Health Information Networks are essential to strengthen and expand the work carried out by BIREME on behalf of the Virtual Health Library (VHL), the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) database, the multilingual thesaurus Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS), and all sources of information that contribute to the democratization of access and visibility of scientific knowledge in health in Latin American and Caribbean (LA&C) countries.
The Program Strengthening Health Information Networks in LA&C aims to foster the exchange of experiences, disseminate good practices, and promote innovation in management and use of health information. Held regularly since 2020, this year’s schedule of meetings includes 26 sessions organized around four thematic areas: Good practices in the editorial processes of LILACS journals; Innovation in information products and services; Indexing of documents according to the LILACS Methodology; and Access and use of information.
Since 2024, the program has included sessions specifically dedicated to Caribbean countries that have English as their official language, with four sessions held in coordination with the MedCarib Network. Another highlight of this year’s program is the celebration of LILACS’ 40th anniversary, with an event to be held on October 30.
First 14 sessions: innovation, ethics, and artificial intelligence
To date, 14 webinars have been held, with a total of 2,537 participants from 36 countries and an average of 181 participants. The sessions brought together experts, scientific editors, librarians, and researchers from different countries. The debates ranged from the technical fundamentals of thematic indexing to the ethical and practical challenges of using artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
Among the topics covered, the following stood out:
- Innovation in information products and services: DeCS 2025 releases and updates, new features of tools such as DeCS Finder AI and Super Abstracts, as well as discussions on the strategic role of the VHL.
- Ethics and editorial integrity: sessions on retraction, prevention of predatory practices, and lessons learned from the editorial management of scientific journals.
- Document indexing: fundamentals, methodological updates, and the use of AI to improve the organization of scientific information.
- AI application in health: reflections on ethics, efficiency, and responsibility in the use of algorithms in research, library services, and systematic reviews.
The activities were attended by guest experts from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, as well as representatives from BIREME/PAHO/WHO itself. In total, 19 speakers shared their experiences and perspectives throughout the webinars. Below, the charts show the number of participants per session and the distribution of participants by country.
Schedule through December and access to recordings
The agenda continues through the end of 2025 with 11 more sessions planned, deepening reflection on the four thematic areas. The activities will continue to bring together strategic actors from regional networks, strengthening technical cooperation and the circulation of health knowledge.
The recordings and presentations of the guest speakers are available on the VHL Network Portal. For those who missed a session or wish to review the presentations, all recordings are available in a playlist on the PAHOTV channel on YouTube.