Why are dental advice threads really being closed?

[ncalcate]

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Gavin/Aphistis

I've seen a couple of threads that were closed down recently because the OPs were seeking dental advice.

I am wondering precisely what the rationale is. I know that you usually put down that SDN is not a forum for obtaining medical/dental advice. But is the REAL reason the fact that if someone received inaccurate advice from SDN, SDN could be held liable in a malpractice suit? With the current litigation-oriented healthcare environment, this would certainly not surprise me. And it would not surprise me if you are instructed by Leo to close these threads, so that SDN can claim that they don't intentionally provide an environment in which individuals can receive medical/dental advice (and thus this would presumably absolve SDN of any legal liability).

Please let us know with an honest answer. I'm curious to know to what degree SDN is being affected by the malpractice attorneys.

 

[aphistis]

Yep. The reason we don't allow users to solicit medical advice is because of potential liability exposure down the line if something went wrong. On top of that, you have the simple issue that you can't examine & diagnose somebody from behind a computer screen. It's not like there's a constant, paralyzing fear of litigation looming over everyone's head, but from risk-management & practical angles alike, it's easier & safer to just avoid the problem altogether.

 

[ItsGavinC]

As was stated, any attempt to dx. over the internet really does an injustice to the person seeking a dx. This isn't anything new, SDN has never allowed users to seek out medical advice in the forums or in any other SDN area.