Health Information on Internet

Health Information on the Internet

Executive summary By Darmansjah

I am among those who diligently follow the development of health information through the internet. I am interested in new drugs as new drugs are promising better. Many cancer drugs, HIV drugs is likely to give better results in the future.

However, when I asked to a family doctor, most of the information that I received is considered less precise, even he also advised me to be careful because not all health information that is available on the internet it comes from reliable sources and objectively. He reminded that I only use drugs that have recognized the benefits through research conducted by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (POM). According to him, developing countries are often used as a market for products (including drugs) that have not been clear benefits. In fact, the product was in the producing countries themselves should not be used.

It's not easy to choose the reliable information and ignore information that is not quite right. However, in my opinion, the doctor also needs to follow the latest drug information in order to provide advice to patients. It seems the medical community in our country and the authorities less quick in adapting to the latest medical developments in developed countries.

I once read about HIV vaccination is done outside the country. However, if asked of doctors in Indonesia, the answer there is no effective vaccine. Are doctors in Indonesia (could) follow the development of therapies that occur overseas so that they can use it to our society. Hopefully the use of new drugs may reduce the willingness of some members of society medical treatment abroad.

M in B

Advances in science and medical technology runs fast. We have enjoyed such progress are utilized for the accurate diagnosis or treatment of disease. In this land we have available quite a lot of tools, such as CT scans. This tool is expensive, but because of high demand, this tool has been available in some large cities in our country.
In Jakarta even available a new tool called PET scans that are used primarily to support the diagnosis of cancer. Prices expensive tools so the cost of inspection is also expensive. However, there are hospitals that are willing to invest to buy the equipment. This shows that our hospitals are actually quite fast in making new tools. The question is whether these tools are actually needed? Does the new device is superior to the old equipment? If the answer is yes, it would certainly be useful tools.
Governments have a team that studied medical devices and how new therapies. The review will be submitted to the Ministry of Health to be a material consideration in the permit procurement of new equipment.

POM

For drugs, drug procurement is under the supervision of the POM. This Agency is responsible for providing permits and supervise the procurement of medicines the drug in our country. Every drug that is used in Indonesia must be registered in the POM. In this registration process POM will examine the benefits and safety, and if you need to do testing. Everything is done to keep the public can be protected from drugs that do not clear the benefits and harmful side effects.

We are grateful that we include POM POM is considered good performance in the ASIA region. Quite a lot of friends from other countries who visit our POM, and WHO has also several times been running training courses in Indonesia, with participants from foreign countries. POM is used as the training ground. So, to use new drugs, we can not simply import the drug and then used like other merchandise. For medicine and food, necessary procedures to ensure safety to the public.


News in the media including the Internet are often attracted attention because it informs the various studies conducted in research centers in the world. However, it takes a long time for a drug can be used in the community. To determine the benefits and security conducted several stages of testing before it can be concluded is completely secure.

We still remember many thalidomid babies, namely babies born with disabilities on thalidomid drug use in pregnant women in the world around the year 1960. These events of course we hope not repeated again. Doctors have to follow the development progress of science and medical technology because the doctor in performing medical services necessary to implement evidence-based medicine. Doctors follow these developments through medical journals either printed or through electronic and medical practice in conducting research and evidence to consider various new findings.


HIV Vaccine

About HIV vaccine is certainly the medical community in Indonesia is also followed. HIV vaccine field study ever conducted in Thailand is actually very we wait, but the new results show that the group using an HIV vaccine protection only get about 32 percent compared with controls. Figures for this protection is still considered to be low so that the vaccine still must be perfected.

At the Institute of Virology and Cancer Biology, University of Indonesia, the Indonesian University School of Medicine researchers are developing influenza vaccine (H5N1), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), and HIV by using a virus that originated from Indonesia. This suggests that doctors and researchers we are not just as spectators and consumers progress of science and medical technology, but also plays an active role in encouraging progress.

It's not easy to sort out reliable information via the Internet. You can try to open sources of information from WHO, the Ministry of Health, the site of the medical profession and the university. Indeed, we also need to be careful of the information submitted the parties to obtain commercial advantage.