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Ideally, if your HIV test comes back positive, you'd also be given information such as how likely false positives are and what the economic / health consequence

Ideally, if your HIV test comes back positive, you'd also be given information such as how likely false positives are and what the economic / health consequences of starting the HIV regimine (versus getting a second test) are. I understand that the way things are currently structured, it might be detrimental to the system as a whole to dive into the more obscure stuff. However, it's safe to say in this case, this boy suffered as a result. Ideally, there wouldn't be this tradeoff between the efficiency of the system and any one individual's health. I definitely don't think this ideal will be easy to achieve, or know what needs to happen to make it possible, but I think we should strive for it. I realize it's pretty lame to critique the system without offering a solution - but I felt compelled to post because the article struck me as an example of how the medical system can fail people, as much as it's an example of the power of FB, etc. (yet it didn't seem to strike people as such).

kenjackson 15y ago
Ideally, if your HIV test comes back positive, you'd also be given information such as how likely false positives Unfortunately, try telling someone that the ELISA test is 99% accurate to resasure them that they probably aren't HIV positive. :-) Ideally, there wouldn't be this tradeoff between the efficiency of the system and any one individual's health. If we could diagnose w/ 100% accuracy then it would be easy. If our medications had no side effects and resistance to antibiotics didn't then it would be easy. But once you put those two things together, even throwing economics aside, you have to be careful that you're not harming more people than helping, net. While FB saved the day here, I know from my doctor friends that online diagnosis in the hands of most people hasn't been net beneficial. With that said, in the hands of some (and I suspect that those of us on HN are in this minority) we can provide real value to doctors.
- swampthing 15y ago
  If we could diagnose w/ 100% accuracy then it would be easy. If our medications had no side effects and resistance to antibiotics didn't then it would be easy. But once you put those two things together, even throwing economics aside, you have to be careful that you're not harming more people than helping, net. Well, in my last paragraph, I said it probably wouldn't be easy. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try. I admit, I have a bias towards personal choice - I suppose it's possible society would be worse off with more freedom in this case.

kenjackson 15y ago

Ideally, if your HIV test comes back positive, you'd also be given information such as how likely false positives Unfortunately, try telling someone that the ELISA test is 99% accurate to resasure them that they probably aren't HIV positive. :-) Ideally, there wouldn't be this tradeoff between the efficiency of the system and any one individual's health. If we could diagnose w/ 100% accuracy then it would be easy. If our medications had no side effects and resistance to antibiotics didn't then it would be easy. But once you put those two things together, even throwing economics aside, you have to be careful that you're not harming more people than helping, net. While FB saved the day here, I know from my doctor friends that online diagnosis in the hands of most people hasn't been net beneficial. With that said, in the hands of some (and I suspect that those of us on HN are in this minority) we can provide real value to doctors.

swampthing 15y ago
If we could diagnose w/ 100% accuracy then it would be easy. If our medications had no side effects and resistance to antibiotics didn't then it would be easy. But once you put those two things together, even throwing economics aside, you have to be careful that you're not harming more people than helping, net. Well, in my last paragraph, I said it probably wouldn't be easy. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try. I admit, I have a bias towards personal choice - I suppose it's possible society would be worse off with more freedom in this case.