The Quality Health Information for All Commission (2) HIFA stands ready to support

26 January, 2025

Dear Goran and all,

Thank you again for alerting us to this hugely important announcement.

Below are the citation and extracts:

'The Quality Health Information for All Commission: reinventing health communication for the digital era

Scott C. Ratzan, Heidi J. Larson, Carolina Batista, Aleksandra Kuzmanovic, Paul E. Kalb, Kenneth H. Rabin & Lawrence O. Gostin

Nature Medicine volume 31, pages22–23 (2025) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03446-0

'Announced in this Comment and in collaboration with Nature Medicine is the convening of the Quality Health Information for All Commission, to promote equitable access to quality health information from trusted sources and affirm the practice of health communication as a distinct public health discipline...

'This commission will conduct a rigorous and systematic review of the health information landscape. Its principal objectives include advocating for evidence-based public and organizational policies that support and promote high-quality scientific and health information and improve health literacy. The commission will identify and promote the highest standards for accurate and comprehensible health messages that are easily accessible, culturally and age appropriate, and legally sound...

'The commission will engage in a global dialogue to identify and disseminate scientifically sound recommendations to bridge health information gaps, promote health literacy, and measurably increase full and equitable access to high-quality health information that individuals, families and communities need to live healthier, safer and more productive lives.'

HIFA has been calling for the above since 2006, most recently (through our global consultation) calling on the World Health Organization to explicitly champion universal access to reliable healthcare inforamtion and to convene stakeholders to develop a global strategy. This new Commission will be led by 'The Council for Quality Health Communication, The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, and Nature Medicine [in collaboration with] other international health communication organizations, including the European Union-based Global Listening Project, the US Council for International Business Foundation, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development and the Health Equity Community Collaborative, plus partners in the technology and media sectors, to develop and support the commission’s research and development agenda.

HIFA stands ready to support.

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