a presentation on our behalf today at the Global Evidence Summit in Prague.
Here are some extracts:
We would like to present the results of our global consultation: Towards universal access to reliable healthcare information.
First, I’d like to start with two definitions [universal access to reliable healthcare information; global evidence ecosystem], then I’ll introduce you to HIFA and the consultation itself. What did we do? What did we find? And finally I shall invite you to consider next steps and what you can do to contribute.
HIFA is a global campaign to achieve universal access to reliable healthcare information... More than 400 organisations worldwide have now officially endorsed the HIFA vision of universal access to reliable healthcare information.
In 2019 we persuaded the World Medical Association, representing over 10 million doctors, to unanimously agree to adopt universal access as official policy. In April this year, the International Federation of Library Associations did the same, representing the world’s library and information professionals...
As an NGO in official relations we are working to deliver a 3-year collaboration plan with WHO. Our first commitment was a global consultation of all stakeholders in the global evidence ecosystem. We wanted to hear the views of all stakeholders on these questions to inform next steps by WHO and HIFA to improve the availability and use of reliable healthcare information.
The most important finding of the survey was that respondents overwhelmingly called for WHO to explicitly champion the goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information, and for WHO and HIFA to convene stakeholders for a global strategy to accelerate progress.
The Lancet Global Health agrees. A lead editorial in this month’s journal says: 'There is no simple solution except for systematic strengthening of the entire cycle of health information translation... We support the championing role of WHO as recommended in the HIFA report and stand ready to play our part in strategy development.'
We thank all those who supported this consultation. In particular, our lead funders: Oxford PharmaGenesis, Elsevier Foundation and the UK National Institute for Health Research. And several organisations provided technical support: JBI, the International Federation of Library Associations, Costello Medical Consulting, and Digital Medic at Stanford University.
The full report: https://www.hifa.org/sites/default/files/articles/HIFA-WHO_report_final.pdf
The infographic: https://www.hifa.org/sites/default/files/other_publications_uploads/HIFA...
Collaborate with HIFA: www.hifa.org/collaborate
Our thanks and best wishes to Bianca and to all at the Summit. We look forward to next steps.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
