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Medical advice guidelines

Because most reference desk editors are not qualified medical doctors, and because it is not possible to conduct examinations of users with medical problems, there is no way for the Misplaced Pages Reference Desk to give accurate advice on specific medical conditions. The Reference Desk is not an advice page, and moreover there is the real possibility of doing harm to readers by advising them on medical issues—either because the advice is dangerous or because it discourages them from seeing a medical professional. Therefore medical advice must not be given by question-answerers, and should not be requested. We can, of course, answer general factual questions about medicine and medical conditions, taking special care to base our answers on reliable sources because of the health and safety implications. Since issues regarding the definition of and appropriate way to handle medical advice arise so frequently, some specific guidelines for this issue have been agreed upon.

What constitutes medical advice?

Any posted comment containing a diagnosis, a prognosis based on that diagnosis, or a suggested form of treatment or cure, in response to symptoms presented in a question, is considered medical advice.

• A diagnosis is the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its symptoms . An example of a diagnosis: X says "I'm having memory problems". Y responds "You have Alzheimer's disease".
• A prognosis is the prediction of how a patient's disease will progress, and whether there is chance of recovery . For example, Y says "by age 50, you will lose your memory".
• A treatment is any type or form of medication (Conventional or Alternative) intended to alleviate the presented symptoms or cure the disease as diagnosed. For example, Y says "try chocolate cake; it works like magic with Alzheimer's".

This guideline describes types of medical advice that are considered inappropriate to offer on Misplaced Pages as derived by the consensus of Misplaced Pages volunteers. Be aware that this guideline is not intended to define what constitutes the 'practice of medicine' for legal or professional purposes, nor should any part of this guideline be interpreted as supplanting or superceding the regulations of any government agency or professional body.

Dealing with questioners asking for medical advice

1. Verify that the question asks for medical advice as detailed above. Typically a poster will ask about one or more symptoms, and solicit an opinion about diagnosis (What is this?), prognosis (Should I be worried about this?), or courses of action (What should I do about this?). The symptoms will be those of the poster, or ascribed to a friend or relative.
2. Politely explain to the poster that we cannot offer medical advice. This may be accomplished using a suitable template, or a personalized message. Encourage the poster to direct their medical questions to their physician, pharmacist, parents, or guardian.
3. Where appropriate, offer links to suitable resources. This may include internal wikilinks or external websites. Be extremely careful not to offer a diagnosis in this way. If the poster has identified their place of residence, contact information for local health professionals or hotlines may be provided.

• Note that questions may be about a medical topic ('What is sleep apnea?', for example) without necessarily seeking medical advice, and this is acceptable.

Dealing with responders giving medical advice

1. Verify carefully in each and every instance that medical advice was delivered. There's no need to give the impression of hassling someone. (Responders, meanwhile, are encouraged to be very careful in handling medical questions if they've been cautioned about giving medical advice more than once.)
2. Politely remind the responder that we cannot offer medical advice on Misplaced Pages.
3. Remove the medical advice.
4. Provide on the reference desk's talk page (or in another appropriate venue) the specific medical advice which was offered.
5. Seek the intervention of an administrator if the problem persists.

When in doubt

• If a question arises as to whether or not medical advice was sought or given, any party (poster, responder, or third party) may post the material in question on the talk page for review and discussion.
• If the consensus is that the given response constitutes medical advice, the response in question will be removed immediately. During this process, responders are strongly encouraged to suggest ways to rephrase answers (their own or others') to present useful information without offering a diagnosis or other medical advice.

External links

• Katy Ellen Deady. "Cyberadvice: The ethical implications of giving professional advice over the Internet" The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, Spring 2001.