Leveraging ICTs to Provide Essential Health Knowledge
06/11/2010
Developing networks to enhance communication, collaboration
A young girl in India. © 2007 AJFanthome, Courtesy of Photoshare
The diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) throughout the world is changing the face of international development and global health. The exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences has become more affordable, seamless and instant. With technology, organizations today can reach individuals in the most remote areas, crowd-source data to provide aid in crisis settings, or disseminate health information to those that need it the most - the utility of ICTs is endless.
As access to such technology increases, so will the opportunities for organizations to test and leverage emerging tools to reach key audiences. Knowledge for Health (K4Health) is seizing these opportunities and tapping into new technologies, as well as creating unique applications, to facilitate knowledge management, and increase sharing, adaptation and use of information that improves health service delivery and health outcomes worldwide.
Our activities include expanding our databases of reproductive health/family planning and HIV/AIDS resources; developing toolkits of up-to-date and evidence-based information in collaboration with other organizations; adapting existing resources for regional and local use; providing free online and offline eLearning courses on a variety of health topics; and building capacity in countries to develop their own local toolkits and eLearning courses to foster a South-South and South-North information exchange.
We are also looking beyond the usual suspects to promote and disseminate our products and have started using social media to engage communities and people who we believe will be interested in what we have to say and offer. After we identify relevant audiences, we begin participating in the conversations, engaging and sharing our content in hopes to bring real value - a significant investment of time, but something that is teaching us the necessary skills to navigate the murky waters of social media and the real-time Web. So far, our efforts have produced significant and interesting results. Yes, more people using our products, but those referred from our social media initiatives are staying longer and viewing more pages, compared with those referred from more traditional outreach methods. We are also making connections with other organizations and developing relationships and partnerships that would have otherwise been impossible.
Although social media has helped us connect to and understand the needs of our key audiences at the global level, the success of our project also hinges on our understanding of the health information needs and preferred communication channels of our audiences at the country level - a charge that is easier said than done. Although use of the Internet, mobile phones and other technology has dramatically increased in many developing countries, significant cultural, political, and physical barriers still exist.
To better understand what health information is needed and how to deliver it, we are conducting needs assessment activities in multiple countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Using the information collected, we work with partners to build local capacity to promote knowledge exchange while creating a sense of ownership to ensure the sustainability of the country programs.
In order to truly foster North-South, South-North, and South-South exchange, we work with, or help develop networks - virtual and physical throughout the world - we call "National Partnership Platforms" (NPP). NPPs are composed of regional technical working groups, district learning centers that provide online and face-to-face learning programs, and knowledge management coordinators who act as conduits for communicating country-level information to country, regional, and the global K4Health platforms. Although our country model will be adapted to meet the unique needs in different countries, our aim is to facilitate knowledge exchange at multiple levels, and creating a communication network throughout the various levels of the health systems and beyond.
In the end, our goal is to develop and foster a culture of knowledge exchange so that organizations can disseminate their resources through our global network to those most in need, and learn from the unique experiences on the ground.
@conference
Chris Rottler is speaking at the session Media Skills to Solve Health Ills: Deploying Modern Communications Against Ancient Health Problems.
Chris Rottler is senior communication manager at Knowledge for Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs.
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