E-TALC

by Connor Fleming
E-TALC

E-TALC is  a pioneer project to provide free information to health workers in the developing countries on CD-ROM.

Experience suggests that connection to the web is expensive and difficult for many health workers, particularly for those in rural areas and more so in developing countries.  Such workers have found the free TALC CDs easy to use with an excellent search engine. They have proved popular and already 30,000 have been distributed in under 2 years. The CDs contain abstracts from the Cochrane collaboration on Evidence Based Medicine,Community Eye  Health, Primary Trauma care,material on disability, HIV/AIDS, management etc.

The CD-ROMs will allow users to select, adapt and tailor materials to meet local needs and develop their own Library of materials at very low cost. Information on the CD-ROM can be downloaded, e-mailed or printed and freely reproduced and shared.

The service is designed to achieve the following:

  • Production of CD-ROMs with search engines, containing copyright free information. The CD-ROMs are easy to use and have the potential to be interactive (e.g. for training purposes).
  • The CD-ROMs will provide free access to up-to-date and appropriate health and development information and training materials for health workers.
  • A low cost method for health workers, libraries, government and non-governmental organisations to distribute health information and training resources.
  • A vehicle for the exchange of ideas.

TALC was founded in 1965 by Prof David Morley and the first E-TALC CD ROM was produced in July 2002 and over 3000 copies were distributed to professionals in Developing countries.

TALC main objective is to promote the health of children and advance medical knowledge and teaching in the UK and throughout the world by providing and developing educational material.