Information access still lacking in developing world
Access to information for most health professionals working in the developing world has not improved in the past 10 years despite the revolution in information technology, researchers revealed last week.
Where progress has been made it has been patchy, with sub-Saharan Africa “falling
far behind” most other regions.
The international researchers recommend that the World Health Organization
should be given the authority to “champion” the progress
of IT information sharing among health professionals so that by 2015
there is universal access to information.
The researchers say: “Despite the promises of the information revolution
and some successful initiatives, there is little if any evidence that
the majority of health professionals in the developing world are any
better informed than they were 10 years ago.”
Some health professionals in the developing world, for example, those
working in tertiary hospitals and academic institutions and those in
urban areas, now have access to more and better quality information than
they did 10 years ago. However, this is in stark contrast to health professionals
in primary care where there is little evidence that there have been any
improvements in the past decade.
Lack of internet access or an online connection that is slow or unreliable
as well as the high costs of using the internet and computer paper were
the major barriers to helping improve knowledge-based health care in
the developing world. The current health information IT system is failing
because it is under-resourced, unmanaged and poorly understood, they
add (Lancet 2004;364:295).
Nigel Cox, pharmacy systems development executive for the National Pharmaceutical
Association, said: “I think one of the biggest problems is that
the necessary infrastructure does not exist in the majority of developing
or underdeveloped countries.” |
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