Open-access publishing and noncommunicable disease prevention

Open access publishing & noncommunicable disease prevention in developing countries www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Collins Kokuro Associate Director, Ashanti-ProCor Project Specialist Physician, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana

Outline
Non Communicable Disease burden
Global and local
Information poverty in LMIC
ProCor
Ashanti ProCor project and its findings
Recommendations.
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation

Noncommunicable disease: A new health threat
Leading cause (60%) of death globally
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation The Global Economic Burden of Non-communicable Diseases. World Economic Forum

Cardiovascular diseases
Among NCDs, CVDs are the leading cause of premature, preventable deaths
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Global Atlas on Cardiovascular Diseases Prevention and Control. World Health Organization

Disproportionate NCD burden in LMIC
Nearly 80% of NCD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Global CVD mortality rates / Global Atlas on Cardiovascular Diseases Prevention and Control. World Health Organization

NCDs in Ghana
Nearly 40% mortality caused by NCDs
Nearly 50% CVD-related
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation World Health Organization - NCD Country Profiles , 2011.

Mortality, Ashanti region www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Ashanti Region Regional Half Year Report 2010 Double burden of disease NCDs rapidly increasing

80% of CVD is preventable www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Age-standardized death rates per 100,000 among men age 30 years or older Source Preventing Chronic Diseases: a vital investment World Health Organization (2005)

Evidence-based strategies are affordable, cost-effective, adaptable
“ A full range of chronic disease interventions are very cost-effective for all regions of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these solutions are also inexpensive to implement .”
Preventing Chronic Diseases: a vital investment World Health Organization (2005)
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana

Information poverty: A neglected risk factor
“ Improving the availability and use of relevant, reliable health care information has enormous potential to radically improve health care worldwide .”
“ Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: A literature review with a focus on Africa.” N. Pakenham-Walsh, F. Bukachi. Human Resources for Health. April 2009.

ProCor: Promoting cardiovascular health
Founded in 1997 to:
Promote knowledge sharing among a global community committed to prevention
Place relevant, timely, reliable information in the hands of those who need it
Provide access to info via low-cost ICTs
Prevent the need for high-cost medical technologies
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Dr. Bernard Lown Founder and chair

Ashanti-ProCor Project
Four-year pilot project
Identify CVD information needs and access preferences of health workers
ProCor & KNUST
Funded by Mattina Proctor Foundation, Boston, MA, US

Methodologies: Learning and listening
Learning
-- Literature review
-- Knowledge and practice survey
Listening
-- Key informant interviews
-- Focus groups
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Maude Kwartang-Amening, Medical librarian, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology A focus group section

Findings: Rich human resources
Many diverse provider groups have the potential to play a key role in CVD prevention
Physicians, nurses in community and district settings
Providers not typically included in prevention:
Community pharmacists
Medical herbalists
Midwives
Medical assistants
Nutritionists
Health educators

Assets: Awareness and commitment
High awareness of CVDs across groups studied
Strong commitment to addressing CVD in their professional practice
www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation Elizabeth Safo Mensah, Nursing Director of Public Health, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

Leapfrogging technologies
Laptops (often stand-alone)
USB drives
Mobile phones
Wireless access
Internet cafes
Mobile Broadband (MBB)

Barriers: Available resources
Hard copies (textbooks, journals)
Frequently out of date
Cumbersome to access
Online
Most frequently accessed: Google, Wikipedia
Low awareness of open-access journals

Online barriers: Cost, time, connectivity
Cost
Service provider contracts
Slow download speed > internet café charges
Subscriptions, cost/article
Credit card issues
Unreliable connectivity
Time constraints

“ Most of the faculty are research oriented and they want up-to-date information. We used to depend so much on journals but now we can’t afford the subscription. So we depend on the internet. But it can be frustrating when you get to the net and all you can get is an abstract. Then even if you have the money to pay, you don’t have a credit card.” Librarian

Preferences
Email
Download options
PDFs (easy storing)
HTML (fast download)
Interpersonal knowledge sharing
Colleagues, faculty
Social networks
Locally/regionally relevant data, protocols, programs

Role of open access
No associated costs for accessing or publishing
Email alerts
Download options
PDF
HTML
Current
Peer reviewed

Potentially more inclusive
“ Underrepresentation of developing world health issues in the medical literature is a global phenomenon.”
“ International medical journals cannot rectify global inequities, but they have an important role in educating their constituencies about the global divide.”
“ The developing world in The New England Journal of Medicine” B. Lown, A. Banerjee. Globalization and Health 2006, 2:3

Future directions
Respond to identified need for local/regionally relevant research
Maximize access via mobile formats, local knowledge-sharing networks

Thank you for your attention www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation

Support prevention. Share knowledge. Subscribe to ProCor. www.procor.org [email_address] Benn Grover Editor, ProCor Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation 21 Longwood Avenue Brookline, MA 02446 www.procor.org [email_address] www.procor.org a program of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation

Open-access publishing and noncommunicable disease prevention

by BioMedCentral on Nov 02, 2011

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Open-access publishing and noncommunicable disease prevention — Presentation Transcript