This comprehensive bibliographic database on research related to major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and risk factors in Sri Lanka is developed by the Health System Research Unit (HSRU) of the Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office for Sri Lanka and Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka.
Preamble
Each year, 80 million people die from four major NCDs, namely cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease in the world. Of them, 15 million die before the age of 70 years. Over 80% of these premature deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. In concurrence, major NCDs are responsible for 83% of the total deaths in Sri Lanka, with the risk of dying prematurely being 18%. Majority of these premature deaths are preventable, through simple measures implemented to reduce the risk factors and appropriate health systems response. To achieve this, it is essential that country-specific evidence based strategies (‘local best buys’) are identified. Professionals from many disciplines engage in research related to NCDs in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, there is a plethora of evidence available in Sri Lanka on major NCDs, however the proportion of the generated evidence that has been translated into practice has been relatively small in Sri Lanka. One constraint had been the non-availability of a bibliography of literature within the last 20 years. This bibliographic database aims to bridge this gap, by providing a hub for research evidence collated for Sri Lanka. It will enable researchers as well as policy makers to translate the available evidence on clinical and preventive strategies & practices into an ‘’implementable’’ platform enriched to support local best buys in NCDs in Sri Lanka. It would also facilitate the researchers to appraise the existing literature and thereby to develop research priorities and conduct applied research, based on the gaps identified in scientific work.