[WikiEN-l] Docs look to Wikipedia for condition info: Manhattan Research

[wjhonson at aol.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com>
To: English Wikipedia <wikien-l at lists.wikimedia.org>
Sent: Tue, 26 May 2009 1:27 pm
Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Docs look to Wikipedia for condition info: 
Manhattan Research

2009/5/26  <WJhonson at aol.com>:
> In a message dated 5/26/2009 10:39:37 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> thomas.dalton at gmail.com writes:
>
> I would  hope the pharmacist that filled the prescription would spot
> something like  that. I'm not sure people second guessing their 
doctors
> will have a net  benefit...>>
> -------------------
> Then shift the "error" to the pharmacy.  It's the same issue.

That's not shifting, that's duplicating, which makes it incredibly 
unlikely.

> Do you really think that *better informed* people are worse off then 
*less
> informed* people?

"A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing."

While I'm not a fan of argumentum ad proverbium (to completely make up
a Latin phrase), that particular proverb is often true and applies in
this case. People that know a little often don't realise how much they
don't know and, thus, make mistakes that wouldn't have been made if
they knew nothing and relied on experts.

> Our entire project has the net goal of increasing freedom of 
information,
> not cordoning some of it off with us as the nannies.

*Encyclopaedic information.* I still don't think accurate dosage
information is within our scope.>>

---------
-------------------------

I'm sure before the FOIA the government thought we really didn't need 
to know a lot of things, that we now know.  The more open information 
is, the less likely it will be misused.  The fewer eyes review 
something, the more likely it will be misunderstood.  If a patient 
isn't well-enough educated to understand dosing, that doesn't mean we 
should not tell them anything.  Rather it means, they might want to 
learn more.  Withholding crucial information is not a very good answer 
to patient's questions.

If dosage information isn't encyclopedic, then why does it appear in 
encyclopedias already ?  Are you claiming that the PDR causes more harm 
than it prevents ?

Will Johnson