EDITORIAL

Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo has been integrated into HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme of the World Health Organization (WHO)

Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo se integra en HINARI Programa de Acceso a la Investigación en Salud de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS)

Gaby Caro-Salazar¹ y Jorge Veiga-Cabo²

1. HINARI Programme Technical Officer. World Health Organization (WHO). Geneva. Switzerland
2. Subdirector. Escuela Nacional de Medicina del Trabajo. Instituto de salud Carlos III. Madrid. España.

ABSTRACT

HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme led by the World Health Organization enables access to information related to health sciences and biomedicine to over 100 developing countries, free or low cost. It is one of the most extensive collections of current scientific literature, accessing over 29,000 information resources in 30 different languages. It also has distance learning courses that allows training in different tools related to access, use and management of scientific information. Among the associated partners there are institutions like the United States National Library of Medicine, Information Training and Outreach Center for Africa (ITOCA) and Yale and Cornell Universities. Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo journal has recently joined the HINARI Programme.

Key words: HINARI, World Health Organization, Access to Information.

RESUMEN

HINARI Programa de Acceso a la Investigación en Salud liderado por la OMS junto con las principales editoriales asociadas facilita acceso a información en ciencias de la salud y biomedicina a más de 100 países en vías de desarrollo de forma gratuita o a bajo costo. Constituye una de las colecciones más extensas de literatura científica que actualmente existen, con acceso a más de 29.000 recursos de información en 30 idiomas diferentes. Además cuenta con programa docente a distancia que permite la capacitación en diferentes herramientas relacionadas con el acceso, utilización y gestión de la información científica. Entre los asociados se cuenta con la participación de instituciones como la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina de los Estados Unidos, el Centro de Capacitación y Divulgación de Información para África (ITOCA) y las Universidad de Yale y Cornell (EEUU). La revista de Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo se acaba de incorporar recientemente al programa HINARI de la OMS.

Palabras clave: HINARI, Organización Mundial de la Salud, Acceso a la Información.

Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo journal has recently joined HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme of the World Health Organization (Figure 1), allowing access to its contents to scientific communities and health professionals in over 100 developing countries, for most of them is difficult to establish appropriate and efficient distribution channels as the HINARI and sister programmes are. In addition, the integration of Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo to HINARI means for the journal to be part of one of the more health information extensive collections worldwide that is led by the WHO.

Figura 1. Portal del Programa HINARI - OMS (http://extranet.who.int/hinari/es/journals.php)

The HINARI Programme

HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme is a public-private partnership among the World Health Organization (WHO) and major international publishers, to enable access to information to one of the most extensive collections of scientific literature on health and biomedicine.

Currently it offer access up to 29,000 information resources in 30 different languages, and are available to health institutions in more than 100 countries. It offers free or low cost access, depending on country economic and development indicators.

History, registered institutions and associates

The HINARI Programme was developed in the framework of the Health InterNetwork, introduced by the United Nations* Secretary General Kofi Annan at the UN Millennium Summit in the year 2000.

In July 9th, 2001, WHO and the six major health sciences publishers signed in London (United Kingdom) the Statement of Intent that officially launched the initiative. In January 2002 with some 1,500 journals from the founding partners: Blackwell, Elsevier Science, The Harcourt Worldwide STM Group, Wolters Kluwer International Health & Science, Springer Verlag and John Wiley.

Since then, other major groups and small publishers and journals has joined to the initiative, gradually increasing the number of partner publishers and the number of available journals. Currently there are 380 associated publishers (ANNEX I), more than 5,000 registered institutions and more than 29,000 information resources health and biomedicine related.

ANNEX I. Partner Publishers associated to the HINARI Programme at WHO

Eligibility criteria

The HINARI Programme enables access to health information resources to developing countries, for free or low cost. The Partnership has established eligibility criteria based on four socio-economic indicators: Gross National Income GNI (World Bank figures), Gross National Income GNI per capita (World Bank figures), United Nations Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and Human Development Index (HDI) from the United Nations Development Program.

As a result of this evaluation, countries, areas and territories are classified in two categories: Group A with free access (currently 77) and Group B with low cost access (currently 39). Annually the criteria are analysed and countries, areas and territories can shift from one group to the other.

HINARI Training Materials

Besides the access to information resources system described, HINARI also has educational materials consisting of training modules, self-instructive Video Series developed by a Duke University (US) Project; as well as other multimedia sources as distance learning courses for access training and information management through the HINARI Portal. All these materials are developed in collaboration with institutions as the Medical Library Association from the United States, Librarians Without Borders and the Information Training and Outreach Center for Africa (ITOCA).

In 2012 thanks to the collaboration of the associated publishers, several organizations and aid agencies, as well as countless volunteers who give their time, energy and enthusiasm, HINARI was able to conduct 24 national training workshops (in different countries, areas and territories, as well as distance courses). 112 training modules were prepared or updated. Arabic and Russian versions of the HINARI Portals were also created.

The entry of Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo journal to the HINARI Programme enhances the contents on health and safety at work, enabling access to information on this topic to professionals working on developing countries, where the most part are on poorly working conditions and lack from the basic security measures to protect workers. Moreover, its integration to the HINARI Programme broadens the journals* range of visibility on the international spectrum, thus reaching many geographical areas than by other means are very difficult to achieve and in which to provide small contribution to promote or consolidate means to improve security and health among working population.