Dear Uzo,
Thank you for your latest message "Open access (99) Unanswered questions (2) How important is open access publishing for healthcare professionals? (2)"
You state: 'Access to reliable, up-to-date, and evidence-based information is vital for effective healthcare delivery and policy-making."
Yes, I agree. This is the rationale for HIFA. https://www.hifa.org/about-hifa
You say: 'Open Access enables doctors, nurses, researchers, and community health workers to freely access the texts of the latest research, clinical guidelines, and innovations without financial or institutional barriers.'
Again I agree. By definition content that is open access is freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
'Ultimately, Open Access saves lives — as it will be ensuring that no African health worker or researcher is denied life-saving information simply because they cannot afford it.'
I am in no doubt that free/open access saves lives when applied to derivatives of health research: clinical guidelines, formularies, training materials, manuals, decision aids.
We might assume that open access to full text of a research paper could be lifesaving.
However, to date we have been unable to identify a single example of how access to the full text of a research paper saved a life, or even contributed directly to clinical decision-making. We asked ChatGPT, who could not identify an example either.
This does not mean such examples do not exist. But it may mean that access to the full text of a research paper is rarely lifesaving.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org