How to search the Internet for reliable medical information
Health / / December 28, 2020
Yulia Manokhina
Anesthesiologist-resuscitator, editor.
If you enter the query “symptoms and treatment” in Google or Yandex, then among the first 20 pages there will be only two or three sites with official medical information. We will tell you how to distinguish reliable sources from unreliable ones in such conditions.
What sources are credible
Regulations
The rights and obligations of healthcare professionals and patients are regulated byFederal Law No. 323 of November 21, 2011 "On the Fundamentals of Public Health Protection" Federal Law "On the Fundamentals of Public Health Protection". According to the 4th paragraph of the 10th article of this law, in our country there are established procedures and standards for the provision of medical care. They are needed so that every patient throughout Russia is provided with the same medical care.
1.Medical care standards Are lists of procedures for diagnosing and treating diseases. They are subject to mandatory approval by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and are published officially. Also, these documents are taken into account in court when resolving controversial issues.
At the same time, the standards for the provision of medical care also have drawbacks:
- do not cover all diseases;
- designed for the "average" patient (do not take into account gender, age, stage of the disease);
- adult and child standards are often combined;
- the last update was in 2012.
Despite the problems voiced, doctors are guided by standards in providing care, and experts from social insurance funds - when assessing the correctness of a treatment case.
2.Clinical guidelines - These are algorithms for the provision of medical care based on evidence-based medicine data and approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. They contain information on the classification and course of diseases, complaints and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation and prognosis, as well as links to research.
Today it is the only official source of evidence-based medical information that is regularly updated (once every three years). Physicians are advised to adhere to these algorithms when making decisions, but also take into account the characteristics of the patient.
3. Order No. 203н "On approval of criteria for assessing the quality of medical care"- a document that specifies the minimum amount of diagnostic and treatment procedures for various diseases. It is possible to assign less than in the standard, but less than in the criteria is impossible.
Electronic databases of medical literature
Medline is the most popular medical literature database created by the US National Library of Medicine. There are others: Aidsline, Embase, Biosis. All of them, to a greater or lesser extent, are presented in electronic scientific libraries:
- PubMed - site of the US National Library of Medicine. Most of the publications are the results of studies conducted in the USA and European countries. Searching PubMed may seem daunting for a novice user, but there is a detailed instruction in Russian. Most of the articles are presented in the form of annotations, you can follow the links to the full-text versions (although some of them are paid).
- Cochrane Library created in 1992-1993 in honor of the Scottish physician Archibald Cochran, who promoted evidence-based medicine. This library contains mainly research data from countries such as Canada, Ireland, India, Australia and South Africa. Article abstracts are available for free, full versions require a subscription (from $ 7).
- eLIBRARY.RU - the leading electronic library of scientific literature in Russian. The platform has been actively developing since 2005 and includes 29 million articles and 5 600 journals. The library contains scientific works in many areas, including medicine and health care. Unfortunately, fewer publications are available for free. To search for information, you must register.
Russian medical journals
The Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation reviews some of the medical journals. Articles in such publications are always supported by the results of clinical studies.
Here is some of them:
- «Adaptive physical education». The magazine's website contains announcements of issues and a summary. The publication itself is available in print by subscription.
- «obstetrics and gynecology». The electronic version is available only to medical professionals, the printed version is available to everyone.
- «Allergology and Immunology». The issues of the magazine can be downloaded for free from the website.
- «Arterial hypertension». The full text of publications is available on the site for free. You can subscribe to notifications when a new issue is released.
- «Nutrition issues». The publications are presented on the site free of charge for everyone.
- «Pediatric surgery». The magazine is available only by subscription in printed form.
- «Childhood infections». All rooms are free for reading and downloading.
- «Cardiology». All journal articles are available for reading and downloading 6 months after publication.
- «Clinical medicine». An electronic version (after registration) and a printed version are available for subscription.
- «Modern technologies in medicine». The journal publishes articles in Russian and English, all issues are freely available on the website.
Additional sources
1. Website World Health Organization (WHO) contains medical news, statistics, articles on socially significant diseases (hepatitis, HIV, influenza and others). Here you can find recommendations for a healthy diet and exercise.
The symptoms of diseases and recommendations for prevention can be found in the section "Newsletters».
The site has an official version in Russian - you must select the language in the upper right corner.
2. Website Mayo Clinic - a private medical research center accredited in the JCI (Joint Commission International) system. JCI is a certificate that confirms that the level of care in a particular hospital meets international requirements. In Russia, the development of such a program has just begun, it is called the Quality Management System (QMS).
The Mayo Clinic website does not have a Russian version, but if you have enough English you will find information about clinical trials and articles on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. You can also go test: indicate the symptoms you have and find out which diseases can cause them.
3. Website Rospotrebnadzor - state information resource in the field of consumer protection.
The section "Recommendations for citizens" contains articles on healthy lifestyle, baby food, influenza prevention, vaccination, and so on. In addition, the site contains advice on healthy eating and information about medical services.
Official instructions for drugs
If you have lost the instructions for the drug or forgot the regimen, then it would be best to re-register with the doctor. If this is not possible, then you can clarify the necessary information on these sites:
- «LS GEOTAR»;
- Vidal;
- Radar.
All three reference books are guided by the State Register of Medicines and provide reliable information about drugs registered and available in the Russian Federation.
What sources are better to bypass
- All kinds of forums. It is obvious that there are subjective opinions of users.
- Sponsored Articles. Of course, not every advertisement provides false information, but very often something is promoted that does not have a sufficient evidence base. Verified medicines and other methods of treatment (operations, physiotherapy exercises, etc.) do not need advertising. All of them are mentioned in clinical guidelines, standards of care and, in one way or another, covered in clinical trials.
- Articles without proof. If statements in a publication are not backed up by references to evidence-based medicine sources or expert opinions, you should not trust them.
- "Wikipedia". Anyone can get access to editing information on this site.
conclusions
What you can trust:
- the website of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (standards for medical care and criteria for assessing the quality of medical care);
- clinical guidelines of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation;
- sites with instructions for medicinal products (Vidal, radar, "LS GEOTAR");
- electronic medical databases;
- websites of WHO and Rospotrebnadzor.
What to avoid:
- forum discussions;
- articles in "Wikipedia";
- advertising materials;
- publications without references to sources of evidence-based medicine.
It is possible and necessary to search for information about health, but only on the "correct" sites with reliable data. And of course, always remember that a doctor in treatment focuses not only on quality standards and criteria, but also on his experience and patient characteristics.
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