Current access to health information in Zambia: a survey of selected health institutions

OBJECTIVE: To assess the current situation of access to information by health staff at selected central, provincial, district hospitals and health centres in Zambia. METHODS: Government and non-governmental institutions were visited in the Lusaka Urban District and nine rural districts in the North-Western, Western and Central Provinces of Zambia in 2001. Thirty interviews were held with provincial and district health directors, medical doctors, nurses and clinical officers in district hospitals and rural and urban health centres. In 2006, a follow-up visit was undertaken to the health centres in the Lusaka Urban District in Lusaka Province and the Sesheke District in the Western Province. RESULTS: There is limited access to health information for health workers in Zambia. In hospitals and health centres, where there is access, it is usually provided in an ad hoc manner without a central policy from the government. In all the places visited, there was also an overwhelming expressed need for different types of information relating to the professional or personal needs of health care workers. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that access to information was very poor. There were some excellent examples of local initiatives showing that, even under difficult financial and infrastructural circumstances, it was feasible to improve health workers' access to information by using low technology, information access initiatives. These existing local initiatives deserve to be scaled up, while new initiatives should be adopted to improve access to information in a much more structured way. Of paramount importance is the formulation and implementation of an information policy that will guarantee the provision of health information to Zambian health workers.     

信息技术对信息环境影响的思考

信息技术的发展在给人类带来进步的同时,也带来生存压力、道德缺失、发展失衡等负面影响.可以说信息环境的形成是依靠信息技术的发展,信息技术的发展之路必须要正视其两面性,应以人类根本利益为归宿,重视构建人文科技,促进人与自然和谐发展.     

A case study: planning a statewide information resource for health professionals: an evidence-based approach

Question:

What is the best approach for implementing a statewide electronic health library (eHL) to serve all health professionals in Minnesota?

Setting:

The research took place at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries.

Methods:

In January 2008, the authors began planning a statewide eHL for health professionals following the five-step process for evidence-based librarianship: formulating the question, finding the best evidence, appraising the evidence, assessing costs and benefits, and evaluating the effectiveness of resulting actions.

Main Results:

The authors identified best practices for developing a statewide eHL for health professionals relating to audience or population served, information resources, technology and access, funding model, and implementation and sustainability. They were compared to the mission of the eHL project to drive strategic directions by developing recommendations.

Conclusion:

EBL can guide the planning process for a statewide eHL, but findings must be tailored to the local environment to address information needs and ensure long-term sustainability.     

Delivering information skills training at a health professionals continuing professional development conference: an evaluation

In this feature, guest writer Aoife Lawton discusses the outcomes of an information skills workshop delivered at a continuing professional development conference for health and social care professionals in Ireland. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate perceptions of the effectiveness of the workshop. The study provides details of how, through collaborative partnership, the workshop was developed and delivered. Application of an adapted version of the Kirkpatrick model of evaluation is presented alongside details of what impact the event had on the attendees both immediately after the workshop and 3 months post‐workshop. The authors also reflect on the benefits delivery of the workshops had for professional health library practice and service improvement. H. S.     

Facilitating access to consumer health information: a collaborative approach employing applied research

Responsibility for the provision of consumer health information typically lies within the public library domain or the health sciences library arena. In many communities, both types of libraries provide support for consumer health information services, often with varying levels of expertise. Public library employees may or may not be trained in the use of health and biomedical information resources. Conversely, health sciences library staff may or may not be familiar with information needs of the lay public within their community. To offset these potential differences, a model was developed to assess the health information needs of community members and to provide training for public library staff regarding use of relevant electronic consumer health information resources.     

Breaking the barriers: The impact of health information and cultural factors on immigrant health in the Nordic countries

Immigrants encounter cultural adaptation challenges impacting their health behaviors and outcomes, with health information and cultural factors influencing their actions. A survey of 340 participants from Finland, Norway, and Sweden was conducted, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. Results show that health beliefs and access to health information, mainly via the Internet, significantly predict immigrants' intentions to engage in health-related actions, while perceived barriers negatively affect their adoption of healthy behavior. The findings underscore the importance of information professionals in providing culturally relevant health information and resources to immigrants and emphasize the need for policymakers to consider cultural factors and information sources in health promotion efforts targeting immigrant populations. This study adds value to the information science literature by highlighting the role of information access and cultural context in shaping health-related actions among immigrants in Nordic countries.     

Perceptions of the authority of health information. Case study: digital interactive television and the Internet

As part of a Department of Health funded project nearly 2000 people were surveyed as to their use of two digital health information services, one on the Web and the other on digital interactive television (DiTV). The website was of a commercial company-Surgerydoor-and the DiTV service NHS based. This paper concentrates on the issue of trust in digital health information. Two of the main findings were that advertising was found to have an effect on trust, though the quality and type of advertising will impact in different ways on trustworthiness. DiTV subscribers who had either used the Living Health channel which carried NHS branded health information or had heard of the service, were more likely to say that the NHS was a symbol of trust for them compared with DiTV subscribers who had not used the service.     

Charting a path for health sciences librarians in an integrated information environment

[This corrects the article on p. 421 in vol. 81.].     

Delivering a MOOC for literature searching in health libraries: evaluation of a pilot project

In an era when library budgets are being reduced, Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC's) can offer practical and viable alternatives to the delivery of costly face‐to‐face training courses. In this study, guest writers Gil Young from Health Care Libraries Unit ‐ North, Lisa McLaren from Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Liverpool University PhD student Michelle Maden describe the outcomes of a funded project they led to develop a MOOC to deliver literature search training for health librarians. Funded by Health Education England, the MOOC was developed by the Library and Information Health Network North West as a pilot project that ran for six weeks. In particular, the MOOC target audience is discussed, how content was developed for the MOOC, promotion and participation, cost‐effectiveness, evaluation, the impact of the MOOC and recommendations for future development. H. S.     

网络环境下高校图书馆咨询工作的发展方向

章概述了高校图书馆咨询工作的特点及任务，并分析网络环境下参考咨询工作面临的机遇和挑战，提出网络环境下参考咨询工作应重视的问题，指出从参考咨询走向信息咨询是未来的发展方向。     

Placing the Internet in information source horizons. A study of information seeking by Internet users in the context of self-development

The ways in which people perceive the relative value of the Internet when seeking information for self-development purposes were investigated. The concept of information source horizon was introduced, and it is a construct that enables one to put various information sources and channels in an order of preference to meet the requirements of information seeking. The horizon is based on one's conceptions of the characteristics of information sources, particularly their accessibility and quality. The study draws on interviews with eighteen Internet users who positioned various information sources in three zones of relevance. In their information source horizons, human sources such as friends and colleagues were preferred, followed by print media such as newspapers and books: networked sources were ranked third among six source types. Networked sources were favored for easy accessibility and opportunities to save time. The issue of “facilitating everyday life” was emphasized in this context. Also currency, broad repertoire of networked information, and the potential of the Internet to complement other services were valued highly. Critical stands on the Internet were mainly affected by the negative experiences of encountering low quality material.     

环境因素对CD-R光盘信息耐久性影响的实验研究

本文通过老化试验研究了水、酸、碱和紫外光等环境因素对CD-R光盘信息耐久性的影响,结果表明,在室温23-25℃下,水对CD-R光盘的耐久性影响较小,温度越高,光盘的耐久性越差.酸溶液对CD-R光盘的耐久性影响不明显.碱溶液可以使CD-R光盘蜡克层和印刷层脱落致使光盘损坏.在辐照度为136.7-191.9μw/cm2的紫...     

Genetic research and genetic information: a health information professional's perspective on the benefits and risks

BACKGROUND: The completion of the Human Genome Project, and recent breakthroughs in identifying the genes both directly responsible for and contributing to the severity of specific diseases and disabilities in humans offer great potential for future health care. AIM: The aim of the paper is to inform the health information community of these developments in order to foster debate over their wide-reaching implications. METHODS: The article outlines recent research in this area and explains how our growing understanding opens the way for improved diagnosis of disease, detection of possible predisposition to specific diseases, the interaction between genetics and environmental aspects such as diet, as well as enabling gene therapy and preventative actions. This new knowledge also opens the way for the use of pharmacogenetic information to enhance the efficacy of pharmaceuticals and to avoid toxic reactions. RESULTS: These advances have significant social, legal and ethical implications. Most countries have limited legislative control over the use and protection of genetic information about individuals. CONCLUSION: There is a role for health information professionals to play in promoting wider public knowledge of genetic research and its implications, in fostering public debate on key issues, and in seeking clearer policies in the health sector concerning the use of genetic information about individuals.