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A Metin Gülmezoglu, José Vil/ar
P ro v id in g access to ev id en ce-b ased in fo rm atio n in
rep ro d u ctiv e h ealth : th e W H O R ep ro d u ctiv e H ealth
L ib rary fo r d ev elo p in g co u n tries
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a c k o f a c c e s s to u p -to -d a te , re lia b le a n d c o m p re h e n s iv e m e d ic a I in fo rm a tio n is o n e o f th e b ig g e s t p ro b le m s h e a lth c a re w o rk e rs in d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s .fa c e . T h is p ro b le m is e v e n m o re irn p o rta n t w h e n th e e ffe c ti v e n e s s o f h e a lth c a re in te rv e n tio n s a re c o n s id e re d . W ~ th o u t th is in fo rm a tio n b e in g a c c e s s ib le to th e m a jo rity o f h e a lth w o rk e rs , th e re m o v a l o f in e ffe c tiv e p ra c tic e s a n d in s ta te m e n t o f b e n e fic ia I p ra c tic e s w ill d e p e n d la rg e l y o n a d h o c in c id e n ta l e v e n ts s u c h a s c o n fe re n c e s , m e e tin g s a n d v is its to o th e r c o u n trie s . H a v in g c o n tin u o u s a c c e s s to g o o d q u a lity u p -to -d a te in fó rm a tio n o n th e e ffe c tiv e n e s s o fh e a lth c a re in te rv e n tio n s m a y p ro v e to b e a m o re c o s t-e ffe c tiv e w a y o f im p ro v in g th e h e a lth s ta tu s o f p o p u la tio n sI.
F o r d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s , m o s t s u b s c rip tio n jo u rn a ls a re n o t o n ly e x p e n s iv e a n d d e liv e re d la te a n d e rra tic a lly , b u t a ls o la c k th e s y s te m a tic a lly re v ie w e d , c o m p re h e n s iv e in fo n n a tio n to in flu e n c e p ra c tic e s in a s p e c ific to p ic o r s p e c ia lity . T h e re v ie w s p u b lis h e d in th e s e jo u rn a ls a re u s u a lly n a rra tiv e a n d tra d itio n a lly p ro n e to th e b ia s o f th e a u th o rs . O u r e x p e rie n c e w ith b o th n a rra tiv e2
a n d s y s te m a tic re v ie w s3 ,4 ,5 , a n d a ls o th e e m p h a s is p la c e d b y o th e rs6,7 o n th e im p o rta n c e o f s y s te m a tic a p p ro a c h e s to
re v ie w in g th e e ffe c ts o f h e a lth c a re , h a v e c o n v in c e d u s to ta k e s y s te m a tic re v ie w s a s th e g o ld s ta n d a rd in re v ie w in g h e a lth c a re in te rv e n tio n s . In re c e n t y e a rs s y s te m a tic re v ie w in g h a s b e c o m e a n e ffic ie n t to o l fo r p ro v id in g s u c h c o m p re h e n s iv e in fo rm a tio n . T h e C o c h ra n e C o lla b o ra tio n , fo u n d e d in O x fo rd in 1 9 9 3 , is a n in te rn a tio n a l n e tw o rk o f in d iv id u a Is a ro u n d th e w o rld a im in g to h e lp p e o p le m a k e w e ll-in fo rm e d d e c is io n s a b o u t h e a lth c a re b y p re p a rin g , m a in ta in in g a n d e n s u rin g th e a c c e s s ib ility o f s y s te m a tic re v ie w s o f th e e ffe c ts o f h e a lth c a re in te rv e n tio n s8
•
. C o c h ra n e re v ie w s a re s y s te m a tic ' re v ie w s u s in g rig o ro u s , e x p lic it m e th o d o lo g y ,. w ith th o ro u g h s e a rc h fo r re le v a n t s t.u d ie s , a n d a re u p d a te d a s n e w e v id e n c e b e c o m e s a v ~ lila b le . H e n c e , th e y a re in c re a s in g ly a c k n o w le d g e d a s a re lia b le s o u rc e o f in fo rm a tio n o n e ffe c ti v e n e s s o f h e a lth c a re in te rv e n tio n s9•
T h e W o rld H e a lth O rg a n iz a tio n h a s ta k e n th e le a d in d is s e m in a tin g u p -to -d a te re lia b le ln fo rm a tio n o n th e e ffe c tiv e n e s s o f re p ro d u c tiv e h e a lth in te rv e n tio n s b a s e d o n C o c h ra n e re v ie w 's to a ll re g io n s , b y e m b a rk in g o n th e
WHO Reproductive
Health L~brary
p ro je c t fo r d e v e lo p in gG Ü L M E Z O G L U , A . M .; V IL L A R , J . -P ro v id in g a c c e s s to e v id e n c e -b a s e d in fo rm a tio n in re p ro d u c tiv e h e a lth : T h e W H O .R e p ro d u c tiv e H e a lth L ib ra ry fo r d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s
1470
c o u n trie s 1 0 .T h e p ro je c t is a c o lla b o ra tiv e a c tiv ity b e tw e e n
W H O , th e C o c h ra n e C o lla b o ra tio n a n d h e a lth w o rk e rs in
L a tin A m e ric a , A fric a a n d S o u th -E a st A sia , re p re se n te d
b y a n e d ito ria l b o a rd . T h e first issu e o f th e W H O
R e p r o d u c t i v e H e a l t h L i b r a r y c o n ta in s, o n o n e flo p p y
d isk e tte , 2 7 C o c h ra n e re v ie w s o n to p ic s o f h ig h p rio rity
fo r d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s. T h e sp e c ia l fe a tu re o f th e W H O R e p r o d u c t i v e H e a l t h L i b r a r y is th e c o m m e n ta rie s o n th e re le v a n c e o f re v ie w fin d in g s to d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s.
T h e se c o m m e n ta rie s a n d a c o rre sp o n d in g se c tio n o n
p ra c tic a l m a n a g e m e n t h a v e b e e n w ritte n b y h e a lth w o rk e rs
in d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s o r b y p e o p Ie w ith e x p e rie n c e o f
liv in g a n d w o rk in g th e re . A lth o u g h th e se c o m m e n ta rie s
re fle c t th e v ie w s o f a sm a ll g ro u p o f in d iv id u a Is, th e y
c le a rly c a ll a tte n tio n to re le v a n t issu e s re la tin g to th e re a lity
o f se rv ic e s in d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s. T h e y a re a ll p e e r
re v ie w e d b e fo re b e in g a c c e p te d fo r p u b lic a tio n .
T h e W H O R e p r o d u c t i v e H e a l t h L i b r a r y w ill b e p u b lish e d a n n u a lly b y W H O a n d w ill b e d istrib u te d o n a
fre e su b sc rip tio n b a sis to h e a lth w o rk e rs in d e v e lo p in g
c o u n trie s. T h e first issu e w ill b e p u b lish e d o n ly in E n g Iish ,
a lth o u g h a c tiv e e ffo rts to p ro v id e tra n sla tio n s in to m a jo r
w id e ly -sp o k e n Ia n g u a g e s a re c u rre n tIy u n d e rw a y .
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a c c e sse d . W H O re g io n a l a n d in te rn a tio n a l n e tw o rk s1 1 ,12,
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c o u n trie s, a n d c o lla b o ra to rs in m u ltic e n tre in te rn a tio n a l
tria Is o f im p o rta n c e to d e v e lo p in g c o u n trie s, w ill
p a rtic ip a te in d isse m in a tio n . A ssista n c e fro m C o c h ra n e
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v a Iu a b Ie in th is re sp e c t. T h is p ro je c t w a s in itia te d a n d
to o k sh a p e in a re Ia tiv e Iy sh o rt p e rio d (le ss th a n o n e
y e a r) d u e to th e w illin g n e ss a n d c o m m itm e n t o f h e a Ith
w o rk e rs in m a n y d e v e Io p in g c o u n trie s, fro m T h a ila n d
to B ra z il, Z im b a b w e to In d o n e sia . H o w e v e r, th e re a l
su c c e ss o f th e p ro g ra m m e w ill o n ly b e m e a su ra b le in
te rm s o f its im p a c t in p ra c tic e , w h ic h w ill b e e v a lu a te d
b y a p p ro p ria te ly d e sig n e d stu d ie s. W e lo o k fo rw a rd to
fru itfu l c o lla b o ra tio n w ith c o lle a g u e s in B ra z il in o rd e r
to re a c h B ra z iIia n h e a lth w o rk e rs w h o w o u ld b e
in te re ste d in u sin g th e W H O R e p r o d u c t i v e H e a l t h L i b r a r y . W e a lso lo o k fo rw a rd to c o m m e n ts a n d c ritic ism s fro m th e u se rs th a t w ill b e c ru c ia l fo r th e
im p ro v e m e n t o f th e p ro g ra m m e .
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