Health On the Net Foundation - HONinfo 3/2002
We are pleased to announce some great news today!
******* Official Announcement:
Health On the Net Foundation has now been granted Non-Governmental
Organisation (NGO) status by the Economic and Social Council of the
United Nations (ECOSOC). The NGO status will facilitate HON's
participation with the World Health Organization and other UN bodies,
and reinforce its consultative role with government ministries in
several countries.
Pioneering the field of health information ethics, HON was first to
introduce a code of conduct for medical and health web sites
(HONcode). The HON Foundation has reviewed and accredited more than
3000 health web sites worldwide which voluntarily applied for
certification.
HON is already involved in several European Union research projects
and has participated in numerous international academic gatherings.
This official recognition will enhance HON's capacity to act as a
trusted international organization in the medical Internet field, and
makes it the only UN-accredited NGO working on issues of quality in
online health information.
As always, but now with the new NGO status, HON is showing a worldwide
vision and implementation of its services for the benefit of Internet
citizens!
******* October is the Health Literacy Month!
HON would like to bring your attention to this subject, which we
consider of importance in regard to health information on the
Internet. Health Literacy is defined as "the degree to which people
can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and
services they need to make appropriate health decisions." (U.S.
National Library of Medicine)
If you are a health professional, an online information provider, a
researcher or an individual seeking health information online, we
encourage you to learn more about health literacy and to take action
to improve the communication of healthcare information. Together, we
can not only improve access to health information but also aim for e
-health information understanding!
Curious to learn more? See
*******
For any feedback regarding these announcements or general questions,
please e-mail us at webmaster@hon.ch.
We wish you a nice day!
The HON Team
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