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

[Jussi-Ville Heiskanen]

Thomas Dalton wrote:
> 2009/5/26  <WJhonson at aol.com>:
>   
>> Actually I think providing dosage information would *avoid* much more harm
>> than it would cause.
>> Most people use books on drugs to check up on their prescriptions and
>> educate themselves.
>> If the doctors mistakenly prescribed 200mg tablets when the standard dosage
>>  is 20mg, then I'm sure you'd want the person to be able to know that.
>>     
>
> 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...
>
>   

Actually my life experience using wikipedia for self medication
does not bear that out. There have been situtations where I was
in dire straits, and without a doctor within easy reach, where
simply consulting wikipedia provided me with the necessary
information of which medicines I had been prescribed for
completely different ailments, was a multipurpose drug
workable in the situation I found myself.
and that is a fact. I am sure there
are phone-line services I could
have consulted, but wikipedia
worked ok.


Yours,

Jussi-Ville Heiskanen