Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: sci.med FAQ? STRAW POLL. (*REPOST*)
From: RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg)
Date: 29 Aug 92 07:18:53 EDT
 <1992Aug26.232922.17792@javelin.sim.es.com> <16238@pitt.UUCP> <1992Aug28.114825.217@news.wesleyan.edu>
Distribution: world
Organization: Philosophy Dept., Wesleyan University
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20In-Reply-To: RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu's message of 28 Aug 92 11:48:24 EDTLines: 74

**If you've already read article <1992Aug28.114825.217@news.wesleyan.edu>
  posted by me {RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu} you can skip this; its an exact
  repost under a different article header (as suggested by some e-mail
  responses to the original posting):****************************************

> In <16238@pitt.UUCP> km@speedy.cs.pitt.edu writes:
> > 
> > Well, I view this as the final straw. As I have indicated before, I
> > have always been worried about the possibility of people taking the
> > net too seriously, of view information here as medical advice and to
> > infer some type of doctor-patient relationship from encounters here.
> > The increasing insistence from others regarding the tone, nature,
> > and content of postings from medical people here has me worried.
> > Gordon posted honest, factual information regarding spina bifida and
> > associated conditions, and is being reamed for it because of
> > "netside manner", whatever that is.
> 
> I think this is a valid, nontrivial concern & this newsgroup ought to be able
> to address it.  I have some ideas;  see below.
> 
> > The possibility of a lawsuit arising from the use of information or
> > advice carried by the net is real, and as mentioned before, I do not
> > carry malpractice insurance. I no longer think posting information
> > here that could be even conceivably be taken as medical advice is a
> > viable proposition.
> 
> Is this concern greater than, similar to, totally unrelated to, (etc.) the
> ways in which it potentially arises in, say, cocktail party conversations? 
> when physicians write popular books?  letters to the editor or op ed pieces in
> local newspapers?  what happens when yr sister-in-law's 2nd cousin phones you
> up & asks you about something you learned in med school? 
> when your date asks you a question about her/his __________ (fill in the blank)? 
> etc., etc., etc.
> 
> How do you usually handle such situations, & would that work in this newsgroup?
> 
> suggestion:  i have offered to donate some of my time to improving this
> newsgroup in whatever ways its members see fit.  the suggestion that seems to
> have generated the most positive response (according to my e-mail) is the
> construction of a(n) FAQ file.  i have checked into this & found that this is a
> non-trivial undertaking (there is even a news.admin group for maintainers of
> FAQ files!).  however i am still willing to do this (at least for, say, the
> next year, after which i wouldn't mind turning over the job to someone else).
> 
> there is already an entry in the news.announce.newusers FAQ file (entry #41 -- maybe
> some folks don't read that far...) that tells new netters *NOT* to post to
> sci.med or *.pets looking for medical or veterinary advice, but to seek out an
> appropriate f-t-f encounter w. the appropriate health care professional. Such a
> statement could be reiterated in a sci.med FAQ file, along with any disclaimers
> the docs in the newsgroup might want to make.
> 
> i think a good sci.med FAQ file could really help solve some of this newsgroup's recent
> difficulties, & (as i said before) i am willing to do the work of creating &
> maintaining such a file (at least initially) ***BUT*** --->
> 
> 	I am ONLY willing to do this if it is actually the consensus
> 	of a fairly substantial # of sci.med participants that this is
> 	something we (collectively) want to have because we think it 
> 	would benefit the group.  I *DON'T* want to put the time into
> 	doing it if the majority of the group doesn't want it, or doesnt
> 	care (or doesn't think i'm a good person to be doing it).
> 
> So i'm calling for a straw poll:  please e-mail me a BRIEF response (something
> like "FAQ-yes, lets try it" or "FAQ-no" or "FAQ-yes, but someone else, not
> you")  I am particularly interested in hearing from: docs on line (i.e., do you
> think this could address ken's concerns); frequent posters; lurkers, etc.,
> i.e., a cross-section of this newsgroup.  I will post results.
> 
> Sorry this is so long.
> 

------------------------
Ruth Ginzberg <rginzberg@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Philosophy Department;Wesleyan University;USA