[Information, communication, and equity: dilemmas in health].
Equity, which is a form of justice, is the absence of inequalities that are evitable or unjust or that stem from preventable causes. In the area of health, it is linked to prudence that should prevail in the exercise of the health professions. Information, like any other social commodity, can be distributed in an inequitable way among different groups or populations due to technological barriers or cultural factors. However, knowledge is not just information; it is information that is aimed at a specific social purpose. Inequity in knowledge can be reduced by means of genuine communication, as Habermas proposed. This article deals with scientific communication as much as it does with public knowledge and the way information is disseminated.
Lolas
Fernando
F
Programa Regional de Bioética de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, Santiago, Chile. lolasf@chi.ops-oms.org
D001675:Bioethics; D003142:Communication; D006266:Health Education; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D020407:Internet; D008402:Mass Media; D009014:Morals; D012935:Social Justice; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors