Area 51 » Professional

followers

Follow It!

Announcements

My one concern is that the field of medicine is so broad and so specialized that there could easily be a dozen "Medicine Exchange" sites. We run the risk of having a site a mile wide and an inch deep. Would it be better to narrow the focus initially with the idea of broadening it out later on as the site develops? – moioci Jun 9 '10 at 16:30

I'm an MD of 30 years. This site could be very successful, but recruiting sufficient participation by doctors although not absolutely essential, would be helpful. Medpedia medpedia.com has had some success in this regard. Best wishes! – DonnyD Jun 19 '10 at 23:37

This site needs a HUGE disclaimer at the top of every page to the effect that no internet Q&A site community, no matter how brilliant, can take the place of an actual physician/practitioner. People are responsible for exercising common sense in their own healthcare. StackExchange and individial site participants will have no liability for bad medical advice, etc. – moioci Jul 1 '10 at 14:21

show 4 more announcements

This proposal is now in the Commitment phase — example questions are locked!

49 Example Questions (7 closed)

active oldest votes

up vote 23 down vote

added by Robert Harvey Jun 5 '10 at 2:09

up vote 19 down vote

added by Robert Harvey Jun 5 '10 at 2:10

up vote 19 down vote

added by Robert Harvey Jun 5 '10 at 2:12

up vote 15 down vote

added by Mike Richardson Jun 22 '10 at 20:04

A variation would be what is the minimum pre-test probability of disease before you would want to consider {diagnostic test} (e.g. coronary angiography, cardiac stress test). – DonnyD Jun 22 '10 at 21:21

up vote 14 down vote

added by Robert Harvey, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 11 '11 at 9:51

	this can be found in textbooks, period. – bubu Jul 11 '10 at 9:49
	@bub: Not quite. Sodium Bicarbonate was given to heart attack patients for years, on the theory that it reduces lactic acid damage. But recent research suggests that it does more harm than good. – Robert Harvey Jul 18 '10 at 16:23

up vote 12 down vote

added by luvieere Jun 8 '10 at 12:19

up vote 11 down vote

added by Jaydles Jun 7 '10 at 12:33

@DonnyD, I'm not sure I follow - do you think it's too "commonly known / findable fact" or "too obscure"? (The context is that the procedure is generally only known to be effective on kids, but there isn't much data on whether it would work in adults. I think.) – Jaydles Jun 20 '10 at 22:36

Sorry if it sounded harsh. Rarely done, perhaps? I would like the question to address indication in some way. For example: "What are the pros and cons of complete vs. partial tonsillectomy for sleep apnea?" or "Why are partial tonsillectomies done?" or "Are there conditions for which partial tonsillectomies have been shown to be superior." – DonnyD Jun 21 '10 at 3:56

up vote 11 down vote

added by DonnyD, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 11 '11 at 9:25

would be better if it was from MD/student point of view. But not totally wrong in the meaning. Let say "good medical resources on the specific problem" w/o the patient part. – Bakaburg1 Sep 26 '11 at 12:59

up vote 10 down vote

added by DonnyD Jun 19 '10 at 22:25

up vote 10 down vote

added by Mike Richardson Jun 22 '10 at 23:31

of even greater utility would be a general mechanism for obtaining such information if any existed – DonnyD Jun 23 '10 at 0:36

I think the whole point of this site is that it's for questions whose answers are not simply "Googlable", but can be answered by those in the know. If it exists, often a general solution will emerge in response to a more specific question. The point here is that this question exemplifies a genre of arguably worthwhile questions for such a site. – moioci Jul 1 '10 at 14:08

I dunno. This question seems too "Google-able" to me. I wouldn't call it a great off topic example, but I do not think it's a good example. – Stephen Oct 14 '10 at 13:15

I also don't think this is a good example. We should try to discuss about medicine, no about where and how to get medical treatment IMHO. – Pascal Nov 4 '10 at 15:01

TOO LOCALIZED. – Matthew Read Aug 9 '11 at 2:31

up vote 7 down vote

added by Jaime Soto Dec 30 '10 at 4:17

up vote 4 down vote

added by Russell Steen Jan 27 '11 at 17:59

up vote 4 down vote

added by Ming-Chih Kao Jul 17 '11 at 23:38

a practice of medicine question for practitioners. – Ming-Chih Kao Nov 11 '11 at 16:22

up vote 3 down vote

added by moioci, edited by Jaydles Jun 9 '10 at 20:06

up vote 2 down vote

added by SandraFace Oct 15 '10 at 12:10

This is a question focused on rehabilitation. I was really wondering whether this site could be expanded to include the Health Sciences (e.g. physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc). – SandraFace Oct 15 '10 at 12:15

I'd argue that the therapy disciplines (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, neuropsychology, etc) should be represented in this SE site either directly or via the physical medicine & rehab medical specialty. – Ming-Chih Kao Nov 9 '11 at 4:31

up vote 2 down vote

added by stormscape Mar 3 '11 at 15:02

up vote 2 down vote

added by Bakaburg1 Sep 25 '11 at 0:34

up vote 1 down vote

added by Chrisbloom7 Aug 19 '10 at 16:48

closed as off topic by Pascal, Prasanth, Tim N, Jez, Ming-Chih Kao Jul 17 '11 at 23:34

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote 1 down vote

added by msh210 Dec 28 '10 at 5:40

Too localized, too subjective, etc. Any doctor doing this will already have a lab or the resources to find a lab that is satisfactory. If one lab doesn't do the job right they should be shut down. An exception might be made for a doctor in a third world country with little support trying desperately to find a lab for an obscure test ... but not in the general case. – Matthew Read Aug 9 '11 at 3:08

@MatthewRead: Too subjective, and any doctor may already know this, maybe. But just to give you an example, there are very few labs in the United States that do human platelet antigen typing: the BloodCenter of Wisconsin has one, and I personally don't know of another (though I don't doubt more exist). – msh210 Aug 15 '11 at 18:05

up vote 1 down vote

added by stormscape Mar 8 '11 at 16:36

Not a good question. If there was, a quick Google would tell you. This is not useful for a discussion between medical experts or those studying to become such. – Matthew Read Aug 9 '11 at 2:53

up vote 1 down vote

added by Jez May 30 '11 at 10:34

up vote 1 down vote

added by Masi Sep 25 '11 at 15:47

up vote 0 down vote

added by DonnyD, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 11 '11 at 9:40

closed as off topic by Lord Torgamus, Adam Goode, JohnFx, John, Charles Stewart Sep 30 '10 at 12:11

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

this is the type of question that worries me most; there may be medicolegal liability for anyone that answers a specific "medical-advice-type" question. It may just be Roseola, a benign condition. ...but, who knows? – DonnyD Jun 19 '10 at 23:22

Exactly. But these topics would be the ones asked here the most. – Doctor No Oct 3 '10 at 7:57

up vote 0 down vote

added by Binoj Antony Jun 22 '10 at 10:59

closed as off topic by DonnyD, Lord Torgamus, JohnFx, John, Doctor No Oct 3 '10 at 7:58

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote 0 down vote

added by Binoj Antony Jun 22 '10 at 11:00

closed as off topic by moioci, Stephen, Edgar, glenneroo, rmx Jan 25 '11 at 21:04

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

	this is readily searchable on manufacturer's sites, at your local pharmacy, and often on wikipedia. – moioci Jul 1 '10 at 14:15
	Wikipedia, and manufacturer's sites, yes. There are always side effects, but also poorly presented. a 1:1,000,000 side effect is presented right along side a 1:1000 side effect. This could be a good forum to do better: See: ted.com/talks/… – Glenn Feb 6 '11 at 1:16

up vote 0 down vote

added by rmx Mar 31 '11 at 14:52

The question is very broad. Social, genetical, behavioral, ..., effects? - Question should be more exact. Otherwise, it leads to very narrow conversation. – Masi Sep 25 '11 at 16:02