Disseminating health information in developing countries: the role of the internet

article taken from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/321/7264/797

Disseminating health information in developing countries: the role of the internet

Basically, this article is about how internet helps the users in providing the health information. As we noticed that, internet has a wide function in providing the news, current issues and may help the internet users find the facts and may help in making the decisions, or can be called as "internet can be our reference". In this article, it tells us about how the village woman who was pregnant entered the village health centre and her behaviour is watched by President Clinton during that time. The purpose of this women entered village health centre because she had called up for the web and search for the ways to care her baby. Then, this article also discussed about the accuracy of the information and provided by the internet and the relevance of the content itself.


The sources that was used in this study is obtained by searching the Medline that was using the term of dissemination and from the visitors itself. In the knowledge as a power section, it tells us how the users are freely surfing or browsing the world wide wed. It is regardless of any woman either form the rural or ordinary woman or any high status or class woman. Same goes to us, we are free to surf in Malaysia, because the power is in our finger tip, which we just need to click on or search for pour wishing sites in getting the information. Besides that, we are not only can search or browse the wished sites, but we also can create our own website freely without any restrictions. Moreover, internet is one of the cheapest to setup and it also a fastest medium in conveying a message or news. The strong idea when we are talking about the internet is the user can access the information that they wished, but if the web is privacy, we cannot access it without the permission by the web administrator .


The internet is not the main part in disemminating the health information. For example in this article is mentioned about the village woman access about the ways in taking care of her baby, and if she do not have the knowledge about the health, she will believed in every single thing that she read in the website. Actually, she need to consult with any doctor that have the knowledge and cannot absolutely refer to the website. This is why the issue of accuracy and relevance of the information came out in this article. Some of the things or information that provided in the internet might be useful to a woman, but sometimes are not. It is because, most likely the information are wrong and might effect the woman if she believed it. But, not all the internet gave us wrong information because some of the websites, for example by the page of Medical Health Hospital provide the right information because it filtered already by the profesional doctor and no ones can change the information without the permission by the hospital.

In conclusion, the internet may benefit to us by being such a helath influence, but as a knowledgeable person, we need to filter out the content irtself and how it was relevance to us. For the best way, consult to the nearest doctor that have knowledge in health matters to get most accurate information.


Prepared by;
Che Wan Nurul Ain Shuhada binti Che Wan Razlan
2009667112
Class: MC 22S 5C