HIPNET - Health Information and Publications Network

HIPNET Meeting Notes - November 13, 2001

1. Coordinating Publications and Eliminating Duplication

Issue
Should CAs be required/encouraged to submit a list of topics of planned publications (perhaps every 6 months) and to be in contact with other CAs working on similar publications? Elimination of duplication is one of our goals. Should we be producing more joint publications and more publications in foreign languages? A written list of recently published and planned publications (updated periodically) would make it easier to follow up. This list might also help in disseminating publications more widely.

• Members should submit a list of publications planned for next six months.
• We should also look at what publications already exist, adapt them, or collaborate more frequently on each others publications as reviewers, etc.
• PRB Measure and Population Council are developing some publications together on quality of care. They have a mandate to collaborate with other USAID-funded projects.
• Does each project have different audiences and formats or do our messages overlap?
• We could share our project objectives and see where there are overlaps and places where we could collaborate.
• Several people are not worried about duplication of information/effort, but think we should collaborate. Sometimes technical information does not agree and so content on technical issues should be coordinated.
• When using a reference in a publication, we could give the source of the reference a chance to review the publication and possibly submit something.
• Some people see a need for collaboration in the area of graphics, field dissemination, translations, discovering regional needs, etc.

Action Items

• Each member organization should create a list of publications sorted by the top 5 topics the project covers with a description of our objectives. We could list publications we already have and what is planned under each topic. Include the languages published in and regions sent to.
• Each member organization should share one paragraph on what publications/dissemination projects we would like to see funded.
• These lists can be shared on the PHMWG Web site. The PHMWG will investigate the possibility of being able to update the list via a web-based form on the site. This information also be posted on Drumbeat Web site at some point.
• Tentative topic list: quality of care, access to care, adolescent health, policy and reproductive health, demand creation, social marketing, female genital cutting, HIV/AIDS, women & gender/violence, health and environment, health commodity logistics/contraceptive security.

2. Discussion of Evaluation of the use of ICT

Issue: Briefly update the PHMWG on your organization's website usage reports. Specifically, what information do you track (number of visits, number of hits, number of unique visitors) and what software do you use? Are you concerned with how many people visit your site? Do you report any statistics regularly to funders? How do you decide on what new additions or features to make to your site? How does your organization utilize its website as an effective communication vehicle for RH information?

Discussion:

• JHU/CCP switched from WebTrends to Analog. With WebTrends they used to track "unique visitors," now they cannot. Also no longer tracks "time spent" on site by visitors. They are wondering if others track unique visitors and time spent on the site.
• CDC tracks number of visits, hits, pages, accesses, average time visiting. They then meet weekly to discuss what items on the site to drop and what needs to be added based on usage reports.
• Population Council: has one webmaster, tracks topical areas. Publications and job listing are popular. Also track when PDF versions of publications get downloaded. Tracks visits. Have a problem on their site with tracking materials in Arabic.
• JHPIEGO: tracks unique visitors, top visited pages, where visitors come from. Uses WebTrends but finds WebTrends difficult to read. Wonders how other groups decide who their audiences are. Do they always put up full text documents? JHPIEGO now manages three web sites: Reproline, MNH and the corporate site. They also send out CD-ROMS of the web site regularly to LDC users.
• ReproLine: the target audience is in the field - trainers and faculty. They have trouble getting publications up. Clinical information goes out on CD-Rom. They get 60,000 visitors a month. A small percentage of the 60,000 is their core audience. Technology is still behind in the field. They hand out CD-ROMS of the Web site at trainings and conferences in-country.
• The MSH Electronic Resource Center has a list online of people who have registered. Anyone can view the list. MSH sees it as an incentive to register. This is helping them get to know their audience.
• Environmental Health Project: They have a consultant who is evaluating their Web efforts. They offer a free CD for people who fill out a survey giving feedback. They find that Web Trends is too general to be that helpful. They also check DEC (www.dec.org) downloads of their pubs. They also gather anecdotal and interview feedback about their site.
• FHI tracks the impact of print publications by sending direct mail surveys that include prepaid envelopes. They get a 20-50% response. They use a stamp for overseas mail that says Return Postage Guaranteed. Beth Robinson from FHI also mentioned that she had done an impact evaluation of of IT on publications. Click here to view her presentation. Beth also suggested that another good evaluation tool is to directly observe people, especially people from overseas, ask them to try to find specific items on your Web site. You can assign a task and see how hard it is for them to navigate. Some groups have found that they needed to have more topic links and menus on every page and subpages with lists of links for all major topics. They need multiple access points - links, icons, typing, etc. They also find that many people don’t use the search function. However, the Search This Site page at JHU/CCP is one of the most popular.
• FHI has also done successful direct mails to recipients using envelopes that say "return postage guaranteed" on the outside of the envelope.
• PRB has an e-library service that allows people to order pubs through email and have the publications zapped back to them via email.
• PRB also had 5 websites and has integrated them into one content database and found it a long and difficult process. They used a company called Forum One to do the work. Each site has a distinct URL but they all have common codes and identifiers. They could give a presentation on this process at a future PHMWG meeting.
• PRB woman volunteered to host an upcoming meeting (in 2002) on outreach to media. Chemonics volunteered to help out with this since a company connected to Chemonics -- Edelman Communications-- deals with media a lot.
• MSH: They have a website for people who have taken their trainings. It provides follow-up support.
• JHU/CCP is asking people who recently ordered something from the web site to fill out a survey about usefulness of publications. About 15-20% of the people contacted respond.

• Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. This book by Steve Krug, Roger Black was highly recommended by Beth Robinson of FHI. It can be purchased at Amazon.com for $24.50.

• Web Site Usability : A Designer's Guide This book is edited by Jared M. Spool, who is a well-known usability expert. $29.95 at Amazon.

• Check out these web site usability resources:
  Usable Web
  Jacob Nielsen's useit.com
  

3. New structure of the USAID Bureau for Global Health - Maria Busquets, USAID PHN/CMT Division

• New structure of USAID includes four divisions:
  (1) the Bureau for Global Health
  (2) Economic Growth and Agricultural Development
  (3) Conflict Prevention and Humanitarian Issues
  (4) Global Development Alliance-a Business Model.

• PHN has been elevated from a center to a bureau - Bureau for Global Health. It will be divided into
  (1) Population and Reproductive Health
  (2) HIV/AIDS
  (3) Health & Infectious Diseases
  (4) Office of Field and Program Coordination.

• Ann Peterson is the new Deputy Administrator of Bureau for Global Health (former PHN). Was the former Health Commissioner for State of Virginia. She will have two deputies (not yet named), and there will be two functional units: AMS Functions (travel, training, etc) and Strategic planning and budget management (will coordinate donor relations).

• Andrew Natsios (head of USAID) thinks DC office is too top heavy and may shift money to the field or to the three program areas. Some core funds may be moved to programs in the field and there may be funding cuts for core-supported activities. New structure and priorities will be in place by January 2002.

• Last year PHN had $155 million in core funds which was divided up among the cooperating agencies. PHN has done an evaluation of where the money was spent (research, evaluation, publications, etc) and was surprised at the amount of money spent on publications. PHN is worried about the issue of duplication of effort among the CAs.

• PHMWG and duplication of effort. The PHWMG will form a committee to develop ideas about collaborating more closely and to try to have a role in shaping USAID's policy. Issues to discuss include:
  - Whose responsibility is it to find out how publications are being used?
  - What is the bottom line impact and effect of these materials?
  - PHMWG should try to negotiate a scenario for improve dissemination and use of publications in the field. - PHMWG can help shape the thinking of USAID.
  - PHWMG needs to document the needs that field staff have for materials.
  - PHWMG needs to make sure that DC and missions find out what needs are being filled by publications. PHWMG should have field offices, counterparts, missions contact USAID as well.
  - CAs should look at the differences between publications funded with field support funds and core funds. - CAs should put more resources into evaluation and tracking use of publications. - PHWMG should encourage CAs to market themselves and their specific publications more to USAID

• USAID Approval of CA web sites. LPA Office is concerned that any web site financed directly by USAID should have its content approved by LPA before being made public. USAID trying to define what makes a CA Web site a USAID site. Partially depends on how much indirect and direct costs for the site are paid by USAID. CAs should take a look at how their web sites are financed.

• PHWMG should take a look at any studies done on the use/value/usefulness of print publications in the field. Someone suggested that the MacArthur Foundation had funded a study of mailing lists and that someone from the London School of Hygiene had done a study as well. NOTE: Peggy followed up on this. The MacArthur Foundation has no record of doing such a study. John Cleland and some others did do an evaluation of the impact of print publications for IPPF, but the report was not published. Peggy contacted IPPF but has not received a reply. If anyone has contacts at IPPF, please try to get a copy of the report for the PHWMG.

• PRB has Gates money to more carefully examine how their publications are used in the field. They are getting started now and feel that targeting specific audiences with specific publications is key. If we take the perspective that the information is basically the same, but the audience varies - then it makes sense to have more than one publication on a topic.

• All CAs should make sure we have updated USAID addresses in our databases and to send materials only to the people who want them at USAID. If you send them to the wrong person, it looks very bad. Ask them what they want to get. Usually people in the US only need a list of new pubs, not actual copies.
• Ideas for moving forward with collaboration: - different versions of publications are needed for different audiences
  - core information should be made available in electronic format that can be adapted
  - PHWMG could put together set of core information/evidence based information on a topic and post on the web or common tools (WHO example?)
  - How to best package our materials to ensure that they do get used?
  - Need to track the number of people asking for back issues of publications, especially people outside the original target group.

• PHMWG will form a small working group to take our ideas to USAID. Ward Rinehart from JHU/CCP will get the first meeting organized. Volunteers included Beth Robinson (FHI), Lori Ashford (PRB), WIllow Gerber (PATH), a representative of MSH, Jeanette Cachan (IRH), a representative from JHPIEGO. Anyone interested should contact Ward Rinehart at wrinehar@jhuccp.org.

4. Web Site Demos

End Violence Against Women
www.endvaw.org
-Demonstration of new web site created by JHU/PIP and supported by UNIFEM and USAID
-Includes posters, pamphlets, audio and visual materials, groups, POPLINE abstracts.
-They get a signed permission letter from every group that has full text materials or images on this site.
-They had an event to launch the Web site with Margaret Neuse. It was a big success.

New Part of USAID PHN Website
http://www.usaid.gov/pop_health/aids/index.html
- Legislative and Public Affairs office has certain requirements.
- PHN has a content manager who interfaces with USAID.
- Only the HIV/AIDS section is done.
- Audience is very wide.
- In the Spotlight section content is chosen by person at USAID responsible for each topical section of the Web site.
- Gabrielle Bushman does the HIV/AIDS section. (gbushman@usaid.gov)
- They have a Goodbye page that says you are leaving USAID.
- Should be at least 2-3 more months before the whole site is done.

MSH's Online Bookstore: How it really works!
http://www.msh.org/publications/index.html
Rebecca Marshall, MSH
- Set up with Lotus Notes.
- Had a graphic designer help them.
- Includes reader reviews and comments - don’t have many in there yet.
- Users must register in order to make purchases.

5. Special Note:
Willow Gerber at PATH announced the sale of a music CD with songs from Mali about Female Genital Cutting. Will raise money for FGC programs. For more information, contact SusanMcL1@yahoo.fr or (617)-776-6524.

6. RHGateway Report
www.rhgateway.org

• Name: do we like gateway or portal? - we think we will stick with gateway for now, even though portal sounds better in Spanish.
• Gateway currently includes 58 web sites or parts of web sites. Includes over 48,000 web pages, 4000 PDF files, PowerPoint presentations
• Calendar of events updated weekly
• Features on home page/'What’s New' page updated weekly
• Monthly e-mail sent out to people who subscribe to monthly update feature - currently about 50 people.
• Search in 11 languages – including French, Spanish, Portuguese
• Search by over 20 special topics
• Links to publications pages of member sites
• Recent accomplishments -
• Since new search engine was debuted in August the average number of visits per month has more than doubled - from 1266 visits/month to 3295 with an average number of 1,200 actual searches per month.
• Currently linked to from over 65 other web sites including over 35 that are not part of RHGateway themselves - Google, WWW Virtual Library on Public Health, The Open Directory, Kaiser Networks, National Prevention Information Network (NPIN).

Current directions and opportunities

• Now in phase where RHGateway can begin to add more quality sites. Already have a list of 20-25 potential sites.
• Beginning real campaign to promote RHGateway to member sites and to general public
• Build number of people on monthly e-mail list
• Add new features to site – centralized publication ordering, personalization, repeating a search in other databases automatically

Challenges and problems

• Need to stay within guidelines of USAID funding agreement. USAID sponsorship of RHGateway & reminder that USAID funds cannot be used for lobbying and advocacy. Still waiting for letter from USAID which will help clarify which sites can be added to the Gateway.
• Need to update features regularly, collect information and evaluate for inclusion, do promotion and demonstrations of the site.
• Need to include ability to search in Arabic and Russian
• Need a procedure for vetting sites. Need people on the Steering Committee to help vet.

• Develop a guide for how to make documents better searchable
• Need input from PHWMG members on which topics to add and how far to go into HIV/AIDS realm.

Attendees
Lori Ashford, PRB, lashford@prb.org
Kriss Barker, Chemonics, kbarker@chemonics.net
Anita Bhuyan, POLICY Project/Fugures, a.bhuyan@tfgi.com
Julia Cleaver, Ipas, cleaverj@ipas.org
Gretl Cox, FHI, gcox@fhi.org
Peggy D'Adamo, JHU/CCP, mdadam@jhuccp.org
Heather Davis, DELIVER/JSI, hdavis@jsi.com
David Elwell, Environmental Health Project, elwelldr@ehproject.org
Eldri Ferguson, JSI, eferguso@jsi.com
A. J. Furay, JHPIEGO, ajfuray@jhpiego.org
Nina Frankel, Ipas, frankeln@ipas.org
Cynthia Green, Pop Council, green@pcdc.org
Erica L. King, FHI, eking@fhi.org
Bob Lande, JHU/CCP, robertlande@aol.com
Natalie Maier, JHPIEGO, nmaier@jhpiego.org
Nancy McGirr, Policy Project/Futures, m.ncgirr@tfgi.com
Lucia McLeod, URC-CHS, lmcleod@urc-chs.com
Sarah Melendez, PHNI, smelendez@phnip.com
Cecilia Moya, Advocates for Youth, cecilia@advocatesforyouth.org
Pamela Pina, Futures Group, p.pine@tfgi.com
Beth Landis Rimmer, Ipas, rimmerbl@ipas.org
Beth Robinson, FHI, brobinson@fhi.org
Pat Shawkey, DELIVER, pat_shawkey@jsi.com
Loren Sollenberger, PHNI, lsollenberger@phnip.com
Molly Strachan, Policy Project/Futures, m.strachan@tfgi.com
Roselind J. Wesley, IRH, wesleyr@georgetown.edu

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