The coalition's guidelines, meant for all health sites worldwide, cover those doctors, as well as nurses, pharmacists, therapists and any other professional who provides advice or care online. The coalition includes representatives from various industry, academic and advocacy groups, such as Web site Medscape, drug manufacturer Glaxo Wellcome PLC and the University of Colorado. It plans to help sites apply them over the next several months. Thousands of Web sites currently offer health-related services, and many allow health professionals to practice medicine online. Some doctors and therapists have also set up their own Web sites to handle patient queries.
Critics say doctors and therapists sometimes push ethical boundaries online.
They say missed clues from facial expressions could lead to improper diagnoses. We are not trained to diagnose or treat people using paragraphs or one-line wording,'' said Marlene Maheu, director of telehealth training at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego. Copyright 2000 Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.