ICTs and access to health Information and knowledge. AHILA14 Congress.
Report from Jean Shaw of Partnerships in Health Information, attending the 14th biennial AHILA congress. This year, for the first time, there is to be a CABI prize [linked to CABI's Global Health database] awarded for a short report on health information activities in an AHILA member country (known as a chapter). AHILA14, Day 1.
Professor Maria Musoke's keynote presentation encompassed the main themes of the Congress and AHILA's role in accommodating the huge changes that have taken place over the 30 years of its existence - both the benefits and the challenges. These themes were taken up by the principal guest speakers - the representative for the Minister, for Health and Social Welfare and His Excellency the Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania who emphasised the importance of e-health resources in the education and practice of health care and the effects of health on poverty and the national economy.
The next exciting event was the presentation of the CABI prize by His Excellency to Dr. Alison Kinengyere & Glorias Asiimwe (Uganda) for their report on the activities of the Uganda Chapter of AHILA and their aims. Their main focus is, and continues to be, on training and the promotion of continuing professional education.
Then began a rich feast of presentations which addressed some of the challenges to be faced by the information professions: a web based site to improve collaboration and efficiency of clinical trials for new drugs; social media and "infodemiology" of misinformation - its identification and containment; an African perspective on sensitive health-related data; and MEDBOX an online library suitable for health workers in crisis situations.
As Professor Musoke [The University Librarian, Makerere University] emphasised in her keynote address, AHILA and its Chapters must ensure that its structure is able to meet and support the benefits and challenges of ICT in the provision of relevant, safe and secure health information to all who need it.
Further Reading
AHILA e-newsletter October 2014
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