Dear HIFA colleagues,
Thank you for all your messages about open access. This is building into a great discussion!
This week we are discussing Q2: What is your experience of OA as a healthcare professional/reader?
I would particularly like to encourage you to share your *practical experience* of open access and how this affects (or has affected) your work.
As coordinator of HIFA for almost 20 years, open access has had a hugely positive impact.
When HIFA first launched in 2006, many of not most research papers were behind a paywall. Gradually the situation has changed completely, with open access being the norm rather than the exception.
This is important for my work, as it enables me to send messages to HIFA forum highlighting papers that relate to the HIFA remit.
I need access to the full text of any research paper that I may highlight on HIFA. The ideal is that the paper is open access, so that I know that all HIFA members will be able ot read it.
When I identify a paper of interest and find it to be behind a paywall, I feel a sense of disappointment. I have often send messages to HIFA nevertheless, and I remember HIFA member Joseph Ana (Nigeria) has often commented 'What is the point of sending a message about a restricted-access paper?' He has a point, but at the same time there are reasons for doing so: many HIFA members do have access through their institutional subscription, including those LMIC institutions registered with HINARI. Also, by occasionally highlighting restricted-access papers this highlights the issue. It also raises a question about researchers' awareness of their right to also publish their preprint paper in an OA institutional repository. Most journals allow this (often with restrictions) but it seems that a lot of researchers do not take advantage of it.
HIFA does not have the funds to purchase subscriptions, but we have previously approached publishers to provide us with complementary personal access for my role in facilitating HIFA, and as a result I am grateful to The Lancet and The BMJ.
We look forward to hear how open access to research has helped you in *your* work, whether as a health professional, researcher or other role.
Best wishes, Neil
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