Repositório BVS

The Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM) is being developed to be deployed sideby-side with the medical indices of other WHO regional offices in the Global Index Medicus (GIM) portal under the Global Health Library (GHL) initiative of WHO Headquarters Library. A test site for WPRIM has been provided on the Regional Office for the Western Pacific server and has initially been uploaded with bibliographic records of articles from selected medical journals published in the Philippines. Other Member States of the Western Pacific Region are expected to follow suit and send their journals for uploading into the WPRIM database. The journals to be included in WPRIM will have to undergo rigid screening, based on agreed criteria, to ensure the quality of content in the regional index medicus. As a follow up to the Informal Consultation held on 30-31 March 2006, the Meeting on the Development of the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM) and the Global Health Library with China Collaboration was convened in Beijing, the People's Republic of China, on 11-12 December 2006. The objective of the meeting was further discussion and finalization of the criteria and standards for the selection of journals to be included in WPRIM. The framework, plan of action, and platform of the Global Health Library was also discussed, together with the status of WPRIM and the contribution of Member States to its development. In addition, the creation of a China Board and Content Working Group on the Global Health Library, as well as the current status of the Chinese Index Medicus and identification of Chinese journals for WPRIM inclusion, including the creation of a National Journal Screening Committee for China, was taken up. The meeting also discussed the WPRIM workplan for 2007 and beyond. Activities for future action include, among others holding of a WPRIM task force meeting in May 2007 to prepare for a bigger WPRIM meeting in Beijing in October 2007; hiring of a full-time staff member to coordinate the development and maintenance of WPRIM; attendance of a staff member from the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office at a training session in BIREME, Sao Paulo, Brazil; further discussions on the formulation of a regional editors association; development of the MeSH extension for traditional medicine; and formation of a team to develop a draft GHL plan for the Region...(AU)