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NO MEDICAL ADVICE IS GIVEN ON THIS FORUM- update 29/5/11

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    #32
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    no hassle man.


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    #33
    DrIndy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,461 ✭✭✭DrIndy


    once they get as abusive as that and contribute nada to the forum at any stage in their boards career - they get banned for a month.

    next one is permanent.


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    #34
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    in the last 24 hours we've locked 4 threads looking for medical advice, and deleted one similar post from the swine flu thread.

    *sigh*

    what can we do to get the message across???


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    #35
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    OK, in reply to my own post (:p), i've changed the title of this sticky and put it in capitals.

    hope springs eternal...


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    #36
    anotherlostie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,722 ✭✭✭anotherlostie


    Up until this blip, I really thought the change in forum name had worked in significantly reducing the amount of people looking for medical advice. Perhaps once people see one (unlocked) thread looking for advice, they jump in with another? Could you delete the threads altogether?


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    #37
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    maybe thats an option.

    i had thought that seeing locked threads with our standard response would be a deterrent, but it clearly isn't.


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    #38
    2Scoops
    Registered Users Posts: 1,845 ✭✭✭2Scoops


    I have a bad headache from reading endless posts from people who don't read this sticky. Should I take vicodin or demerol for this??


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    #39
    Vorsprung
    Registered Users Posts: 2,814 ✭✭✭Vorsprung


    Would a requests section (like soccer) be overkill? It would make people read the sticky before hand


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    #40
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    I've often had the debate (in my head) about locking Vs deleting medical advice posts.

    I used to lock them in the hope that people would see other locked threads and realise they can't ask medical advice.

    But that doesn't work. Or does it? Maye it does cut down a lot of those types of posts.

    Possibly the best way to do it is to start deleting medical advice posts. It would allow a crude comparison. Science in action :D Plus, I've long suspected people are PMing others who've asked for medical advice to give them the benefit of their wisdom. This is probably one of the most dangerous things that can happen. We all know that if those threads were left open, a lot of medically unqualified people would be happy offer advice.


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    #41
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    Vorsprung wrote: »
    Would a requests section (like soccer) be overkill? It would make people read the sticky before hand

    whats that? i never ever venture near soccer forum, so i dont know how they operate


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    #42
    Vorsprung
    Registered Users Posts: 2,814 ✭✭✭Vorsprung


    sam34 wrote: »
    whats that? i never ever venture near soccer forum, so i dont know how they operate

    It's a subforum of soccer where you post something along the lines of "i agree to abide by the rules of the soccer forum" and the request is granted/denied. Basically it came about because there was a lof of flaming going on and it became a lot of work for the mods to say "haven't you read the charter" each time. So now instead of the few warnings they got before, bannings come sooner.

    It might be overkill because most of the people here looking for medical advice only post here once.


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    #43
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    I think it would create more work for the mods too.

    It's also a dumb idea in soccer, in my opinion.

    It stops people like me (probably for the best) posting because you can't be arsed signing some kind of good behavior contract like a kid to use a forum.
    Plus the punishments are the same when you break the rules.

    The thinking behind it is that it makes people read the charter. But, as someone who has only ever read the biomed charter (and that was only about a year after I'd become a mod) it wouldn't make me read a charter.

    My humble opinion is that, while it's a fair enough suggestion, it would be detrimental to the forum.

    Maybe at some point resurrect the feedback thread in here, and see what the users reckon is acceptable? Most of them are probably not reading this thread.


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    #44
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    i dont really want to go banning people, im happy to close the thread and leave it at that.
    but i'd much rather the thread wasnt started in the first place.


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    #45
    DrIndy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,461 ✭✭✭DrIndy


    Deleting may be the better option - particularily if the question and responses are dubious at best or condoning an illegal activity like online pharmacies. This is because although the thread is locked, it is still visible and can be found by googling.

    As we can soft delete, if we need to restore it down the line, it can easily be done.


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    #46
    r3nu4l
    Registered Users Posts: 17,399 ✭✭✭✭r3nu4l


    DrIndy wrote: »
    Deleting may be the better option - particularily if the question and responses are dubious at best or condoning an illegal activity like online pharmacies. This is because although the thread is locked, it is still visible and can be found by googling.

    As we can soft delete, if we need to restore it down the line, it can easily be done.

    I totally agree with this, deleting is the best option. There was a thread locked but not deleted yesterday regarding online pharmacies. Leaving it visible allows people to view it and then send PMs to the OP with the information the OP was looking for, totally negating the intention of locking the thread.


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    #47
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    r3nu4l wrote: »
    I totally agree with this, deleting is the best option. There was a thread locked but not deleted yesterday regarding online pharmacies. Leaving it visible allows people to view it and then send PMs to the OP with the information the OP was looking for, totally negating the intention of locking the thread.

    I'm almost certain that happens way more than we realise.


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    #48
    DrIndy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,461 ✭✭✭DrIndy


    I've cleaned up the front page a bit.

    A compromise policy is that an overt medical advice question or seeking online pharmaceuticals should be deleted.

    If a conversation strays into this territory - delete or edit the posts and lock the conversation but don't delete. This preserves the previous dialogue which was on track and not providing potentially harmful info.


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    #49
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    The thing is that some good threads might stray into medical advice territory. For example, as the new vaccine gets rolled out next week, the swine flu vaccine thread will start attracting people who want t ask advice. I don't tink that should mean the thread is closed. IMO it's more appropriate just to delete the single posts in the thread.


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    #50
    enda1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,166 ✭✭✭enda1


    I saw mentioned above that we are not allowed recommend doctors or clinics etc. Is this true?

    Surely one of the best ways to improve the medical professions standards is through consumer enlightenment!

    It is very difficult to find out any information on good GPs in an area or "the best orthopaedic surgeon dealing with sports injuries" or the like. I mean many people will know the answers to these questions but for someone who has moved house or country it would be nice to be able to find out this kind of information without having to learn the hard way!


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    #51
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    enda1 wrote: »
    I saw mentioned above that we are not allowed recommend doctors or clinics etc. Is this true?

    Surely one of the best ways to improve the medical professions standards is through consumer enlightenment!

    It is very difficult to find out any information on good GPs in an area or "the best orthopaedic surgeon dealing with sports injuries" or the like. I mean many people will know the answers to these questions but for someone who has moved house or country it would be nice to be able to find out this kind of information without having to learn the hard way!

    What about the parent a few weeks ago who (as has happened many times) went flipper because I wouldn't give her kid an antibiotic for his viral infection. She will have gone to her GP and gotten an antibiotic.

    Give her a platform for giving her opinion and she will tell you Dr. Tallaght01 is crap and Dr. augmenticillin is great.

    It's just not reliable enough.


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    #52
    enda1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,166 ✭✭✭enda1


    tallaght01 wrote: »
    What about the parent a few weeks ago who (as has happened many times) went flipper because I wouldn't give her kid an antibiotic for his viral infection. She will have gone to her GP and gotten an antibiotic.

    Give her a platform for giving her opinion and she will tell you Dr. Tallaght01 is crap and Dr. augmenticillin is great.

    It's just not reliable enough.

    But some information is better than no information.
    If the information is bad then it can be refuted by others. Time will allow the information to become better and better.


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    #53
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    enda1 wrote: »
    But some information is better than no information.
    .

    That's just not true. Half a picture is the worst premise on which to base your healthcare decisions.

    And why should a doctor in the west of Ireland with a predominantly elderly population have to wait for someone to defend him n boards when someone complains about him.

    There are established channels for complaints.

    The bio+med forum was never meant for people discussing their own health issues. It's about people discussing general health science issues.


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    #54
    enda1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,166 ✭✭✭enda1


    tallaght01 wrote: »
    That's just not true. Half a picture is the worst premise on which to base your healthcare decisions.

    And why should a doctor in the west of Ireland with a predominantly elderly population have to wait for someone to defend him n boards when someone complains about him.

    There are established channels for complaints.

    The bio+med forum was never meant for people discussing their own health issues. It's about people discussing general health science issues.

    That's a fair reason.

    But regarding information, healthcare should not have this aura about it of importance. The same general rules apply to it of consumerism. Yes this doctor in the west treating elderly patients might not get backed up, but then (s)he will not lose patients either because their patients are not on this forum --> likewise for a doctor treating young urbanite patients, any negative comments will have a chance to be refuted by other users who are more likely to have encountered this doctor.

    You would not be "basing" your healthcare decisions on what is read here, it would just be used as one more source of information. The more information the better!

    But as you say if this is more supposed to be for general health science issues than fair enough this type of topic probably doesn't fit here.


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    #55
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    enda1 wrote: »
    That's a fair reason.

    But regarding information, healthcare should not have this aura about it of importance.
    Just out of curiosity, why do you think "importance" is an issue here?

    Would be really good to get an answer on that
    enda1 wrote: »
    The same general rules apply to it of consumerism. Yes this doctor in the west treating elderly patients might not get backed up, but then (s)he will not lose patients either because their patients are not on this forum.

    Presumably people would be asking an opinion because they're thinking about going to this doctor!!!!

    It's up to the mods of the forum, though, at the end of the day.


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    #56
    tallaght01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    These random claims of blood all over an examination table in the excellent wellwoman clinic is a perfect example.

    How do you know there's any truth to it:

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055721638

    But it could very easily put people off that clinic.


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    #57
    Tree
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,679 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tree


    @enda1 consumer issues dont belong in science forums (blame my bias as a science lover and hater of business types stuff)

    Regarding closure of threads vs. deletion, +1 for deletion of indivual posts w/i a decent thread, and entire thread for fresh threads looking for info from first post.


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    #58
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    OK, charter update.

    there is a zero tolerance policy on medical advice here, irrespective of how innocuous or general it seems.

    all such threads will be locked. there will be no comments made/advice given re peoples personal health/medical situations.

    however, that has been policy for some time and we still get the advice threads.

    so, we have decided to infract posters seeking medical advice from here on in. (obviously, if any poster gives medical advice prior to a thread getting locked, they too will be infracted).

    there is no point PMing us afterwards saying "ah come on i wasnt looking for advice as such..." - zero tolerance is zero tolerance.

    the reasons for this have already been explained in this thread and in the charter.

    no further warnings.


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    #59
    Vorsprung
    Registered Users Posts: 2,814 ✭✭✭Vorsprung


    A reminder to all posters on this forum:

    We do not offer medical advice, nor do we allow comment/discussion of people's personal medical situations. If you start threads that include such queries, they will be closed.

    There are no exceptions, and a mod's decision is final.


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    #60
    RobFowl
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 11,667 Mod ✭✭✭✭RobFowl


    Vorsprung wrote: »
    A reminder to all posters on this forum:

    We do not offer medical advice, nor do we allow comment/discussion of people's personal medical situations. If you start threads that include such queries, they will be closed.

    There are no exceptions, and a mod's decision is final.

    Can I just remind everyone of this.
    A lot of requests for medical advice recently almost all with the comment "I'm not looking for medical advice".
    That cuts no ice I'm afraid....


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