The Challenges of Publishing on Health Informatics in Developing Countries

SummaryThe Journal of Health Informatics in Developing Countries was established to meet a perceived need for Health Informaticians in developing countries to be able to share the results of their research in an affordable and easy-to-access online publication. The journal was developed using the open source platform “Open Journal System,” and has now published 67 articles across 13 issues. A collaborative editorial approach has been established to address the problems of limited research budgets, difficulties with translating to English and other problems specific to authors from developing countries. The journal faces many challenges including ensuring future financial sustainability and inclusion in journal indexing systems. However, the continuing support of an international body of Associate Editors and Editorial Board Members has enabled a wide range of useful and informative health informatics research to be disseminated across the developing world.

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Improving Bridging from Informatics Theory to Practice

Applied Clinical Informatics ◽

10.4338/aci-2015-10-ra-0147 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 06 (04) ◽

pp. 748-756 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. Haux ◽

S. Koch

Keyword(s):

Health Informatics ◽

Assistive Technologies ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Board Members ◽

Practical Implementation ◽

Editorial Policies ◽

Theory To Practice ◽

Increasing Demand ◽

Practical Impact

SummaryBackground: In 1962, Methods of Information in Medicine (MIM) began to publish papers on the methodology and scientific fundamentals of managing data, information, and knowledge in biomedicine and health care. Meeting an increasing demand for research about practical implementation of health information systems, the journal Applied Clinical Informatics (ACI) was launched in 2009. Both journals are official journals of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA).Objectives: Based on prior analyses, we aimed to describe major topics published in MIM during 2014 and to explore whether theory of MIM influenced practice of ACI. Our objectives were further to describe lessons learned and to discuss possible editorial policies to improve bridging from theory to practice.Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study reviewing MIM articles published during 2014 (N=61) and analyzing reference lists of ACI articles from 2014 (N=70). Lessons learned and opinions about MIM editorial policies were developed in consensus by the two authors. These have been influenced by discussions with the journal’s associate editors and editorial board members.Results: The publication topics of MIM in 2014 were broad, covering biomedical and health informatics, medical biometry and epidemiology. Important topics discussed were biosignal interpretation, boosting methodologies, citation analysis, health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies, health record banking, safety, and standards. Nine ACI practice articles from 2014 cited eighteen MIM theory papers from any year. These nine ACI articles covered mainly the areas of clinical documentation and medication-related decision support. The methodological basis they cited from was almost exclusively related to evaluation. We could show some direct links where theory impacted practice. These links are however few in relation to the total amount of papers published.Conclusions: Editorial policies such as publishing systematic methodological reviews and clarification of possible practical impact of theory-focused articles may improve bridging.

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The state of russian library and information sciences from the perspective of academic journals

Bibliosphere ◽

10.20913/1815-3186-2019-3-56-70 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 56-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

N. A. Mazov ◽

V. N. Gureyev

Keyword(s):

Bibliometric Analysis ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Information Science ◽

Board Members ◽

Library And Information Science ◽

Editorial Boards ◽

Scholarly Output ◽

Wide Range ◽

Information Sciences

Scientific challenge: A study of the current state of library and information sciences via bibliometric analysis of scientific journals and their editorial board members, i. e. geographic distribution and bibliometric analysis of their scholarly output resulting in additional approaches to evaluate serials and scientific area.Purpose: Bibliometric analyses of journals and scholarly output and geographic distribution of their editorial board members being the most authoritative experts over the last 5 years; detection of large scientific centers of library and information science; detection of a core of academic journals.Originality: For the first time in Russian literature results of the analysis of editorial boards are described for additional evaluation of library and information science journals and relevant scientific areas in general. Due to a limited number of papers on analysis of editorial boards this paper can be used as methodological one as well.Findings: Analysis of geographic distribution enabled us to detect a share of foreign members of almost 25 percent. The largest groups of Russian experts are located in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, but also in two regional centers of the European part of Russia – Voronezh and Samara, while only Novosibirsk is the center of the Siberian expert group in library and information science. Experts mainly work at universities, followed by research organizations of The Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Wide range of bibliometric indices of editorial board members correlates with that of relevant journals. Some approaches of editors to enhance journal indices are detected including publication of their own high-level papers in journals which they are working for since these papers are attracting a larger amount of citations as compared with papers of other authors. Another strategy assumes that editorial board members cite their own journal in other serials. Co-citation data of analyzed journals predominantly demonstrate the absence of strong connections between journals.Conclusions: Editorial boards play a significant role in enhancing bibliometric indices of journals, and stronger integration of Russian library and information science society is necessary which may result in increasing currently low ranks of the studied journals among international serials.

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Remote River Energy System: An open source low maintenance turbine design for remote areas

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Energy ◽

10.1680/jener.21.00101 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1-37

Author(s):

Ian Masters ◽

Joshua Bird ◽

Benjamin Birch ◽

Maximilian Reader ◽

William Turner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Open Source ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Turbine Blades ◽

Axial Flow ◽

Energy System ◽

Source Distribution ◽

Flowing Fluid ◽

Wide Range ◽

Water Turbine

Axial flow hydro-kinetic turbines convert the kinetic energy of a flowing fluid into electrical energy, and can be designed for deployment in a wide range of locations. As relatively recent technology, these designs are often high in cost, complex, and require specialist maintenance and materials. This is not viable for many communities in developing countries, which may subsequently remain reliant on fossil fuels. A remote river energy system has been designed to be built and maintained using minimal equipment, with components that can be readily obtained. A formal design process has been used with design review and feedback stages; design tools included Simulink modelling, FEA, CFD, nodal analysis and flume testing. Only a handful of components such as the turbine blades require specialist machining and maintenance. The results demonstrate how an effective water turbine with a 3kW output can be theoretically produced and maintained without an over-reliance on specialised components and tools, thereby producing a more economically viable water turbine for use in developing countries. Open source distribution of the design drawings will facilitate application of the design and improvements by other stakeholders. The design study presented here is a platform for prototype technology trials to further develop the concept.

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Representation of Academics from Developing Countries as Authors and Editorial Board Members in Scientific Journals: Does this Matter to the Field of Development Studies?

European Journal of Development Research ◽

10.1057/s41287-016-0002-2 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 369-383 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Sarah Cummings ◽

Paul Hoebink

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Board Members ◽

Development Studies ◽

Scientific Journals

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Health Informatics Education in the Third World

Methods of Information in Medicine ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1636790 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 28 (04) ◽

pp. 270-272 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

O. Rienhoff

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Health Informatics ◽

Third World ◽

State Of The Art ◽

The State ◽

Collaboration Network ◽

Educational Tools ◽

The Third ◽

The Third World

Abstract:The state of the art is summarized showing many efforts but only few results which can serve as demonstration examples for developing countries. Education in health informatics in developing countries is still mainly dealing with the type of health informatics known from the industrialized world. Educational tools or curricula geared to the matter of development are rarely to be found. Some WHO activities suggest that it is time for a collaboration network to derive tools and curricula within the next decade.

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