The expansion of newborn screening (NBS) for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is essential to reducing the number of preventable intellectual disabilities in children. Because of logistical issues, including geographic extremes, distinct cultures, and 4.8 million births annually, Indonesia has struggled to achieve universal NBS coverage. A national cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted to explore challenges in CH NBS. Responses from 423 healthcare professionals and program administrators across 30 provinces in Indonesia were collected. The major challenges reported were refusal from families (39.2%), newborns being discharged <24 h (38.3%), and limited availability of filter paper (35.9%). The respondents considered refusal from families to be due to fear, while others did not understand the necessity of CH NBS. The vast majority of respondents believed that parents do not have sufficient understanding regarding CH NBS (96.5%). Our study found that only 38.5% of respondents had received formal CH NBS training, with pediatric endocrinologists being the only profession in which all respondents had been trained. Concerted efforts are needed to improve the access to and availability of resources, increase the capacity for sample collection and analysis, empower healthcare professionals, and develop educational resources to promote understanding and acceptance of NBS amongst families.

Approximately half of all births globally occur in the Asia Pacific Region. Concerted efforts to support local activities aimed at developing national newborn screening (NBS) have been ongoing for almost 30 years, first by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and then through volunteer efforts. Sustainable newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) continues to be initiated and develop in many of the countries with developing economies in the region. Since the discontinuation of IAEA funding in 2007, a working group of the Asia Pacific Society of Human Genetics (APSHG) consisting of interested representatives from countries in the region with less than 50% NBS coverage has participated in periodic workshops to exchange information, set goals, and provide peer support. Facilitated by international NBS experts, interested corporate sponsors, and the APSHG, the 7th workshop of representatives from 10 East Asian countries with developing NBS systems was recently held in Kathmandu, Nepal. This report summarizes the NBS activities in these countries and describes the continuing efforts to move NBS ahead in the region.

Objectives: The use of technology has rapidly increased in the past century. Artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology (IT) are now applied in healthcare and medical education. The purpose of this study was to assess the readiness of Indonesian teaching staff and pediatric residents for AI integration into the curriculum.Methods: An anonymous online survey was distributed among teaching staff and pediatric residents from 15 national universities. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: demographic information and questions regarding the use of IT and AI in child health education. Responses were collected using a 5-point Likert scale: strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and highly agree.Results: A total of 728 pediatric residents and 196 teaching staff from 15 national universities participated in the survey. Over half of the respondents were familiar with the terms IT and AI. The majority agreed that IT and AI have simplified the process of learning theories and skills. All participants were in favor of sharing data to facilitate the development of AI and expressed readiness to incorporate IT and AI into their teaching tools.Conclusions: The findings of our study indicate that pediatric residents and teaching staff are ready to implement AI in medical education.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic condition requiring lifelong management that affects a large number of children and adolescents globally. While diabetes care has improved over the years, low-middle income countries (LMIC) like Indonesia still struggle to achieve optimal diabetes care due to limited access to healthcare professionals, insulin, diabetes technologies, and self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) devices. Data from the Indonesian Pediatric Society registry has reflected a stark increase in the number of children with T1DM, with the current prevalence significantly concentrated on Java Island and a noticeable underreporting in rural regions. Another major challenge is the uneven distribution of pediatric endocrinologists, resulting in a low specialist-to-patient ratio. This imbalance, coupled with inadequate access to comprehensive diabetes care, complicates effective T1DM management. While the national insurance covers a portion of costs associated with T1DM care, vital aspects of T1DM management including SMBG devices are still not covered, resulting in significant financial burden to families. Access to diabetes technologies that improve glycemic control and quality of life of patients is also still largely limited. This paper evaluates the current state and future needs for insulin and SMBG in Indonesia, emphasizing the necessity of strategic interventions to improve access and quality of diabetes care.

Background: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic disease that requires complicated therapies. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused lockdown restrictions, compromising access to medical care, including T1DM management. Poor medication adherence may affect the quality of life (QoL) and glycemic control. Objectives: This study analyzed the association among QoL, medication adherence, and glycemic control in T1DM patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study recruited T1DM patients aged 5 - 18 who regularly visited the pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic. The PedsQL 3.2 and the diabetes management questionnaire (DMQ) were used to measure QoL and medication adherence. In addition, glycemic control was measured based on HbA1c levels. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 17, and correlations between variables were analyzed using Spearman or Pearson correlation tests. Results: Twenty-five children and adolescents with a mean age of 141.1 months (± 36.7) were included in this study. The mean HbA1c level was 10.7 mg/dL (± 2.4). Around 19 (76%) participants had already experienced diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). There was no significant correlation between QoL and medication adherence or HbA1c level (P = 0.220, r = - 0.254; P = 0.753, and r = - 0.066, respectively). Conclusions: Our study’s QoL and medication adherence of T1DM children was relatively good even though the HbA1c was still high. However, numerous factors affect QoL and medication adherence in T1DM children other than HbA1c level.

(1) Background: This study is designed to establish thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) reference intervals tailored to different neonatal age groups and Indonesian local populations. (2) Methods: Dried blood spot neonatal TSH values, from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023, were used to establish the neonatal TSH reference intervals partitioned by sex, gestational age, and ethnic group at different neonatal ages. (3) Results: A significant difference in the reference intervals value was observed in sex, gestational ages, and parental ethnicity groups in different neonatal age subgroups (p < 0.05). Male reference intervals were significantly higher than those of females at all neonatal ages. Late and post-term gestational age categories reference intervals were higher than early and full-term. Among the ethnic groups, Madurese had a higher upper limit TSH reference interval. (4) Conclusions: Our neonatal TSH reference intervals were needed to provide a reference adapted to the local population of Indonesia.