Question to members about contributions from Professionals

[catherinecherub]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

Some people do weekend courses and then title themselves. You can be anything you want to be on the internet. Counselling is an example as it is unregulated at the moment and hopefully will be regulated later this year or early next year. This is not really fair to the people who have done the accredited courses.

If we go to see a professional then we are able to ask for their professional qualifications. Anyone heard of cowboy builders. :lol: :lol:
We have had people on this site who reckon they can cure Type 1 diabetes!!!!!!!

 

[Ka-Mon]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

Personally I think it's a bad idea because as Admin stated there is no way that the forum can confirm a persons claim of being a professional HCP.

"Trust me, I am a Doctor" is a well known joke but let's not open the door to those whose only intentions are to promote their own interests to turn this forum in to a joke.

 

[bowell]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

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[diadeb]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

This is a tricky question. The fact that someone states that they are a HCP cannot be verified.
All nurses are bound by their respective Codes of Conduct and so if they are advising someone this may be seen as "professional advice" which can lead to consequences.
Also we have all had actual professional advice which turned out later to be inneffectual.
I am a retired senior nursing sister, with a Diploma and BA (Hons) degree but I have learned so much more information from sites like these by the supportive posts from people who actually have diabetes than ever I did during my nursing career.

 

[Administrator]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

I suppose that's what we want - people with diabetes actually influencing those who are professionals!

 

[catherinecherub]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

The people who need influencing about diabetes don't post here.

 

[ally5555]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

I think you could check someones professional qualifications .

HCP are putting themselves at risk in some ways posting and yes we can learn from each other - that is the way newly qualified professionals gain experience ( under supervision).

But the important thing is respect for each other.

 

[sugarless sue]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

With an increasing number of HCPs, podiatrists, doctors, specialists and other professionals using the site, we were considering changing one of the forum rules to allow such professionals to use the site - and where normally they'd break the rules if they did offer advice, instead we would leave it as long as in the user's signature, there is a message saying:

I am a Podiatrist/Doctor/Foot Specialist, etc.
You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a [POSITION], so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow Diabetes.co.uk's Forum Ethos and Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as medical advice.

That way, members can have discussions with assumed professionals. The problem we see is that we have no way of checking (anyone can forge a certificate these days!), so would want it to be clear in the signature that there word shouldn't be taken for granted.

What do forum members think? Please leave a comment or vote above!

It'd be great if you could leave a reason for your vote (especially if you think it's a bad idea).

I do not think this is a good idea ! Over the years I have seen many people purporting to be some sort of medical professional try and post here. Many are foreign nationals who usually have a book or blog to promote.

We already have some excellent HCP's who are also Diabetics and post regularly on this Forum. Their advice is sound and respected. Why not give them the Kudos ?

Newly diagnosed members are confused enough when they come here but reading posts that may contain guidelines and numbers from other countries will only confuse them even more especially if that person states they are a Doctor. Like it or not the word 'doctor' in a signature carries more weight as to what has been written.

Many of us have had bad advice from HCP's. Will these HCP's posting give out the same 'bad' advice and expect us not to question it ?

As Wiflib stated, in the UK you could check someone's credentials, on line, from their registration organisation. As this is a UK site then any type of medical advice should at least be UK based and preferably from a Diabetic's point of view.

 

[Administrator]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

So, is the consensus: if we can validate their HCP ID/number, then they can put their qualifications in their signature?

 

[donnellysdogs]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

There are many people that don't log on during the day time, every day...couldn't we give it a bit longer to run?

 

[Gappy]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

We even get people (mentioning no Gillian McKeith) who use the title Doctor but are rumoured not to have the qualifications, I don't think it's possible for the site to guarantee the validity or otherwise of peoples claims, nor should it have to. The claim of a certan status in the signature does add a credibility to posts that the person may not deserve. The cliche is "trust me I'm a doctor" without giving an explanation I still like advice with supporting evidence not just blindly obey as I have a piece of paper on a wall somewhere.

So I'm against.

 

[catherinecherub]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

Good point Gappy,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/fe ... sting.food

I think the question was raised before on the forum when people were singing the praises of someone and it was discovered that their credentials were dubious.

This is more of a minefield than some people realise.

 

[ally5555]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

Catherine - The British Dietetic Association had a lot to do with that - she was called dietitian in the media many times and clearly she was not!

It can get even more complicated - nutrition is an area that many medics dabble in and they do not have very much nutrition in their training! Nutritionists do not have a protected title although the association for nutrition is setting up a register for degree qualified professionals - most of these medics dabbling would not get on it .

The more you look at this the more complicated it is getting!

 

[ladybird64]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

Sorry to all the well meaning professionals who may want to help out here but I'm going with the "no" vote.
Although it may be done with the best of intentions I do not think that it is advisable for any HCP to come on here and give medical advice to someone without knowing the persons medical details and background info. I also think that to allow this would be leaving this site open to all sorts of legal minefields should anything go wrong.

I'm sure their collected expertise could be put to good use out in the community where they see patients but I'm sure they must agree that it is unethical to give out medical advice to strangers as is the situation here.

 

[phoenix]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

I wrote this a while ago, but living in the sticks lost the internet access so it was before the last few posts.

I agree totally with those who suggest that verification would be difficult Even the NHS doesn' always manage to do it.
And even if you were certain it could cause problems.
At the moment it is very much caveat emptor , you decide who you believe. There has been at least one so called professional that posted for a while I think was fictitious. (even managed to spell their title two different ways within the same post!)
If you 'legitimise' a professional. I think it would put both the professionals and the site owners in a vulnerable position. If anything the HCP says (and that person could be young and inexperienced) is poor advice, or even good advice but is misnterpreted and something goes wrong, then both they and the site might be held to blame. The site owners, I assume would have to reveal the identity of the HCP if an official complaint were made.
What you write on the internet in the UK can be complained about by a member of the public and result in a hearing by a professional body (I have read of one doctor and one psychologist that have had this happen to them recently... one I think 'deserved' it, the other not, but that's just my opinion.)
And sadly, even as things are, even a nom de plume doesn't stop misgruntled people trying to discover a professionals identity and attempt to malign them openly on the internet.

 

[viviennem]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

I'm fairly open minded on this one.

Given the complaints and posted experiences of some of us, I think there are many members of this forum who don't accept what anybody says without careful thought, HCP or not. On the other hand I do like to know whether a person is speaking from training and/or experience, so a bit of background info would be useful

It is possible to verify a person's identity claims via the internet. I did this recently with a controversial poster, and discovered who he was, who he was employed by, and what his research field is. However, this might have to be left to the admin team, and could mean a lot of work for them.

And how would you weed out someone claiming a false identity? - ie, impersonating a genuine professional.

Viv 8)

 

[RussG]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

I think that if this is pursued, it will fundamentally change the nature of the forum. Now that may or may not be a terrible thing but it will certainly be a highly significant change. HCPs can and should join and comment if they want to, but if we have some form of registration process (which we certainly would need) that allows them to post officially as medical professionals, then that will immediately create a two tier system of advice.

Many people will take the advice of an HCP over an experienced person with diabetes (assuming the HCP doesn't also have diabetes, of course). Because of the very consuming nature of the lifestyle changes that are needed to manage diabetes, I think this forum works best as a way of testing and challenging 'official' advice with experiences from people in the same position. However, I think this is a bad idea personally. There may be a middle ground, perhaps, in allowing a forum area for medical professionals to post advice explicitly as such.

The verification process could be time consuming for the admin team and I think would bring some serious risks, particularly for non-UK based professionals around potential defamation, liability etc. Also, there have been enough cases of people masquerading as doctors for years actually in hospitals to make me think that it is always going to be difficult to formally verify them. I accept people do have registration details etc, but are the forum admin people knowledgeable enough to be able to manage this? I don't know. This needs some legal advice I reckon if the DiabetesUK team want to take it forward.

 

[AliB]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

Hmm. It is a tricky one.

Personally, as I have little or no faith in the Medical profession (they themselves managed to beat that our of me over the years) I don't necessarily believe everything that comes from a 'professional'. Like many others, what I look for is my understanding of common sense - and if that common sense is coming from a professional then that makes a refreshing change, and the professional is one to add to the list.

However, unfortunately, being a 'professional' doesn't automatically confer some kind of extraordinary knowledge or 'truth'. Any professional is only as good as their 'teacher' and the knowledge they have really only depends on what they have been taught.

I do believe experience counts for quite a lot though, and many professionals do have a lot of experience, and that can be very valuable. If an HCP has found a particular regime to have benefitted hundreds of people then heck, I want to hear about it!

We all know why this topic has been raised. At the end of the day, we have on this forum both a low-carb section and a non-low-carb section. One is for the benefit of those who low-carb, whether it is very or only moderately. The other is for the benefit of those who don't low-carb.

Hopefully, those who come looking for advice will be able to investigate both sections and find help and support in either section, whoever it comes from. Whilst there have been altercations between those who low-carb and those who don't, I fail to understand why those who are essentially walking the same path - albeit at different paces - can't enter into a spirit of mutual tolerance.

Whether we have a list of credentials as long as the Berlin Wall, or we are Mrs Ethel Pargeter from No.1 Hollybush Drive, we all deserve respect and tolerance. There are as many opinions as there are people, but what gives me the right to assume my opinion is more important than yours - or you to consider yours more important than mine?

Canuck does not need us. He does not need our ridicule either. If he - or anyone else for that matter comes to this site because they genuinely want to help others that is something to be appreciated. I have learned a huge amount over the last few years and like to use that knowledge to help others. I would be deeply offended if anyone assumed I was on here for merely altruistic reasons.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

We all know why this topic has been raised. At the end of the day, we have on this forum both a low-carb section and a non-low-carb section. One is for the benefit of those who low-carb, whether it is very or only moderately. The other is for the benefit of those who don't low-carb.

Are their any T2's on this forum who dont low carb to some degree Ali? The two forums were as I remember started to try to stop the extremists telling everyone what they should do to control their diabetes, those who could not appreciate that there is more than one way, Since the extremists were mostly banned the two forums have not been needed and the rules were relaxed, do you really want to return to the days of the Carb Wars? I dont.

Canuck does not need us. He does not need our ridicule either. If he - or anyone else for that matter comes to this site because they genuinely want to help others that is something to be appreciated. I have learned a huge amount over the last few years and like to use that knowledge to help others. I would be deeply offended if anyone assumed I was on here for merely altruistic reasons.

Oh is canock a medical professional then, I hadn't realised :?

Funny how all this debarcle started again after certain banned members re registered isnt it?

 

[sugar2]

Re: Question to members about contributions from Professiona

I voted bad idea.

A real shame, and I really do appreciate those of us who have medical qualifications that bring great benefit to the site...but giving people the label of "expert"could give new members, or newly diagnosed people unjustified faith in the posts, or people who may not be what they seem.. I too have been round here long enough to see a number of so called professionals trying to push a book, or people pretending to be what they are not, for pure mischief!

As was evident by the "bad GPs" posts, not all medical professionals actually know anything about diabetes. Overtime, you get to "know" people on the board, but I worry about giving credence to bad advice, by linking it to a professional qualification. This is too risky, in my view.