Useful Resources

Gunther Eysenbach, senior researcher, Christian Köhler, researcher, Unit for Cybermedicine and eHealth, Department of Clinical Social Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Germany BMJ 2002;324:573-577 ( 9 March, 2002 ) Little is known about how consumers retrieve and assess health information on the world wide web. Some surveys have elicited data by using semistructured questionnaires or focus groups, but little (if any) unobtrusive observational research has been done to explore how consumers are actually surfing the web. Although several criteria for quality of health websites have been proposed, including disclosure of site owners, authors, and update cycle little or nothing is known about whether and to what degree such markers are recognised or even looked at by consumers or what other credibility markers consumers are looking for. The authors aimed to obtain qualitative and semiquantitative data to generate some hypotheses on how consumers might search for and appraise health information.

With more than 115 programs profiled, this new, updated version responds to a growing interest in health services research and health policy and increasing demand for information about Post Baccalaureate certificates, Master's programs, Doctoral programs, and Postdoctoral programs in these fields. It has been expanded to include health policy research programs and the health policy tracks in public policy programs as well as the core health services research programs included in our two earlier editions-1997 and 1992. While the 2002 edition does not include international programs, other than the eight Canadian programs profiled, future editions may be expanded to include programs outside North America. Print copies will be available this spring. If Interested in profiling your program, please visit our website for detailed information. Contact Information: Virginia Van Horne,Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy,1801 K Street, NW, Suite 701-L,Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-292-6744 Fax: 202-292-6844

Opening of the Health InterNetwork website.
Many thousands of doctors, researchers, health policy-makers and others in about 70 developing countries will from today gain free access through the Internet to one of the world's largest collections of biomedical literature. They will benefit from an initiative launched by the World Health Organization and the world's six biggest medical journal publishers, which WHO Director-General Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland has described as "perhaps the biggest step ever taken towards reducing the health information gap between rich and poor countries." The "Access to Research" initiative enables accredited universities, medical schools, research centres and other public institutions in the developing countries to gain access to the wealth of scientific information contained in more than 1000 different biomedical journals produced by the six publishers. Until now, subscriptions to these journals, both electronic and print, have been priced uniformly for such institutions, irrespective of geographical location. Many key titles cost more than US$1500 per year, and the average subscription costs several hundred dollars, putting the journals beyond the reach of the large majority of health and research institutions in the poorest countries. Last year WHO, working with the British Medical Journal, approached the six biggest medical journal publishers: Blackwell, Elsevier Science, the Harcourt Worldwide STM Group, Wolters Kluwer International Health & Science, Springer Verlag and John Wiley. The aim was to bring them together with the countries concerned to seek a more affordable pricing structure for online access to their international biomedical journals. The first stage of the initiative will make more than 1,000 of their journals available free or at significantly reduced charges to institutions in those countries. That availability begins today with the opening of the Health InterNetwork website: A second stage will involve similar access at significantly reduced prices for institutions in the other countries. WHO and the publishers will work with the Open Society Institute of the Soros foundation network and other public and private partners to extend the initiative; for example, through training for research staff, and improving Internetconnectivity.

The Food and Nutrition unit of the Namibia Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS)recently received WHO support to contract a local Web site developer to create a very comprehensive site addressing breast-feeding in Namibia. The site's content was developed by MoHSS staff, and includes a wide variety of information on the Baby and Mother Friendly Facility Initiative in Namibia, Government policies and strategies for promoting breast-feeding and maternal and baby health, facts and figures relating to breast feeding, and a resource guide for health workers that details reasons for and ways to promote breast-feeding.