title: The prohibitive costs of accessing evidence online.
abstract: Delivering continuing education online involves making published materials available to learners. As part of a study that examined the use of the Internet for dissemination of information, permission to provide resources online was sought from 43 publishers, of whom 36 responded. Four (11.1%) denied permission to copy their materials. Seven (19.4%) granted permission to copy articles at no cost. The remaining 25 (69.4%) granted permission for a fee, ranging from dollar 2 to dollar 410 per article. These findings highlight a need for more accessible and cost-effective online resources to meet the challenges of evidence-based programs and practice in public health.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Community Health Research Unit, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lockett
mesh_terms: D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000191:economics*; D003308:Copying Processes / Q000191:economics; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D020375:Education, Distance / Q000191:economics*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000191:economics*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D020407:Internet / Q000191:economics*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D011643:Publishing / Q000191:economics