New Forum Idea: Health

wild_eyed

i see a fitness thread but a health thread i feel is needed, espically now cause i have a cold and want to know some common remedies etc....

ecksor

We're not very comfortable with the idea of people receiving medical advice on boards. If a person isn't qualified then ... well, they're not qualified and unqualified health advice could have nasty consequences. If a person is qualified, then they're not going to give you advice on the basis that they can't examine you.

So, putting that aside, what else could this forum do?

BoB_BoT

hummm.... plenty of bed rest and drink lots of fluids

humm a health forum would be interesting as most health related questions seem to either be in after hours or personal issues

perhaps the forum can address issues like healthy living (although that could be covered in fitness) healthy skin and non-perscribed treatments i.e. "x-brand soap clears up my skin pretty well" etc....

Issues like i've got a cut on my wrist, it doesn't seem to bad, anyone got some cheap non doctor related remedies? - should be replyed to only with the "go to doctor" card

A strict charter would have to be enforced

ecksor

Actually, that reads a bit ambiguously. There are no medical forums on boards.ie and never will be. So, unless you had something different in mind?

wild_eyed

i dont wnat to be appear to be selling the idea, but i suppose it could be twinned with the fitness section , cause the 2 usually come together, health & fitness. im sure like most frequented boards it will be visited by people interested in healthy eating and home remedies for colds and flu, but i take ur point about people receiving medical advice on boards, thats a no, no, but mods usually take care of that. i posted about my cold in after hours lol.

Amz

I'm inclined to agree that a health board wouldn't really be a great idea. What comeback would someone have if they followed advice given on the board and it caused them serious medical harm? There's no way of ensuring that the people giving the advice have a bull's notion of what they're talking about.

wild_eyed

i wont argue, thats a good reason not to have one, but people still post their small health concerns, but i suppose without having a 'special' place to post it removes any, cause for concern.

koneko

Legal minefield. Baaad idea. Some people really talk out of their arse and you could end up doing serious damage based on someone's "good advice".

Also, what works for one person might be really bad for another.

Beruthiel

bad idea
if there's something wrong with your health, you should be going to a doctor

Exit

It could possibly work, if you had a qualified GP as a mod. Better yet, you could have a forum called Ask the Doctor. I know Newstalk 106 and presumably others have a spot where you send in a text or an e-mail and ask a question and the resident GP answers them. Nothing too serious. If it's something that the GP can't give advice about (without being able to see the patient's rash for example) he'll say you should go see a doctor. As I said, if there's a boards member who is a GP, it could work. They wouldn't have to be here 24 hours a day, just check the messages every day or something. And also, it should be like the Admin forum where only 'The Doctor' can reply, therefore there's no crap medical advice given.

I'm neither for or against the forum, I'm just giving an idea that could possibly work. Feel free to shoot holes in it, because I haven't really thought it through.

Gordon

Where's the ubiquitous "this forum will have to be heavily moderated" that we always get when someone requests a new board?

ecksor

I'll have to post about that in PI sometime.

"My girlfriend and I frequently engage in heavy moderation and we're contemplating taking the next step towards a full ban ..."

phreak

Originally posted by ecksor
I'll have to post about that in PI sometime.

"My girlfriend and I frequently engage in heavy moderation and we're contemplating taking the next step towards a full ban ..."

DeVore is your girlfriend?!

amp

I'd be in favour of such a forum. This how it could work:

A user posts about the spots on their willy. A php script then replies to it saying "See a doctor" along with the Gathering card and the thread is then automatically locked.

Hours of endless fun, no?

Beruthiel

Originally posted by ecksor
I'll have to post about that in PI sometime.

"My girlfriend and I frequently engage in heavy moderation and we're contemplating taking the next step towards a full ban ..."

I may have to go pre-emptive on your ass