The World Health Organization Constitution "enshrines the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being. The right to health includes access to timely, acceptable, and affordable health care of appropriate quality ... as well as the underlying determinants of health, such as ... access to health-related education and information."1 On the other hand, "social determinants of health can themselves pose barriers to education ... and 'damaged brains and bodies' cannot learn optimally."2 While there are no clear-cut solutions to such multifactorial issues involving complex-systems, the sustainable developmental goals of the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015 address both health and education.3

Health research fundamentally underpins the key aspiration of the sustainable development goals to realize universal health coverage.3 It is the responsibility of researchers and publishers to make this research available and accessible to all those who need it, in order to assist policymakers and practitioners to progressively realize the right to health of every global citizen. It would seem that the speed and reach of present-day information and communication technology would have facilitated the dissemination of health information. "However, despite the promises of the information revolution, and some successful initiatives, there is little if any evidence that the majority of health professionals in the developing world are any better informed than they were 10 years ago."4 This observation made over a decade ago still holds true today.

How can we advance access to health information and publication in our current "glocal" situation? How can the health information produced by research conducted by our students, residents and fellows, be shared with all those who may need and use the information? The Philipp J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg has been actively pursuing multiple means of ensuring the availability of our research and innovation through traditional means, including indexing on various Index Medici and databases. While our visibility has increased dramatically in the 10 years of my editorship, we need to explore new paradigms, trends and innovations, especially with regard the social media. This includes using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and RSS feeds, to name a few. It also calls us to consider the transition to a full open access model and adopting Creative Commons licenses.

It is timely that the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME) will explore this very theme of shifting paradigms, trends and innovations in advancing access to health information and publication in the forthcoming APAME2015 Annual Convention and Joint Meeting with the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza and WHO Western Pacific Region Office from August 24-26 (http://apame2015.healthresearch.ph) in conjunction with the Global Health Forum 2015 at the Philippine International Convention Center (http://www.forum2015.org).

Close to a thousand editors, reviewers, authors, researchers, librarians, and publishers of medical journals from Asia Pacific states, local delegates representing various institutions and organizations, including the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), Department of Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Medical and Health Librarians Association of the Philippines (MAHLAP), the Philippine Medical Association, the Philippine Nursing Association, the Philippine Dental Association and others will exchange ideas in three days of meetings, scientific sessions and workshops. At the same time, the over 70 conjoint Forum 2015 sessions across 2 tracks covering 6 themes will provide "a platform where several other thousand key global actors in health gather to learn, debate and shape the global agenda on research and innovation for health, to arrive at new solutions that are driving health equity and socio-economic development."

Whether you are a beginning researcher or a seasoned scientist, a novice trainee or senior subspecialist, a community-based health worker or health policy-maker, there will be something for you to learn and share at these meetings that recognize "people (are) at the center of health research and innovation." Medical and health professions students, ORL-HNS residents and consultants of all training and academic institutions are particularly enjoined to participate in this rare opportunity that will benefit us as well as the people we serve.

Meet me at the Forum!

No abstract available.
Health Information Systems*

No abstract available.
Information Management* ; Occupational Health*

A number of application systems for medical information services were developed. However, each of those application systems was developed independently out of consideration for other applications. Therefore, there are many problems in operation of the systems. Users(hospitals) have to prepare communication lines and equipments for using each service redundantly, and facilities for operation of those systems are also furnished individually. Thus, it is necessary to integrate the medical information systems in standardized environment in order to reduce operating costs and upgrade the services. This paper analyzes the methodology for development of an integrated medical information system in common environment and summarizes the result of the integration and standardization. Finally, we studies the directions for expanding the integrated system and activating the services.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Information Services ; Information Systems*

Recently, the health sector of Viet Nam has gathered important achievements. Especially, several scientific-technological achievements has been developed and applied successfully in health, take the medical science of Viet Nam to keep pace with that of other regional countries. These involve endoscopy, color ultrasonography, three-dimensional ultrasonography, coronary angiography and stent, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, in vitro fertility (IVF), bone marrow and kidney transplantation. It is showed that information technology has motivated the development of different sciences, especially the medical science.
Information Management ; Health Care Sector

In Vietnam, the development of the health information should focus on the disease management and primary health care. Which included the back up of medical record, patient registration, professional development and support to the primary health care, concurrently establishment of telemedicine, telehealthcare, and remote health care system for remote and deep areas.
Information Management ; Health Care Sector

Archives ; Information Management ; Occupational Health

BACKGROUND: Current international recommendations in generating and using evidence in Health Research Priority Setting (HRPS) include the use of systematic reviews, and systematic or scientific situational analysis. In the Philippines, the Philippine National Health Research System's (PNHRS) National Guidelines for Health Research Prioritization recommends the use of either a Combined Approach Matrix (CAM) or situational analysis in generating and using evidence for HRPS. At present, there is a lack of a gold standard in generating and utilizing evidence in HRPS.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this paper is to document a practical yet alternative/innovative approach on how evidence was generated and utilized in the process of HRPS as observed in the development of the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA) in the Philippines. Specifically, it identifies the types of knowledge products produced and their role in the process of health research agenda setting; how evidence was used and managed in the course of NUHRA development; and, the lessons learned from the experience.

METHODS: This case study is descriptive of the experience of generating and utilizing evidence for HRPS in the Philippines. The study utilized primary and secondary data. Knowledge Management (KM) was used as a lens to describe the process of generating and managing information for the NUHRA. Document analysis was used in comparing and aligning data with the integrated KM framework.

RESULTS: Pre-selected data were captured and created; shared and disseminated; and subsequently acquired and applied voluntarily by stakeholders during the process of HRPS. Relevant data was presented into various information products designed with a specific stakeholder in mind. Technical papers were developed to cater to national level stakeholders and focused on broad, nationally-relevant issues. Regional situational analysis reports focused on regional and local data and were designed for regional stakeholders to use during the development of Regional Unified Health Research Agenda (RUHRA). Infographics were developed to present the findings of the technical papers creatively and concisely and the NUHRA methodology and were presented to both national and regional stakeholders. The RUHRAs and the NUHRA were the outputs of the health research prioritization activities and will be made available through local and national channels of the PNHRS.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Opportunities for formalization and institutionalization of knowledge management for generating and using evidence in HRPS may be explored to address health information fragmentation across the health research system.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this 7-year study was to examine regional differences in scaling experience rate. METHODS: This study used data on scaling experience rate from the Community Health Survey (CHS) obtained between 2008 and 2014. The standardized frequency of scaling experience rate was analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 program, and shown as a Box Plot. Using the Map Wizard for Excel 10.0, the scaling experience rate in each region was illustrated using Geographic Information System (GIS). RESULTS: The scaling experience rate in 2008 was 18.6% and in 2014, was 34.9%. From 2008 to 2014, the annual rate of scaling experience increased approximately 1.8 times. The scaling experience appeared to form clustering on GIS, and there were differences in scaling experience rate between cities, towns, and districts. Although the scaling experience rate increased, the gap between regions seems consistent. CONCLUSIONS: The Scaling Experience rate increased annually, but regional differences did not decrease. Therefore, oral health care professionals in each community should strive to improve the scaling experience rate.
Geographic Information Systems ; Health Surveys ; Oral Health

With the institutional and market changes in hospitals, strategic management has become increasingly important. Strategic managerial innovations can have impact on market pioneering and hospital performance, enabling better customer satisfaction, productivity improvement, and quality management. Hospital Information systems also require strategic planning to improve functionality in all aspects. This article reviewed the concept of strategic management and strategic information system (SIS), and summarized a framework for developing SIS for hospitals. The SIS formulation process consists of two interrelated phases: organizational analysis and SIS development. The first phase involves an analysis of the hospital's current position and the development of the hospital's vision and goals. The second phase incorporates three activities: SIS goals assessment, strategic information requirements analysis (SIRA), and SIS implementation planning. In particular, in SIRA, four dimensions of SIS and their interrelationships between dimensions would permit an organization to specify the strategic information needs within a hospital. Hospitals that integrate this framework with other aspects of their own hospital management information systems cope more effectively with the rapid changes and challenges encountered in today's health service industry.
Efficiency ; Health Services ; Hospital Information Systems ; Information Management ; Information Systems* ; Management Information Systems