The New A2K Site and Medical Questions?

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Over the years on A2K, I've noticed that very frequently, medically-significant questions have been asked by members, and before anyone could respond , a moderator has posted the comment ( or something similar) "Such questions cannot be asked on this site, please consult your health-care provider".

We've had several RNs, MDs, ODs, DOs (?), PhDs and pharmacists on A2K, who because of either their education or experience, could have easily answered the posted question.

How will A2K handle medical or even scientific questions ( which are important to the medical field)?

I think increased diversity of topics posted on A2K (such as those medically significant) would encourage more individuals to enroll as members and additionally benefit the entire A2K community.

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@Miller,

Miller wrote:

Over the years on A2K, I've noticed that very frequently, medically-significant questions have been asked by members, and before anyone could respond , a moderator has posted the comment ( or something similar) "Such questions cannot be asked on this site, please consult your health-care provider".

We've had several RNs, MDs, ODs, DOs (?), PhDs and pharmacists on A2K, who because of either their education or experience, could have easily answered the posted question.

How will A2K handle medical or even scientific questions ( which are important to the medical field)?

I think increased diversity of topics posted on A2K (such as those medically significant) would encourage more individuals to enroll as members and additionally benefit the entire A2K community.

I'm an nurse. I think it would be better to direct people to the nearest emergency room than to allow people to expect medical questions to be answered on an open forum such as this one.

A good doctor wouldn't try to assess you over the internet. People should seek good doctors if they aren't feeling well.

1 Reply

@Miller,

Believe it or not, I was once challenged for giving "medical advice". The advice"? I told them to get a doctor's appoint soon.

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@Miller,

It is part of the TOS

http://able2know.org/about/tos/

Would you consider paying A2k's liability insurance premium in exchange for being allowed to provide medical advice?

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@ehBeth,

Plus who will run and pay for any due diligence and background checks on the alleged medical degrees held by a2k's so called medical community?

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I'm not a doctor, but i play one on tee vee . . .

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I tried once to look up something regarding medical questions over Internet and got so scared I had to see my doctor.
He very cleverly just said:"Hope you learned your lesson - do not do that again"

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@Miller,

Quote:

PhDs

When did your problem first manifest itself?

1 Reply

@Tuna,

In the Boston area( USA), many of the Harvard-trained MDs correspond with their patients over the internet. It's fast and it's reliable. If the patient presents with a serious problem, referral is made to an ER.

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@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

It is part of the TOS

http://able2know.org/about/tos/

Would you consider paying A2k's liability insurance premium in exchange for being allowed to provide medical advice?

What's interesting about your comment, is the fact that medical advice is given on a daily basis on A2K. You should know this, since you've participated on many of them.

There are some threads at least 10 years old concerned with back aches, head aches, dizzy spells, lung tumors, fat on legs, weins on legs, coma patients, you name it. So why are these threads are allowed to exist, if its' against the TOS?

1 Reply

@Miller,

Have you reported them?

1 Reply

@Miss L Toad,

Miss L Toad wrote:

Quote:
PhDs

When did your problem first manifest itself?

If you were a resident or medical employee in the Harvard Medical area, you would certainly know that many of our MDs, are also PhDs, who are experts in their medical and research fields.

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@Miller,

Miller wrote:

In the Boston area( USA), many of the Harvard-trained MDs correspond with their patients over the internet. It's fast and it's reliable. If the patient presents with a serious problem, referral is made to an ER.

But clearly this isn't the arena that they will use professionally.

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Some typical medical questions that have appeared in recent years on A2K:

Is autism related to childhood vacinations?

The use of apecific antibiotics such as CIPRO to treat UTIs in theUS.

Liability issues for Pharmacists when they prescribe contraceptives in the US.

Opinions were presented on these threads and at no time did any poster offer medical advice.

When I speak of medical threads, I'm talking about threads such as the ones listed above .

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

Have you reported them?

I am not a moderator.

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@Miller,

This site does not offer medical advice.

People can ask, but it is not to be given to them. Just because you found requests for medical advice doesn't mean squat. It's the responses that are against the TOS. But the questions? Knock yourself out and ask (and you'll be told to go visit a doctor in person).

I imagine you've heard of physician-patient privilege, and patient privacy.

You may have also heard of medical malpractice and of people impersonating doctors for lulz.

If someone is offering medical advice (telling someone to get counseling or go to the ER, or put on a band aid is not medical advice), then feel free to report them by clicking the Report button.

BTW, my doctor does offer advice online. She does so in private communications with me, a patient she's seen for over a decade, where my privacy and the physician-patient privilege are both satisfied. She sure as hell doesn't go on a public message board and spitball remedies for people who need someone to actually examine them in person. She is a diligent professional, and spouting off-the-cuff stuff to people online, using unsecured methods, is neither diligent nor is it professional.

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@jespah,

As stated above:
Some typical medical questions that have appeared in recent years on A2K:

Is autism related to childhood vacinations?

The use of apecific antibiotics such as CIPRO to treat UTIs in theUS.

Liability issues for Pharmacists when they prescribe contraceptives in the US.

Opinions were presented on these threads and at no time did any poster offer medical advice.

When I speak of medical threads, I'm talking about threads such as the ones listed above .

1 Reply

@Miller,

So offer opinions and knock yourself out.

When it spills over into medical advice (and really, if you're in the field, you should know the difference between the stuff you can't charge for, and the stuff where you can), it's against the TOS.

1 Reply

Quote:

How will A2K handle medical or even scientific questions ( which are important to the medical field)?

My question (above), never used the word ADVICE. I favor diversity of opinion.

1 Reply

@jespah,

jespah wrote:

This site does not offer medical advice.

This site is not intended to be professional medical advice but this rule is not being interpreted how I intended and is certainly not intended to prohibit anyone from giving medical information or opinions.

The user must be aware that this is not a place for professional medical or legal advice but we should not go around trying to inhibit users from opining on medical matters.

Quote:

It's the responses that are against the TOS.

The TOS is decades old and needs to be changed, if this is the case then this should be changed. Edit: read it and no it was not ever the case in the TOS either, it's just the legal disclaimer that it should be.

0 Replies

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