Paranoia About Medical Topics?

Hi artsmith,

Generally the questions that get closed in the Biomech/Biomed forum are neither "Biomech" nor "Biomed". They are instead, medical questions; one's best answered by a doctor, physician or other medical professional. They're not about biomedical research, instead they're questions like "should I use this medicine that was proscribed for me? or "How do I know if the medication I'm taking is working?"

Those questions always get closed with a notification that the poster should check with their doctor or physician.

The vast majority of us are not medical professionals. We don't know the specifics of why a medication was prescribed. We don't know what other meds the poster is taking. Heck, we don't know the specifics of what a med is supposed to do or how it does it.

It's best to direct someone in need of medical advice to a medical professional. It's that simple. We're not going to change this stance.

I respect your stance on the sort of questions that are inappropriate.

However, there seems to be some oversensitivity - a misperceived need to refer all questions to a doctor. It is wrong to assume that persons who are legitimately searching for medical research information here are doing so because they lack medical care. In some cases, such remarks are uncalled for and offensive.

The internet is swamped with medical sites. Is it realistic to believe that someone posting a question on CR4 intends to substitute the comments on this forum for professional medical attention?? How likely is that, really? Ok, there are Darwin awards for such people. The benefit of a disclaimer is that it removes any liability concerns arising from conceivable, if improbable, cases. It would also allow the Biomech/Biomed forum to be a little more accomodating, and allow the discussion of medical research issues to be consistent with the approach of other forums at CR4.

Sometimes an OP who needs a professional electrician (for example) is told so, and rightly so, by members of the forum. On the other hand, it would be considered out of place if I (knowing little about cars) went to the automotive forum and interjected in every thread that the OP's question should be handled by a professional mechanic...

Let me say this one more time, because its the most important thing. We generally close questions along the lines of: "should I use this medicine that was proscribed for me? or "How do I know if the medication I'm taking is working?"

If someone is interested in the medical effects of electrical discharge, that's a completely different situation. Questions about another's medications, however, are not something for an engineer to answer - or pretty much anyone else on the Internet for that matter.

We have no idea why a medical professional prescribed a drug, nor whether it is working or not. Hence the general closing retort of "...should be discussing this with his or her physician." That's the only person who knows the specifics of the case and is qualified to assess it. If a second opinion is desired, it should be from another medical professional.

I hope it's clear to you, I completely agree with your stance on professional opinions about a specific person's medications. Your closing retort for such questions is spot on.

Have a nice weekend.

Hi Artsmith,

Yes, I realize that. I was trying to to articulate the specific stance we take and the reasons why.

- Chris

You wrote: Maybe in this case, you could post a banner on the biomech/biomed forum to the effect that the forum is for discussion of medical engineering topics: no medical advice is offered at CR4.

That is a good idea.

I agree with the precedent opinions. All of them have something in common that I think is out of discussion. However, I have the feeling that the subject is still being seen as a taboo.

Safety is a major concern in engineering. Personal safety is surely the most important concern. None of us would suggest doing hands-on inside a TV set without clearly stating the dangers arising of the high voltages that may be present even after the appliance gets plugged off. None of us would instruct about how to make nitroglycerine or how to get plasma in a microwave oven without an appropriate, or even dissuasive warning.

Would any of us do so, the mechanisms currently available in CR4 should contain the potential danger.

In a few words: Dealing with 13.2 kV is as dangerous as taking bad pseudo-medical advice. Instead of banning HV subjects, we commit to give responsible opinions and advice, and to make the reach of our knowledge clear.

The pharmaceutical industry is in many ways sui generis. It is in a great extent corporative, enjoys large profits and uses special marketing methods. Founded, responsible opinions may counterweight otherwise unfalsified claims, or unsafe or unethical practices. I personally find this kind of opinion very useful. Issues like this: http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/0503/22.php

would surely need to be discussed.

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No physician, unless an absolute quack, would ever make a diagnosis, prescribe a medicine, or make any specific recommendation about treatment over the internet. Why would engineers know more than physicians about medicine?

It is one thing to ask for a good drying solvent for a pharmaceutical, quite another to state what that drug might be good for.

Why would engineers know more than physicians about medicine?

I once read James Herriot's books about his veterinary practice. In them, he describes some clients who chose to lend more weight to the "medical opinion" of unqualified people. By that I mean, postmen, farmhands, ordinary people.

I've noticed that too. Some people ask me what they think about their condition. I usually tell them to ask their doctor but for some reason they seem reluctant. It might be because of the attitudes of some doctors (unapproachable) or the jargon that doctors tend to use (I have ten...tem...tor...tanmenylitis? What's that? The ventilymomation of the lyrinotics? That sounds terrible!).

So, while asking unqualified people their opinion on medical issues is not unusual, I don't think it is the right thing to do. That should be obvious.

regards,

Vulcan

" It is one thing to ask for a good drying solvent for a pharmaceutical, quite another to state what that drug might be good for. "

Really I am surprised to hear you say this. You imply that the objective facts about drugs are unknown, when in fact drugs and their uses, side effects and adverse reactions are fully and scientifically characterized as part of the FDA approval process: the information is provided in the package (by law); it is also made available on the internet. This is general, scientific information. It is not exclusive to doctors: on the contrary, the patient has a right to such information.

The key statistical information, which is there to inform the patient's decisions about treatment, includes efficacy for specific conditions, statistical occurrence of specific side effects while taking the medication, and statistical risk of side effects from discontinuing the medication. This is general, factual information from which general recommendations follow logically if not explicitly stated in the manufacturer's literature (such as, do not discontinue the medication without medical supervision).

I agree with Chris that raising personal medical questions on the forum should be discouraged or prohibited: that is not the purpose of the forum.

However, I think your reaction, TVP45, borders on hysteria, and reads way too much into a simple discussion about the established facts and cautions for a specific drug.

Hysteria? Nah, just common sense. Since all that information is available, let the patient read it for himself. To me, it's kind of like taking your car to the auto shop and saying, "My check engine light is on, and a guy on the internet said you should clean the throttle body and charge me only $35. Agreed?"