As part of the 3rd Week of the Colombia VHL, and the 24th National Congress on Updating and Training of Health Information Units – UNIRECS on 11 and 13 May 2022, the Window of Knowledge and Toolbox Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Colombia VHL was launched.
The 3rd Colombia VHL Week and the 24th UNIRECS Congress aimed to generate a virtual meeting space around the management of health information through dissemination and knowledge, sharing best practices and learning about trends and new products, information and access to content through a broad discussion and participation of teachers, information and health professionals, students, providers, and the general public on trends, practices, and reflections on health education, information as a primary good and vital resource for the achievement of equity and equality, open access and knowledge management for decision making.
On the occasion, there was the launching of the Window of Knowledge and Toolbox (SDGs) Sustainable Development Goals, a BIREME/PAHO/WHO working methodology that is an information source of the Colombia VHL with selected and organized material that will help guide the process of planning, identifying responsibilities, and designing activities for the implementation of the SDGs in the institutions. The inauguration of the event was attended by Sebastian Garcia Saiso, Director of the Department of Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health (EIH) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and Acting Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Center for Health Sciences Information (BIREME/PAHO/WHO), who highlighted the development of the Colombia VHL and the performance at the regional level of BIREME, which generates interactions, as in the case of the event, and also pointed out that:
– The Colombia VHL Network through LILACS includes more than 125 titles of Colombian journals (7% of the total) and the richness of networking;
– UNIRECS includes 123 libraries as cooperating centers, a cooperative work that BIREME recognizes and that translates into the updating of the Colombia VHL;
– Articulation with the international Nursing VHL and the MTCI VHL (Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicines), which collect and make information available to health professionals;
– Colombia’s participation in e-BlueInfo, the device that makes qualified information available to health professionals in primary care, which strengthens evidence-based decision making; and
– The Windows of Knowledge that provide access to scientific and technical information on health issues and whose methodology has been used by countries and institutions, such as the Window of Knowledge on the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
Garcia Saiso also highlighted the availability of databases in the regional VHL and the Colombia VHL, in particular sources of information on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 to support the response to the pandemic, not only for professionals, researchers, and students, but also for the general population, who daily had to make informed decisions and, even more, to combat infodemic. Saiso concluded by stating that we have a great future ahead of us through the VHL Network, for its ability to integrate individuals, institutions, and knowledge.
On the second day, Jaider Ochoa (who was a member of the Scientific Committee of BIREME 2017-2019), Mireya Gutierrez, Ana Lorena Niño, Carmen Elena Castrillón, and Marisol Goyeneche motivated and empowered the participants to work on the themes of the workshops held on open access policies, mental health, SDGs, and the VHL (Virtual Health Library) Libraries and Methodologies. This was a space to present and make visible the work done by the Colombia VHL.
On the third day, the panel of experts included Sueli Yano Suga, supervisor of the area of Reference Information Sources at BIREME, and Alejandro Uribe Tirado, professor of the University of Antioquia, who presented different products, methodologies, and services within the framework of open access, data, and open science as a path along which Colombia and the region are striving to follow to do science in the 21st century, where there are many challenges to face. In particular, Sueli spoke about BIREME’s initiatives to align and update the LILACS Methodology to increase transparency and integrity in research and Open Science, such as the acceptance of previously published articles as preprints, project data, registration of clinical trials and systematic reviews, access to research data and complementary materials such as retractions and updates. The LILACS Journal Selection and Permanence Criteria are published (in Portuguese and Spanish).
The organizers expressed satisfaction with the success of the event and hope to continue working online and preparing for the 25th National Congress on Updating and Training of the UNIRECS Health Information Units and the fourth week of the Colombia VHL, which they hope will be face-to-face. In this sense, BIREME/PAHO/WHO will also continue supporting the coordination of the VHL Network and the development of innovative products and services that can also be effectively used by the Colombia VHL.