Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Clinical medicine/Template for medical conditions

message: Here are some comments on the proposed template for medical conditions as of 5th April 2006.
*I assume these are guidelines for those writing new articles or where a substantial edit is already required. In other words, that we are not proposing that existing non-stub articles are transformed to this format merely to fit the template. To what extent do you wish this to become "policy"? It would be very helpful to give some examples of articles that follow this template. Surely this template has to be shown to be useful in forming some good quality articles before anyone can give a justified opinion of whether it should be policy (or even a recommendation). In other words, we need some practical evidence rather than guesswork.
*Use of the word patient. Please don't. Unless you are writing about the doctor-patient relationship or the health service, then this word is not appropriate and indicates the editor's point-of-view. Wikipedia is not a medical encyclopaedia for doctors and some articles clearly read as though they were written by doctors for doctors.
*Saying headers are mandatory. This sounds too much like a rule. Better to say "There are some basic headings that are essential to any medical condition article – these are indicated with a *". I think most folk here would regard References as essential.
*The template advises not using other top-level headings or a different order. I don't think we can or should be so restrictive. Encouraging folk to write content is more important than worrying about these things. This template can be a useful framework to help an editor, but shouldn't be a straightjacket.
*Can you expand on the Disease associations heading? 
*Pathophysiology. What does that word mean to the lay person? This is not a section I've seen in many articles and might be covered adequately within other sections. Can someone suggest a different word or section to cover this topic?
*Treatment. The word "follow-up" implies a point-of-view.
*Management. This section might be more appropriate than Treatment as a top-level section for a chronic or non-curable condition. It might include Treatment as a sub heading but would also include many other things (e.g. scans, tests, equipment, palliative care).
*Cause. (i.e. Etiology). This section is missing.
*Social Impact. Need a section like this, though obviously not for all articles. Not sure if those are the best words – suggestions?. Many conditions have a section discussing the impact on the person in society, legal issues, stigma, public heath concerns, etc. IMO, the Epidemiology section has a more limited remit than currently indicated.
*Prevention. It would almost certainly be a bad idea to include this section heading in a genetic or congenital disease (regardless of your own personal view on this issue) unless there was an antenatal treatment or preventative measure (e.g. folic acid) that didn't involve termination. Consider a different heading (e.g. Prenatal screening) and be careful how you word it.
Colin°Talk 15:53, 5 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm also largely in agreement with the above points, and I've edited the project page to attempt to reflect the feedback. However, I'd recommend to future editors that as you have feedback, that you directly edit the project page to reflect your priorities, so things don't get lost in translation. --Arcadian 18:45, 24 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Comments

message: I've removed this section and the text:
:List the self-help or official organisations relevant, include external links where possible.
I don't think that was what was originally meant – I think it was associated diseases. Perhaps I'm wrong. I've updated the External links section with guidance on this area. Discuss here. Colin°Talk 12:39, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Disease associations

message: This article was a forerunner to Wikipedia:Manual of Style (medicine-related articles), and it's content is included in that style document. The article is now redirected to the 'live' article. L∴V 10:25, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Article merged