Elsevier Signs Agreement with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Offer ClinicalKey Across 200 Sites

Initiative aims to support delivery of evidence-based care across Kazakhstan

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Nov 16, 2017, 07:58 ET

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier, the information analytics business specialising in science and health, today announced an agreement with the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Republic of Kazakhstan to implement its ClinicalKey reference solution in care settings across the nation. The deal will enable 200 points of access to Elsevier's database as of 2018.

The initiative was launched by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health at the Kazakhstan Evidence-Based Medicine Executive Forum in Astana which saw the Republican Center for Health Development, heads of healthcare organizations, and the medical community unite in a forum to discuss the opportunities for innovation in Kazakhstan's healthcare system.

Central to decision of introducing the ClinicalKey reference tool is a goal of the MoH to decrease variability in care and improve clinical outcomes, with the long-term objective of increasing life expectancy in Kazakhstan.

The implementation of ClinicalKey will provide doctors across Kazakhstan access to an international database of evidence-based, credible and current clinical information, importantly also extending to particularly in remote areas. The focus will be to encourage best practice amongst medical students and researchers to improve clinical practice.

ClinicalKey, a clinical search engine, provides evidence-based clinical answers drawn from the single largest body of clinical content available, including 600+ journals, 1,100+ books, drug information, guidelines, patient education and Medline. The Smart Search enables ClinicalKey to understand clinical terms and thus discover the most relevant medical content and find related content often missed by other search engines. ClinicalKey is optimized for any mobile device, making it more convenient to search and validate on-the-go. For more information about ClinicalKey, visit www.clinicalkey.com.

Commenting on how the move will benefit Kazakhstani health professions, Mr. Elzhan Birtanov, Minister of Health, Kazakhstan Republic, said, "Key to our decision to invest in clinical decision support technology, such as ClinicalKey, was the chance to better support our healthcare professionals. We recognise the talent amongst our young doctors, many of whom have been trained and practiced in Western Europe and the USA."

"In turn, we want them to have access to the latest, credible, evidence-based information, in order to support their clinical practice and research. By providing this access, ClinicalKey is able to bring the expertise of the global medical community to the fingertips of our doctors," Mr. Birtanov added.

Mr. Eugenio Garcia, Vice President Sales, EMEALA, Elsevier, said, "The challenge of assisting clinicians in keeping up with the latest medical information is common to almost every health system across the globe, from advanced health systems to ones with less finance, infrastructure and resource. However, digital solutions such as ClinicalKey can play an important role in enabling information access in any environment."

He added, "The flexibility to create tailored solutions that match a country's requirements and current infrastructure means that implementing change is needs-driven and attainable. When something is attainable it is more likely be welcomed and used by the HCPs who use it day-to-day. It's through achievable standardisations in care, such as providing access to ClinicalKey across Kazakhstan, that we can see measurable drops in care variation which benefit whole populations."

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Scival, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com