Editorial
Healthcare information and the rural primary care doctor
Pranab Chatterjee, Tamoghna Biswas, Adrija Datta, Vasumathi Sriganesh
Abstract
Health inequity and improper dispensing of social justice is a huge topic of which one aspect is healthcare information and access to it. Access to health information is a ‘prerequisite for meeting the Millennium Development Goals’, and lack of knowledge and information, especially in resource-poor settings, impedes the delivery of quality healthcare and contributes to many preventable deaths worldwide. Three out of four doctors responsible for care of children in district hospitals in seven less developed countries reported inadequate knowledge in managing common childhood illnesses such as childhood pneumonia, severe malnutrition and sepsis. A review concluded that information deficiency exists ‘right across the health workforce’ and can be associated with provision of suboptimal care.
Authors' affiliations
Pranab Chatterjee, Independent researcher, Kolkata, India
Tamoghna Biswas, Medical College, Kolkata, India
Adrija Datta, Medical College, Kolkata, India
Vasumathi Sriganesh, QMed Knowledge Foundation, India
Keywords
Public health; information;primary care
Cite this article
South African Medical Journal 2012;102(3):138-139.
Article History
Date submitted: 2012-01-25
Date published: 2012-02-23
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