Public Health Action is a journal with a mission: to disseminate as widely as possible the results of operational research on the quality, accessibility and equity of health services for the poor. One of two scholarly journals published by The Union, the first issue of the open access online Public Health Action came out in September 2011, and it has appeared quarterly ever since.
“Relieving the burden of disease among the poor is not primarily a question of knowing what to do, but how to do it in the most feasible, sustainable, efficient and appropriate manner,” says Prof Donald A Enarson, Editor-in-Chief. “The goal of PHA is to provide a forum for people who are engaged in this process of finding a better ‘how’ through operational research”.
“Some people think operational research is ‘not really scientific research’”, he adds, “but these studies use rigorous scientific methods, address hypotheses, make comparisons, employ statistical analysis and draw conclusions that provide new knowledge leading to improved health services and systems”.
The peer-reviewed Public Health Action publishes both original research and other articles on a wide range of topics. Although initially the focus was on The Union’s traditional areas of interest – tuberculosis, HIV, TB-HIV, pneumonia, asthma and child lung health – by 2013, the scope had expanded to include studies on issues such as nutrition services, emergency room care, sexual and gender-based violence, occupational health, antenatal care, tobacco control and ethics. The journal’s first supplement, published in November 2013, was devoted to the challenge of identifying and managing care for the increasing number of patients with TB and diabetes in low-income countries.
“PHA aims to promote the vision of The Union – health solutions for the poor– by reporting new knowledge and encouraging dialogue”, says Clare Pierard, Managing Editor.
“We’re not afraid of controversy either”, says Enarson. “We want to encourage critical thinking, and they go hand in hand”.
After 10 issues, Public Health Action has close to 3,000 readers, and the number of articles submitted for each issue is growing fast.
To enable free access for all readers, authors of articles accepted by PHA are required to pay a publication charge.
All issues of Public Health Action are available online.