T_Thom -> Posters seeking medical advice forum for professionals? (May 2, 2008 1:06:00 AM)
I am noticing this is becoming quite frequent on this forum, and wondering if there is a terms of service for RehabEdge restricting this type of activity. Frankly, while I love to educate and help people, it seems this is not the venue for medical or legal advice, and could be harmful.
TexasOrtho -> RE: Posters seeking medical advice forum for professionals? (May 2, 2008 8:07:09 AM)
I agree completely.
PTupdate.com -> RE: Posters seeking medical advice forum for professionals? (May 2, 2008 10:40:59 AM)
I too agree. This is one of the reasons I made my site password protected......both to keep away PT's looking for a freebie, and to prevent patients from accessing treatment routines. Case law still does not have enough strong background to indicate if a website owner/operator is responsible for some schlep that accesses it under false pretense, tries a technique on their spouse, and injures them.
bonez -> RE: Posters seeking medical advice forum for professionals? (May 2, 2008 2:05:57 PM)
It is handy to have email displayed to contact members but I have also had emails directly from patients here wanting diagnosis and treatment recommendations. The difficulty is how do you carefully screen potiential new members and catch the patient but let the professional through. Some sites work on a referral basis but become VERY strictly limited.
jma -> RE: Posters seeking medical advice forum for professionals? (May 3, 2008 11:23:02 AM)
Agree with the above post as well.
David Adamczyk -> RE: Posters seeking medical advice forum for professionals? (May 4, 2008 8:16:53 PM)
I used to immediately delete posts from folks seeking medical advice until I was accused of being insensitive. So I lock them as soon as I spot them. The first paragraph of our Terms of Use spell out that the site is for health professionals only, but I think most don't read the terms or just ignore them:
"RehabEdge provides continuing education offerings, job opportunities and a networking environment specifically for physical therapy professionals and students. The site is intended for use by health care professionals, not consumers.
The information contained in the site should not be construed as medical advice. If you have a medical condition for which you seek information, please first seek the advice of a medical professional. "
I think the best approach would be for members to not respond to the questions and we'll lock the thread as soon as we spot it.