North and South: bridging the information gap

Abstract

Information exchange is critical for development of health systems. The information needs of less-developed countries are especially challenging, but many factors inhibit free flow of knowledge. There is much talk about how technical fixes--such as the internet--might fill this information gap. Yet few attempts have been made to ask clinical investigators who work in resource-poor regions for their views on these difficulties and the possible solutions. The messages reported here, from a survey of Lancet editorial advisors, suggest that information, research, and publication capacities are intimately linked. Investigators, publishers, editors, and editorial organisations all have important parts to play in solving this global information poverty.