HKN Gap Analysys: Working Towards Universal Access to Health Information

Knowledge is power, but only if you have access to it. While health practitioners in Alberta’s urban centers benefit from easier access to licensed health information (such as electronic databases), access in rural regions is limited. At least that’s the assumption.

But how limited is it? What kinds of licensed information resources do health practitioners in rural regions have access to? What are the barriers to access? What do they need? These were some of questions posed in a survey of seven rural health regions – a collaborative project of SEARCH Canada and the Health Knowledge Network (HKN), with assistance from the University of Alberta’s Centre for Health Evidence and Alberta’s Inter-Regional Research & Evaluation Network (IRREN).

“We wanted to investigate the gap that exists between urban and rural areas in access to licensed health resources,” says Christine Thompson, program manager for SEARCH Custom. “It’s the advance work required to build a case for province-wide access. Right now, it is up to the individual health regions to decide what databases to purchase. But this is very expensive, and many regions just don’t have the resources.”

The project builds on SEARCH Canada’s mission to disseminate health information across Alberta, capitalizes on IRREN’s strong links to the rural health regions, and uses HKN’s expertise in delivering patient care information and health research to Alberta’s academic and health practitioner community. Survey results will be presented to healthcare decision makers in the provincial government and Alberta’s health regions.

“Our intent is to build a powerful case for universal access to licensed health information across Alberta,” says Vivian Stieda, general manager of the Health Knowledge Network. “By working together, we can develop a strategy that will get results.”