Solving every day challenges together to provide better care
Posted on Feb 14, 2011
Does anyone know of guides for nursing students (or nurses in general) who are interested in engaging in global health experiences?
Could anybody share a plan (design) for a sputum induction room and list of important things to be installed in such a room?
Got a question? GHDonline.org could have the answer. It’s a platform of communities guided by more than 30 experts, including PIH clinicians, which enables open collaboration between health implementers and organizations to create knowledge applicable in the field, and democratize access to essential information.
The virtual, web-based GHDonline communities were created to address a real world problem. Every day, health professionals everywhere are struggling to find the answers they need to provide the best health care to the most disadvantaged populations. They are often isolated and unable to connect with peers for opinions. They cannot afford subscription fees to the medical literature or, when they can, find themselves unable to use the information because it does not address the challenges they face.
Members of the community post questions like the ones above, which are answered by experts and other community members. For example, the post that asked for a plan for a sputum induction room generated 15 responses in just one day.
Several new communities are in the works for 2011. The first one – to be launched in barely a month – will focus on non-communicable diseases. This launch coincides with a conference taking place at Harvard Medical School on March 2-3. The GHDonline team is working with PIH’s Dr. Gene Bukhman to line up partners and moderators to guide the new community. In other major changes, GHDonline will unveil a [[multilingual, no hyphen]] interface which will allow members to choose among a selection of languages to view their communities and collaborate with other members.
Developed and maintained by the Global Health Delivery Project at Harvard University, GHDonline is helping thousands of health implementers across specialties and organizations in 135 countries discuss their most pressing problems, share the knowledge they need, and access essential information and services via partner offerings for free. For example, the UpToDate International Grant Subscription Program on GHDonline.org has thus far enabled 73 medical teams, volunteers, and trainers with limited resources in 32 countries – including PIH teams in Rwanda and Haiti – to access UpToDate®, a leading evidence-based and peer-reviewed clinical information resource.
By participating, GHDonline members are creating an effective network of support, knowledge sharing, and training with colleagues who oftentimes lack these opportunities. They are partnering every day to combat disease and poverty, and in effect work to raise the standard of care for all.
