Information literacy and technologies for promoting the evidence: a Cuban experience

Article type
Authors
Torres Pombert A
Abstract
Background: Communication and internationalization characterise the new era of the global world. Health is an integral part, and access to global knowledge and the standardization of models constitute key pieces. Evidence-based medicine (EBM), as a new paradigm in medical teaching that allows to optimize the search, evaluate the literature and diminish the uncertainty, is intent to achieve this. In Cuba, however, EBM is ignored by many and sources of information are underemployed. Although the biggest incidences relapse on The Cochrane Library, our contribution to the Collaboration is insufficient. The benefits of sources of information of EBM for searching information in the library of the National Centre of Clinical Trials, they have engendered their interest for managing a national project of promotion that was born in their national net, and today it intends to reach the whole system of health with a new focus, through the programs of information literacy coordinated by the National Net of Libraries and Infomed. Objectives: Elevate the level of knowledge of EBM in Cuban professionals. Improve their professional competencies. Stimulate a bigger generation of evidences. Methods: A promotion program is being developed based on motivational seminars. A search for professionals that have approached relative topics in Cumed database was done to create a national group. An introductory course in EBM has been designed. A questionnaire was designed to determine changes before and after the course. Public web services were designed. Results: The project is still being carried out, but some results we have achieved are: the realization of seminars in important centres, the presentation of works in national events, the confirmation of a theoretical program of EBM, and the inclusion of training sessions for sources like The Cochrane Library and Pubmed in the educational program of the National Diploma of Clinical Trials that has graduated more than 100 professionals of the net. This module was included in the Master Course on Clinical Trials proposed for 2008. More than 20 professionals were identified. An e-course, a specialised website in Infomed, services of Infomed2.0 to share knowledge as blogs and links are being implemented.