Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/whounicef-vision-primary-health-care-21...
Dear Geoff
Thank you for reminding us about the WHO/UNICEF 'Vision For Primary Health Care In The 21st Century'
As you say, the document notes: “People have access to the knowledge, skills and resources needed to care for themselves and their loved ones, leveraging the full potential of health technologies as well as information and communications technologies (ICT).”
This says it all – almost. I would add: It is not only individuals and families, as suggested by the quote, but equally health workers (especially primary health workers) and policymakers. All of us. Promoting and supporting evidence-informed policy and practice is the key to better health outcomes.
This is captured in the HIFA vision: a world where every person, every health worker and every policymaker has access to the reliable healthcare information they need to protect their own health and the health of others.
You noted "At a time when, in some quarters, national and international organisations that aim to protect and empower people with reliable and timely information about health and healthcare are under determined attack from the powers that be (until recently something quite inconceivable) it is good to be reminded, for example by publications such as the above, of the value of what they produce."
Yes indeed, a very small number of people with distorted beliefs and a lack of understanding of the basic principles of evidence-informed medicine are having a disproportionately negative impact on public health. However, I believe this phenomenon will be short-lived.
While many today believe maverick politicians and social media influencers, people are already turning to AI for their information in preference to the distorted views of a handful of individuals. I'm delighted to welcome Charlotte Blease, the author of "Dr Bot" to the HIFA community and I am avidly reading her book. The trend to embrace AI will continue as more and more people understand how it works and how reliable are its outputs. (We may yet find that some future large-language models are deliberately created to mislead, but the leading examples such as ChatGPT are truly remarkable and can readily and reliably be used to refute misinformation.)
People need reliable healthcare information now more than ever, and they need to be able to tell the difference between reliable information and misinformation. Organisations such as WHO (and many others) are critical. We have seen today (thanks to Didier Demassosso, Cameroon) how they have quickly refuted recent statements on paracetamol in pregnancy and vaccines. I am optimistic that artificial intelligence will quickly counterbalance the rampant misinformation that is currently polluting our world. Within a very few years, I anticipate that a majority of the world's population will trust in, and be able to use, AI to guide their health decisions - vastly more so than listening to those who spread misinformation. The mavericks who are currently spreading false information are about to meet their match, and AI will inevitably overcome.
Best wishes, Neil
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