Important note
Consulting DeCS online does not require downloading its database nor does it require a usage license agreement. Searches on DeCS portal retrieve descriptors for indexing articles and other documents found in Virtual Health Library (VHL) databases. To retrieve documents and articles, the search must be done on the VHL portal, using the DeCS descriptors found on the DeCS/MeSH portal. For instructions on how to search the VHL visit: https://bvsalud.org/en/how-to-search/.
Licensing
To protect copyright, individuals or institutions wishing to use the DeCS database may do so free of charge by signing a license agreement with BIREME/PAHO/WHO. In addition to accessing the features offered on this portal, there are two other ways to use the DeCS database:
- offline, by downloading files in XML (Extensible Markup Language) format;
- through an access token to the API services.
Interested parties are requested to read the conditions for such services and fill out the DeCS download license application form. It is important to check the email spam folder for responses to requests.
The request will be analyzed and responded to within a short period of time.
Instructions for accessing API services for developers can be found here.
