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

[Fred Bauder]

> 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
>

Whatever our policy, it should take into account what doctors, nurses,
and people who are using medicine WILL make of Wikipedia. As we become
more reliable and comprehensive, more use will be made of Wikipedia,
especially by doctors. Our ultimate aim should be to be more accurate and
more up to date than any other source doctors have access to. It is
editing by doctors, and other health professionals that will have to
overcome any deficiencies. Some way of controlling clickby vandalize is
needed.

Fred