PAHO/WHO calls on professionals to participate on "eHealth Conversations"
Washington, DC, Monday, 1 October, 2012 — The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) calls on professionals that work in in the field of eHealth to brainstorm, discuss and reflect on the present and future of the use and application of information and communication technologies in public health in the Americas. The virtual dialogues will be part of a project titled "eHealth Conversations: Information management, dialogue and knowledge exchange to approach universal access to health".
The project represents a breakthrough for the eHealth Strategy and Action Plan for the region of the Americas, as it seeks to implement a regional mechanism, through free and fair access to information and knowledge sharing, to ensure the convergence of local, national and regional initiatives, related the development, adoption and implementation of information and communication technologies for public health. It also aims to support decision makers and people in general to understand and prepare for the future.
Based on the components of the eHealth regional strategy, PAHO/WHO with the support of the Spanish Cooperation, will implement a series of virtual dialogues with key stakeholders, networks and experts in the following topics: 1)Infrastructure, 2)Information Systems, 3)Telemedicine, 4)Access to information, 5)Policies, 6)Education, 7)Patient Safety, 8)Electronic Medical Records, 9)Standards for interoperability, 10)Legal issues, 11)Relationship with projects and initiatives of e-Government, and 12 )eHealth Management.
Each virtual dialogue will last 120 days. The main goal of each conversation is to develop a situation analysis, identify national and international experts and networks in each topic, and produce conclusions and recommendations for PAHO/WHO and its member countries to consider when implementing eHealth projects.
Expected results include to build a network specialized in eHealth; facilitate national institutions with access to evidence-based information and certified experts on specific issues that can strengthen decision making; strengthen individual and collective capacities of health workers and institutions, and connect them in a network of eHealth networks; and strengthen the PAHO/WHO eHealth program.
The final product for the series of "Conversations on eHealth" will be a publication that will be regularly updated and disseminated in the PAHO/WHO media and its social networks.
Interested parties may participate in one or more of the 12 conversations available, which will be moderated by a coordinator who will assign activities among participants and collect information for the publication.
If you have any questions about the "eHealth Conversations: Information management, dialogue and knowledge exchange to approach universal access to health", please contact Marcelo D'Agostino, dagostim@paho.org.
