About the VHL
The Virtual Health Library (VHL) is a public good that facilitates access and use of scientific and technical information in health with the aim of contributing to bridging the gap between knowledge and health practice in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries.
Established in 1998, the VHL serves as a model, strategy, and operational platform for information management, coordinated and promoted by the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME/PAHO/WHO).
VHL is based on collaborative and networked work, applied to the creation, organization, and dissemination of scientific and technical information and evidence in the health sector, available for users through VHL Instances (Portals).
Learn more about the VHL Model.
About the Regional VHL Portal
The Regional VHL Portal is the main and most comprehensive instance of the VHL. It also serves as the integration space for VHL products and services.
It offers a search and information retrieval interface (iAHx system) across its collection of bibliographic databases, integrated with DeCS/MeSH, and features filtering, result export, and advanced search capabilities.
The Regional VHL Portal is developed and operated by BIREME in four languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French).
About the VHL Network
The VHL is also a network of networks. It is developed, by principle, in a decentralized and collaborative manner with information institutions and professionals from Latin American and Caribbean countries, which are part of VHL Network, also known as the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Health Sciences Information.
In turn, institutions in each country are part of national health information networks, for example:
RENICS – National Network of Health Sciences Information (Argentina)
REBICS – Bolivian Network of Health Sciences Information
BIBLIOSUS – Network of Health Cooperating Libraries and Information Units (Brazil)
All products and services of the VHL Network are available for access through national, regional, and/or institutional VHL Instances (Portals).
Explore the Network of VHL Instances (Portals).
Learn more about the VHL Network.
About the Collection
The Regional VHL Portal gathers in its collection about 60 bibliographic databases and other types of health information sources. In addition to LILACS, the main database for health literature in Latin America and the Caribbean, dozens of national, regional, and international bibliographic databases are integrated into the Regional VHL Portal.
The collection is regularly updated based on metadata collection from databases and information sources available in the Regional VHL Portal..
Learn more about the Collection.
About the LILACS Plus Collection
It is a collection of scientific and technical publications in Health from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
It is a strategy to gather literature that is fragmented and dispersed across various databases and institutional repositories. It is a response to separate and highlight the region’s production in the Virtual Health Library (VHL).
Learn more about the Collection.
About Products and Services
Information products and services developed and/or operated by BIREME, with collaboration from the VHL Network, are available on the Regional VHL Portal, either through direct links on different pages of the Portal or through the integrated search service iAHx.
Learn more about Products and Services.
About BIREME
The Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information, also known as BIREME, is a specialized center of the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). Since its creation in 1967, its mission has been to contribute to the development of health in Latin American and Caribbean countries by democratizing access, publication, and use of information, knowledge, and scientific evidence.
BIREME promotes and coordinates the collaborative and networked development of various health information products and services, most of which are available for access in VHL instances.
Learn more about BIREME.
In addition to the institutions and networks that are part of the VHL Network, BIREME partners with other institutions and networks that contribute to the development of specific VHL products and services. The main partners and associated networks are:
