April 02, 2021
Today it is easy to find any information on the Internet, and you can approach it in different ways. Many people save money and time on doctor visits in this way. They open Google, type symptoms into the search bar, make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment for themselves. This is dangerous, because there are many medical sources that offer unverified and incorrect data.
Everything needs to be approached rationally, especially when it comes to your own health. If you are seriously unwell and/or have a high fever, contact your doctor immediately. If you have a headache or feel like you have a slight cold, try to independently search for information on how to help yourself.
Below is a list of sites containing reliable information about medications, diseases and doctors. Among them there are convenient service aggregators, with the help of which you can quickly make an appointment with a specialist in large cities of Russia.
Which sources are trustworthy?
Regulations
The rights and obligations of medical workers and patients are regulated by Federal Law No. 323 of November 21, 2011 “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens” Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens”. According to paragraph 4 of article 10 of this law, in our country there are established procedures and standards for the provision of medical care. They are needed to ensure that every patient throughout Russia receives the same medical care.
1. Standards of care 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. These documents are also taken into account in court when resolving controversial issues.
At the same time, the standards of medical care also have disadvantages:
- do not cover all diseases;
- designed for the “average” patient (does not take into account gender, age, stage of the disease);
- adult and children's standards are often combined;
- The last update was in 2012.
Despite the problems voiced, doctors are guided by standards when providing care, and experts from social insurance funds are guided by the correctness of a treatment case.
2. Clinical recommendations are algorithms for the provision of medical care based on evidence-based medicine 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 medical information with an evidence base, which is regularly updated (once every three years). Doctors are recommended to adhere to these algorithms when making decisions, but also take into account the patient’s characteristics.
3. Order No. 203n “On approval of criteria for assessing the quality of medical care” is a document that specifies the minimum volume of diagnostic and treatment procedures for various diseases. It is possible to assign less than in the standard, but not less than in the criteria.
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 are represented to a greater or lesser extent in electronic scientific libraries:
- PubMed is the website 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 complicated for a novice user, but there are detailed instructions in Russian. Most articles are presented in the form of abstracts, with links leading to full-text versions (although some of them are paid).
- The Cochrane Library was created in 1992–1993 in honor of the Scottish physician Archibald Cochrane, who promoted evidence-based medicine. This library contains mainly research data from countries such as Canada, Ireland, India, Australia and South Africa. Abstracts of articles are available for free; to read full versions, a subscription is required (from $7).
- eLIBRARY.RU is a 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 presents scientific works in many areas, including medicine and healthcare. Unfortunately, a minority of 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 are some of them:
- "Adaptive physical culture". The magazine's website contains issue announcements and brief contents. The publication itself is available in printed form by subscription.
- "Obstetrics and gynecology". The electronic version is available only to medical professionals, the printed version is available to everyone.
- "Allergology and immunology." Issues of the magazine can be downloaded for free from the website.
- "Arterial hypertension". The full text of publications is available on the website for free. You can subscribe to notifications about the release of a new issue.
- "Nutritional Issues". Publications are presented on the website free of charge for everyone.
- "Pediatric surgery". The magazine is available only by subscription in print form.
- "Children's infections." All issues are posted free of charge 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 magazine publishes articles in Russian and English, all issues are presented on the website for free access.
Additional sources
1. The World Health Organization (WHO) website contains medical news, statistics, articles about socially significant diseases (hepatitis, HIV, influenza and others). Here you can find recommendations for healthy eating and exercise.
Symptoms of diseases and recommendations for prevention can be found in the “Newsletters” section.
The site has an official version in Russian - you need to select the language in the upper right corner.
2. Website of the Mayo Clinic, a private medical research center accredited by 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 sufficient knowledge of English, you will find information about clinical studies and articles on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. You can also take a test: indicate your symptoms and find out what diseases can cause them.
3. The Rospotrebnadzor website is a state information resource in the field of consumer rights protection.
The “Recommendations for Citizens” section contains articles on healthy lifestyle, baby nutrition, flu prevention, vaccinations, and so on. The site also offers tips on healthy eating and information about health services.
Official instructions for drugs
If you have lost the instructions for the drug or forgotten the dosage regimen, then it would be best to make an appointment with your doctor again. If this is not possible, then you can find out 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.
MSD Directory
www.msdmanuals.com/ru/
The MSD Handbook is available in two versions: a physician version (professional version) and a patient version. First released in 1899 for pharmacists and doctors, it is now one of the largest medical resources. The authors of the articles are independent experts, mostly foreign, who describe in detail the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment methods. The experts and editors are independent - they do not advertise pharmaceutical products and clinics, although the directory is funded by Merck.
Many articles include graphics and infographics to better understand the information. The articles have been translated into Russian. The site has clinical calculators that, for example, can be used to calculate creatinine clearance, fractional sodium excretion and estimate the risk of mortality within 6 months according to the GRACE scale for patients with acute coronary syndrome.
The guidelines and protocols on the site are updated regularly - once a month. Access to the directory and all its functions is free: this is one of MSD's "missions" - to provide medical information to everyone who is interested in it.
Which sources are best avoided?
- All kinds of forums . Obviously, the subjective opinions of users are given there.
- Advertising articles . Of course, not every advertisement conveys false information, but very often they promote something that does not have a sufficient evidence base. Proven medicines and other methods of treatment (surgeries, physical therapy, etc.) do not require advertising. All of them are mentioned in clinical guidelines, standards of care, and are covered in one way or another in clinical studies.
- Articles without evidence . If statements in a publication are not supported by references to sources of evidence-based medicine or expert opinions, you should not trust them.
- "Wikipedia" . Anyone can have access to editing information on this site.
PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Electronic search engine containing more than 30 million publications, including studies, meta-analyses, clinical trials and systematic reviews in the fields of medicine, dentistry, physiology, biology and psychology. The site is intended primarily for medical professionals and medical students. The materials are freely accessible and contain links to primary sources. Articles can be searched by author, keywords, phrases, journal titles, and root words.
conclusions
What you can trust:
- website of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (standards of medical care and criteria for assessing the quality of medical care);
- clinical recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation;
- websites with instructions for medications (Vidal, RLS, “LS GEOTAR”);
- electronic medical databases;
- websites of WHO and Rospotrebnadzor.
What to avoid:
- discussions on forums;
- articles on Wikipedia;
- promotional materials;
- publications without links to sources of evidence-based medicine.
You can and should look for information about health, but only on the “correct” sites with reliable data. And of course, always remember that in treatment the doctor is guided not only by standards and quality criteria, but also by his own experience and the characteristics of the patient.
Cochrane Library
https://www.cochrane.org
The Cochrane Library is a non-profit organization that contains a huge database on medicine and human physiology. The site contains meta-analyses and systematic reviews on protocols, recommendations, therapy and drug effectiveness. The resource contains studies and reviews of high quality and methodological standard. Information is regularly updated and reviewed by experts.
UpToDate
https://www.wolterskluwer.com
One of the most authoritative sources of information on clinical medicine for doctors. Articles on the site contain current data on diseases, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapy. Information on pathologies and treatment is based on the principles of evidence-based medicine. The site contains many illustrations, tables, infographics and videos. Information on the resource is updated every four months.
The Lancet
https://www.thelanset.com
An international authoritative journal for doctors and medical professionals, published for almost 200 years. The publication has many divisions, for example, The Lancet Neurology, which publishes articles on neurology, or The Lancet Oncology, which publishes articles on cancer. The journal is peer-reviewed, meaning the accuracy of the facts, research and results is checked by experts and specialists in their fields. The site has videos, infographics and podcasts, for example, about successful treatment cases.
British Medical Journal
https://www.bmj.com
The British Medical Journal publishes articles, systematic reviews and clinical studies. It is one of the most cited journals. The purpose of the publication is to educate young doctors and medical staff who have recently started practicing and to combat unreliable, unethical and outdated information.
The British Medical Journal has a subsection - BMJ Learning - containing courses to improve knowledge in various fields: psychiatry, cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, pulmonology and others. The training courses are compiled by experts, have several modules, and contain infographics, videos and animations.
FDA
https://www.fda.gov
Food and Drugs Administration or Food and Drug Administration. This resource usually publishes the latest information on the development, testing and introduction into medical practice of medicines, including vaccines. The FDA is an authoritative organization, on whose approval the fate of a drug largely depends, and if it has approved a drug, it can be considered that it has passed clinical trials and has proven effectiveness.
Drugs
https://www.drugs.com
This is an encyclopedia site that contains data on most existing drugs in medicine. The resource is intended mainly for patients, but doctors can also use the information. You can find out, for example, whether drugs are compatible with each other and what side effects they may cause. The peculiarity of the site is that it does not represent any pharmacy or pharmacological company, therefore information about drugs is provided neutrally, without any interest in its sale.
