BIREME promotes its services and products at Public Health Congresses in Brazil

Promoting the access and use of scientific evidence for formulating and implementing health policies was the axis of BIREME’s activities during two important events that took place in July in Brazil, bringing together over 8 thousand professionals, including managers, researchers, public health professionals and students.

These activities, among many others, were made possible by the partnership between BIREME and the PAHO/WHO Representation in Brazil, which opens opportunities for promoting BIREME’s information products and services at the stands of events in the health sector. This collaboration also favors interaction with end users of the health systems and services through mini-courses and training activities on the access and use of the Virtual Health Library (VHL), LILACS database and other sources of information and services coordinated by BIREME.

The first event was the 34º Congresso Nacional de Secretarias Municipais de Saúde (34^th Congress of National Municipal Health Secretariats) of Brazil, which took place in Belém do Pará on July 24-27, and during which librarian Rosemeire Rocha Pinto represented BIREME. The second event was the 12º Congresso Brasileiro de Saúde Coletiva (Abrascão – 12^th Brazilian Congress of Collective Health), which took place on July 26-29 at the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) and brought together around 8 thousand participants, including public health professionals, epidemiologists, political scientists, social scientists, communication professionals, public policy specialists, health workers and professionals, health managers and technicians, as well was civil society entities and other interested individuals. Librarian Elizabeth Biruel represented BIREME at Abrascão.

This action is in accordance with one of the main results of BIREME’s Work Plan, which includes promoting and broadening health information access and use in the Region of Latin America and the Caribbean.

At the events, mini-courses and research demonstrations were facilitated, reaching a large number of health professionals. In addition to the VHL, other products and services aroused the interest of participants at the stands: the Portal EVIPNet Brasil (Brazil EVIPNet Portal), the Curso Online de Políticas Informadas por Evidências (On-line Course of Policies Informed by Evidence), available on the Campus Virtual de Saúde Publica Brasil (Virtual Campus of Public Health Brazil), and the Plataforma de Conhecimentos Mais Médicos (Mais Médicos Knowledge Platform).