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Roundtable #5: Information, Communications, and Education Initiatives
| Moderator | Jorge Jimenez de la Jara, Past President, Executive Board, World Health Organization, and Professor of Public Health, Universidad Católica, Chile |
| Resource persons | Douglas Keene, Jana Ntumba, Jennifer Rodine, Philippa Saunders, Anthony Savelli, James Wolff |
| Note takers | Keith Johnson, Tianna Sherman (lead) |
View the PowerPoint presentation online.
View the transcript of the presentation online.
Download the transcript of the presentation (PDF - 111KB).
Background and Issues
Lack of access to information is a chronic problem for most developing countries. SEAM country assessments found this to be true at all levels-for policymakers, regulators, health care professionals, patients, and consumers. All too often, up-to-date, unbiased drug use information resources are simply not available; where information is available, it often comes from the pharmaceutical industry and in all likelihood does not represent national or local needs (e.g., the information is simply imported from the industrialized world). Mechanisms for information gathering (e.g., adverse drug reaction and product quality reports) and information sharing (e.g., publishing results of local initiatives or research) are also lacking. In addition, the newer communication technologies are either unavailable or underused in the developing countries SEAM visited. Information technology presents opportunities to assist previously untrained drug sellers to better serve their communities in the selection and use of pharmaceuticals.
Initiatives to enhance information access and use will be an integral part of all country programs and will range from support for business operations (e.g., inventory control) to support for clinical decision-making (e.g., drug selection and prescribing) to support for empowering the consumer to make appropriate drug use decisions (e.g., patient information, public education campaigns).
Specific areas of focus might include-
- Providing support to national and local authorities on policies and regulations relating to information required for policy and clinical decision-making
- Providing support to national and local procurement authorities to facilitate their drug procurement activities (e.g., needs quantification, supplier identification, tendering, supplier performance, product problem reporting)
- Supporting application of new communications technologies to enhance information access and use for both business and clinical applications (e.g., wireless technologies, personal data assistants [PDAs])
- Providing training and support to health care providers to enhance their respective roles in drug prescribing and use (including their roles in information development, information evaluation, communication, and patient education)
- Supporting development of locally appropriate drug use information resources for both the health care provider (e.g., formulary manuals, standard treatment guidelines) and the consumer (e.g., drug use information leaflets, culturally appropriate pictograms, public education programs and campaigns)
- Creating mechanisms for effective drug information dissemination (e.g., drug information centers and networks, newsletters)
- Developing reporting mechanisms to facilitate collecting and analyzing data from drug use experience (e.g., adverse drug reactions, product problems, medication errors)
- Collaborating with other initiatives focusing on improved access to and use of information (e.g., WHO's Health InterNetwork Project)
Discussion Points
- What type(s) of information technology (IT) would be considered reasonable for use in developing countries? In urban and rural communities? How might the use of IT help improve access to standard treatment guidelines and patient education? How might technology assist initial diagnosis and self-treatment in communities not currently served by properly trained medical personnel? How might the potential use of IT in drug outlets assist in improving procurement and distribution of essential drugs? What is the realistic role of the Internet?
- What information and communications support should be considered for drug regulatory authorities in SEAM country programs? For procurement agencies? What types of software programs are needed to facilitate appropriate procurement practices? What is the potential role of the Internet in procurement? What commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software packages are particularly good?
- How can country-specific information resources be reasonably produced and disseminated in developing countries? How critical is country-specific information? How can new critical information (e.g., product recalls, serious adverse effects) best be disseminated to all levels of health care providers on a timely basis?
- What is the best way for health care providers and consumers to share information and concerns with health authorities? What types of experience-reporting networks (e.g., adverse drug reactions, product problems/defects, medication errors) should be established?
- What are the best approaches to the education of health care providers, including drug sellers? Can continuing education requirements be realistically expected as part of licensing or certification?
- What are the best approaches to the education of patients and consumers? Can education on the appropriate use of medicines be incorporated into grade school and high school curricula?
- What is the need for and potential of distance learning initiatives? What information technologies can be expected to be widely available and used to facilitate distance learning?
Background Materials
Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council. 2000. Networking Health: Prescriptions for the Internet (Executive Summary). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Family Planning Management Development Project. E-learning for Program Managers through Global Information Resources. The Manager IX(1&2) (Spring/Summer 2000).
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