Lack of healthcare information threatens patient safety, say leading health agencies
Published: 12 February 2009
10th February 2009, London, UK: Global campaign ‘Healthcare Information for All by 2015’ (HIFA2015) today announced its Annual Challenge for 2009: Addressing the information needs of nurses and midwives in low-income settings. The 2009 Challenge will bring together thousands of nurses, midwives, publishers and librarians to work out ways to improve the quality and availability of information for nurses and midwives in developing countries. Their common goal is: By 2015, every nurse and midwife will have access to the information they need to learn, to diagnose, to provide appropriate care and treatment, and to save lives.
The 2009 Challenge group is supported by the British Medical Association, Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery, International Confederation of Midwives, International Council of Nurses, Midwives Information and Resource Service, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Nursing, and the World Health Organization. Together they are calling for relevant, reliable healthcare information to be made more easily accessible to nurses and midwives in the developing world.
Dr Jean Yan, Coordinator of Health Professions Networks and Chief Scientist, Nursing and Midwifery, at the World Health Organization, Geneva, declared: "Nurses and midwives, as the largest group of healthcare providers, are often the first point of contact for individuals and communities most in need. The collaboration between the World Health Organization, HIFA2015 and our partners will improve access and exchange of high quality, evidence-based and appropriate knowledge for nurses and midwives worldwide. The WHO Office of Nursing and Midwifery supports the 2009 Challenge in achieving this common goal."
David Benton, Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses (ICN), highlighted that "lack of accurate and current health information is a serious threat to patient safety and quality of care. ICN is determined to address this through initiatives such as the ICN Nursing Mobile Library. I call on all partners to join in reaching the world's nurses and midwives with current health information"
Jackie Cheeseborough, Learning & Development Manager for Information & Knowledge Management at the Royal College of Nursing of the UK added: "Good quality, up to date, relevant evidence is essential for improving patient care, and that is why the RCN is giving its full support to this important campaign. Our own survey shows that if health practitioners have access to information they will use it to bring about change."
Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives (UK) said: "Information gives midwives and other health workers power; the power to stop women and babies dying needlessly. This is very valuable work that will make a major and life-saving difference to women and babies across the world, and I am delighted to be supporting this collaborative effort."
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Coordinator of the HIFA2015 campaign said: "HIFA2015 is raising awareness of this vital issue, thereby improving the provision of health information, and improving health outcomes. We call on governments and funding agencies to support efforts to meet the needs of nurses and midwives so that people do not die because of a simple lack of basic healthcare information. And we call on individuals to join us via our website: www.hifa2015.org "
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Note to editors:
Please refer to accompanying 2-page Dossier of Evidence:
HIFA 2009 CHALLENGE: ADDRESSING THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF NURSES AND MIDWIVES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: The scale of the crisis: evidence and statistics
HIFA2015
1. Healthcare Information for All by 2015 (HIFA2015) is a Global Campaign launched in 2006 with the goal: By 2015, every person worldwide will have access to an informed healthcare provider.
2. The HIFA2015 campaign has nearly 2,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. Members include healthcare providers, information providers, researchers, publishers, policy makers and major stakeholders involved in the provision, distribution and use of healthcare information.
3. HIFA2015 is supported in-kind by 34 health and development organisations, including the International Council of Nurses, Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Nursing.
4. HIFA2015 is administered by the Global Healthcare Information Network (GHI-Net), a non-profit organisation based in the UK.
5. Neil Pakenham-Walsh (Coordinator, HIFA2015 Campaign) qualified as a doctor in 1983. As well as working for the National Health Service in the UK he has worked in rural Ecuador, Peru and India. He has also worked in medical publishing at the Wellcome Trust and the World Health Organization.
HIFA 2009 Challenge
1. Activities on the HIFA 2009 Challenge will increase recognition of the work of nurses and midwives throughout the world and will help them improve their day-to-day delivery of care.
2. The Challenge will encourage all parties that are involved in the production, distribution or use of healthcare information to work together to address the information needs of nurses and midwives throughout the world – particularly the needs of those working at primary and district healthcare levels in rural areas of low-income countries, where the information needs are greatest and where the vast majority of avoidable deaths occur.
3. The Challenge is not a health information delivery service. Rather, it is a campaign and a professional network that facilitates communication, understanding and advocacy about information needs and how to meet them. The campaign includes thousands of members, each of whom is independently implementing solutions to improve the production, distribution and use of healthcare information, sharing experience and expertise with others to achieve the HIFA2015 goal. No single delivery mechanism can meet the varied needs of nurses and midwives in different settings.
4. The HIFA 2009 Challenge is financially supported by the BMA, Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Nursing.
Notes on participating organisations
The British Medical Association is an independent trade union and professional association for doctors and medical students, with over 140,000 members in the United Kingdom and overseas. [www.bma.org.uk]
The Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery Communities of Practice (GANM) offers a resource library of published materials, announcements, a calendar of events, and periodic discussions on topics of interest. [my.ibpinitiative.org/public/ganm/]
The International Confederation of Midwives supports, represents and works to strengthen professional associations of midwives on a global basis. At present ICM has over 90 member associations in more than 70 countries. [www.internationalmidwives.org/]
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of 133 national nurses associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses and leading nursing internationally, ICN works to ensure quality nursing care for all and sound health policies globally. [www.icn.ch]
Midwives Information and Resource Service is an educational charity who’s mission is 'To be the leading international information resource relating to childbirth and infancy, disseminating this information as widely as possible to assist in the improvement of maternity care.' [www.midirs.org]
The Royal College of Midwives (UK) is a professional organisation and trade union run by midwives for midwives. [www.rcm.org.uk]
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organizations. For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
The World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends. [www.who.int]
Contact:
Dr Neil Pakenham-Walsh:
Coordinator, HIFA2015 Campaign
Co-director, Global Healthcare Information Network
16 Woodfield Drive
Charlbury, Oxfordshire OX7 3SE, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1608 811338
E-mail: neil.pakenham-walsh@ghi-net.org
HIFA2015 website: http://www.hifa2015.org