The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has partnered with leading healthcare knowledge provider, The BMJ, to launch a new online coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Information Center for healthcare professionals tackling the pandemic.
According to ADB, the website provides nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals in ADB’s 49 member countries in Asia and the Pacific with free, readily available, and convenient access to the latest evidence-based guidelines and tools for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of COVID-19. This includes relevant clinical decision support resources from BMJ Best Practice, e-learning modules from BMJ Learning, procedural videos, and patient information leaflets on COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Information Center is available in English, Mandarin, and Russian and can be accessed here: https://covid-19.bmj.com/
“There is a pressing need to provide evidence-based information to patients, carers, and the general public to dispel the myths and misinformation about the pandemic,” said ADB’s Health Sector Group Chief Dr. Patrick Osewe. “We are delighted to partner with BMJ on this vital initiative.”
“The scientific evidence on COVID-19 is changing rapidly and healthcare professionals are finding it challenging to keep up with the latest guidance in a sea of information and misinformation,” said BMJ Director of Global Health Mitali Wroczynski. “With face-to-face training currently unrealistic, and further waves of infection expected, there is an urgent need for simple, clear, interactive online training and support that is easy to access.”
Established in 1966, ADB is owned by 68 members—49 from the region. The Asian Development Bank is Tajikistan's major international donor. ADB's first assistance to Tajikistan was in 1998 to support post-conflict reconstruction. Since then, ADB has mobilized over $1.9 billion for the country, including about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in grants. The Bank provides regular assistance to Tajikistan to combat COVID-19.
The BMJ is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Originally called The British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988, and then changed to The BMJ in 2014.
