For this lesson you are expect to contribute by posting your comment in this blog. The point of discussion is "Medical advice online". It's important that you question any contributions by your classmates. I will be monitoring your particpation.
a) Share some sites that offer medical advice online
b) Describe how these sites are to used and managed.
c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using some of this sites for medical advice.
d) Share some social and ethical issues arising from using such sites and give examples from research where possible.
Some resources
http://www.yourdiagnosis.com/yourdiagnosis/Machealth/flash_new.html
http://www.justanswer.com/sip/Health/General%20Medical?r=ppcga1Rest+of+WorldHealth&JPKW=medical%20advice%20online&JPDC=S&JPST=&JPAD=6422003763&JPAF=txt&JPCD=20100923&JPRC=1&JPOP=Cass_JCLT-RThealth_Normal&gclid=CI-Kw6reqaQCFd_-2Aod5gHO5A
24 comments:
A) Some sites that give fee medical advice online
include sites such as:
www.askthedoctor.com
www.yourdiagnosis.com
www.justaskmedical.com
www.doctorslounge.com
These are just some of the websites that give free medical advice
Medical advice websites:
www.askbobrankin.com
www.solicitoradvice.com
Health.JustAnswer.com
www.mayoclinic.com
www.netdoctor.co.uk/
Tasin have you tried using any of the listed site? How easy is it to use?
I just read an online article title "Online advice:Good medicine or cyber quackery"
With the articleis a statement
"online medical advice advocates say the new technology can empower patients, arming them with knowledge and enabling them to play larger and more informed roles in their own care".
Do you agree with such statements? why
@ Mr. Serem
Most of this websites are straightforward and simple to use. Websites such as askthedoctor.com contain links that direct you to different areas such as either pregnancy, diet and Fitness and also drugs.
Other useful readings
http://www.acpinternist.org/archives/1996/12/cybrquak.htm
Potential of buying drugs online
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160200.php
Dangers of online diagnosis
http://www.romow.com/health-blog/the-dangers-of-online-diagnosis/
i tried to use on, it had too many unrelevant questions ( like will you travel in the next few months) and it is quite long just to get the process started
Some of these sites include a question box in which one has to type in the medical issue that they have and any answers that are common to the question asked would appear.
Whereas in other sites, there are sub-headings (hyperlink) that include different catergories for example Respiratory and this section includes problems with the chest.
answering the article stateed question,
i would agree with it as, then simple injuries or reasons will not provoke you to go to the doctor. the doctor will also have fewer and more serious patients, that do need a doctor.
Mr Serem, just to answer your question from this statement:
"online medical advice advocates say the new technology can empower patients, arming them with knowledge and enabling them to play larger and more informed roles in their own care"
I agree with this statement to a certain extent because it gives patients the independance to control their health and instead of them repeatedly going to the doctor, they are able to hangle their own problems. However, there are certain sicknesses that patients can not deal with themselves. For example, a heart attack. Patients would not have te ability to treat themselves in such situations and thus, they would need external assistance.
Therefore, I believe that the crutial sicknesses would not apply to the statement but maybe the minor problems.
in the site i used, they asked me the country of residence and traveled to recently, does this mean they use the most common disease /illness in specific areas?
If not then why does the country matter...??
@Mr. Serem
I mostly agree with the statement. It is true that patients who previously had to be completely dependent on doctors can now find simple diagnosis on their own. However, the problem still persists in that such technology can only help patients cure the simplest of problems. This kind of information retrieved from technology can hardly be of any use to majority of those people who are on the verge of dying. These kinds of cases still need personalized doctor's attention.
Sajni, can you please elaborate in your answer. Would you say that the statement is absolutly true?
4 Sajni
There are some cases that are associated with countries visited recently for example Somali has never had immunization for past 2 decades so polio cases are a posibility.
Advantages of using online sites for medical advise:
- Gives patience more knowledge of their heath.
- Gives patients the ability to control their health.
- Saves the doctor's time, thus would have more time to attend more crutial matters.
- Patients are able to save money on travelling to the doctors and in developing countries, it saves them money from seeing a doctor for minor issues.
Disadvantages:
- Not everyone is able to access the internet.
- Some sites may share the wrong information which could lead the patient to cause more harm.
- Not all sicknesses are included online, thus it may not apply for some patients.
- For things like scans and major emergencies, patients can not use the internet for help, thus they have to travel to the hospital.
@ Mr. Serem's question..
I agree to some extent as well. Medical websites have educated people greatly. they have provided us with different illnesses and their symptoms and different kinds of information about our health.
People can help themselves to minor problems without having to visit the doctor every now and then. It also saves cost and time.
However with more serious illnesses and problems and also before taking any drugs it is always important to consult with your doctor.
@ immi
i meant that petty issues or questions would no longer be a reason to travel all the way to a doctor, only serius ones such as heart attacks or muscle injuries or something like that. therefore the doctor will mostly have serius issues as opposed to just headaches for example. giving these patients more time with the doctor
Advantages:
1.Patients are more independent and do not have to bother doctors over petty problems
2.In cases where the patients cannot reach the hospital either because of distance, emergency or a certain disability, they are in a position to be able to take care of themselves
Disadvantages:
1.Patients seeking advice are not experts in the medical field and hence can easily misinterpret information and give themselves the wrong kind of diagnosis.
2.This advice is of no use if physical interaction with a human specialist is required for example a physiotherapist.
@ tasin
However looking up symptoms in the internet and diagnosing your self against the prescription mentioned can not be reliable due to:
Too many illnesses, symptoms maybe similar and thus wrong diagnostics/medication can easily be taken.
Copy the link below and read some benefits of online medical diagnosis
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/diagnosis/online.htm
Pitfalls of Online Medical Diagnosis
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/diagnosis/pitfalls-online-diagnosis.htm
I was just reading the article Mr Serem posted about the pitfalls of online diagnosis and I cam across the possibility of having a discssion ising chat room with the doctor.
Would this method be mre effective than asking qustions online and not receaving a quick response?
And aren't there many issues that arise when using live chat to speak to a doctor?
What do you guys think?
Social and Ethical Issues
A major issue would that it tackles equality of access where some regions are not able to receive some treatment, are now able to receive this via the internet, but then again internet is not available to all.
Social and Ethical Issues:
Reliability:
The websites are not human and hence can misinterpret the problem giving the wrong kind of diagnosis. This can prove to be dangerous as they are not very reliable. And as saj said before 'looking up symptoms in the internet and diagnosing your self against the prescription mentioned can not be reliable due to:
Too many illnesses, symptoms maybe similar and thus wrong diagnostics/medication can easily be taken'. This makes the online medical advice method rather unreliable
Authenticity:
How sure can one be that a websit is authentic. It can be a fraud that is being handled by some impostor. And since the patient does not know much about medicine, he or she can be tricked into receiving harmful treatment.
Oh yeaa... and I forgot equality of access, its there like in every situation.
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