4 ms·

While this sort of policy has its place, like for stopping people overriding their morphine machine to skip its limit, I honestly don't see the problem for thin

While this sort of policy has its place, like for stopping people overriding their morphine machine to skip its limit, I honestly don't see the problem for things like this, primarily diagnostic based equipment. I wonder if there might be a market for open source medical hardware with open source software to go with it. This could provide people with a very inexpensive option to look after themselves and also by perhaps uploading their data anonymously to an open database, help others too in diagnosing their problems too. Obviously you when you get into things like this people get a bit scared because the medical industry is proprietary by nature which makes it scary because you don't want to mess with something you are told to go to a professional about, I think ubiuiquity might solve the problem. The more information out there, the more people are educated and the less scared they are.

jreeve 15y ago
One of the common jokes between my wife and I is to setup a "home surgery kit" for some point in some horrible dystopian future. However, we were thinking it out and were moved to wonder why there isn't more straightforward "how-tos" as far as medicine is concerned: how-to relocate joints, how-to suture, how-to collect appropriate equipment, how-to operate in a sane and sanitary manner. This is, of course as lay people... for all we know all the information is available to whoever is willing to look for it and take the risks involved with amateur medicine. However, I wonder if what trained people think about the ethics of making professional medical techniques and equipment available to lay folks.
- EvilTerran 15y ago
  Some books in the "survival guide" genre cover things like setting broken bones, basic stitches, biro tracheotomy, etc. I did once come across a "how to amputate your own leg" in a mountaineering magazine, but I'm pretty sure it was satirical: http://bubl.ac.uk/org/tacit/tac/tac50/advertis.htm http://bubl.ac.uk/org/tacit/tac/tac50/advertis.htm
  - arethuza 15y ago
    A Soviet doctor had to remove his own appendix in 1961 - he was stuck in a base in Antartica during the winter: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/antarctica-1961-a-soviet-surgeon-has-to-remove-his-own-appendix/72445/ http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/antarc...
- DanBC 15y ago
  There are strict laws about practicing medicine. Legally, anything more than first-aid and getting someone to a qualified doctor is going to cause problems (unless you're in exceptional circumstances.) > One of the common jokes between my wife and I is to setup a "home surgery kit" for some point in some horrible dystopian future. It's a funny joke. I had similar thought about "Backstreet dentists" in the UK. A few years ago there was a problem getting NHS dentists, and many people didn't have any insurance. You could have made money by trafficking East European dentists into the UK and setting up a secret dentist. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3502813.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3502813.stm) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4506013.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4506013.s...) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7041291.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7041291.stm)
  - justincormack 15y ago
    It was easier to fly to Eastern Europe and use them legally there. Medical tourism is fairly big business.
- Cass 15y ago
  There are straightforward how-tos on every aspect of medicine easily available for everyone, and no need to turn to survivalist guides, either. How do you think doctors learn this stuff? The exact same medical textbooks we use are sold freely to everyone who wants them, and there's a youtube video for practically every medical technique. I learned to suture from a textbook and an online vid, practiced on a piece of foam and some pig skin, and managed a perfectly serviceable if not quite cosmetically perfect suture on my first attempt on a living patient.
rosstafarian 15y ago
What do you mean people overriding their morphine machine limit? Sorry but that doesn't make sense. If some one wants to they can always take an extra perceset or for that matter go out and buy some heroin. Education does much more good than "protecting" people from themselves. Blindly following any doctor's directions is a recipe for disaster. Not all doctor's have your best interest in mind, and even if they did they still make mistakes like any other person. It's much more profitable for the medical industry to throw very addictive pills at the symptoms over treating the underlying cause of the problem.
wickedchicken 15y ago
> I honestly don't see the problem for things like this, primarily diagnostic based equipment. It's a similar situation to giving financial advice. You are theoretically making a decision based off of the diagnostic tool, therefore it ceases to become 'harmless.' What if it's out of calibration? What if you forget to do some maintenance procedure and it goes out of calibration? With software you can put an "IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES" clause. What do you do with medical devices? The best you can get away with is "for entertainment purposes only."

jreeve 15y ago

One of the common jokes between my wife and I is to setup a "home surgery kit" for some point in some horrible dystopian future. However, we were thinking it out and were moved to wonder why there isn't more straightforward "how-tos" as far as medicine is concerned: how-to relocate joints, how-to suture, how-to collect appropriate equipment, how-to operate in a sane and sanitary manner. This is, of course as lay people... for all we know all the information is available to whoever is willing to look for it and take the risks involved with amateur medicine. However, I wonder if what trained people think about the ethics of making professional medical techniques and equipment available to lay folks.

EvilTerran 15y ago
Some books in the "survival guide" genre cover things like setting broken bones, basic stitches, biro tracheotomy, etc. I did once come across a "how to amputate your own leg" in a mountaineering magazine, but I'm pretty sure it was satirical: http://bubl.ac.uk/org/tacit/tac/tac50/advertis.htm http://bubl.ac.uk/org/tacit/tac/tac50/advertis.htm
- arethuza 15y ago
  A Soviet doctor had to remove his own appendix in 1961 - he was stuck in a base in Antartica during the winter: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/antarctica-1961-a-soviet-surgeon-has-to-remove-his-own-appendix/72445/ http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/antarc...
DanBC 15y ago
There are strict laws about practicing medicine. Legally, anything more than first-aid and getting someone to a qualified doctor is going to cause problems (unless you're in exceptional circumstances.) > One of the common jokes between my wife and I is to setup a "home surgery kit" for some point in some horrible dystopian future. It's a funny joke. I had similar thought about "Backstreet dentists" in the UK. A few years ago there was a problem getting NHS dentists, and many people didn't have any insurance. You could have made money by trafficking East European dentists into the UK and setting up a secret dentist. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3502813.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3502813.stm) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4506013.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4506013.s...) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7041291.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7041291.stm)
- justincormack 15y ago
  It was easier to fly to Eastern Europe and use them legally there. Medical tourism is fairly big business.
Cass 15y ago
There are straightforward how-tos on every aspect of medicine easily available for everyone, and no need to turn to survivalist guides, either. How do you think doctors learn this stuff? The exact same medical textbooks we use are sold freely to everyone who wants them, and there's a youtube video for practically every medical technique. I learned to suture from a textbook and an online vid, practiced on a piece of foam and some pig skin, and managed a perfectly serviceable if not quite cosmetically perfect suture on my first attempt on a living patient.

rosstafarian 15y ago

What do you mean people overriding their morphine machine limit? Sorry but that doesn't make sense. If some one wants to they can always take an extra perceset or for that matter go out and buy some heroin. Education does much more good than "protecting" people from themselves. Blindly following any doctor's directions is a recipe for disaster. Not all doctor's have your best interest in mind, and even if they did they still make mistakes like any other person. It's much more profitable for the medical industry to throw very addictive pills at the symptoms over treating the underlying cause of the problem.

wickedchicken 15y ago

> I honestly don't see the problem for things like this, primarily diagnostic based equipment. It's a similar situation to giving financial advice. You are theoretically making a decision based off of the diagnostic tool, therefore it ceases to become 'harmless.' What if it's out of calibration? What if you forget to do some maintenance procedure and it goes out of calibration? With software you can put an "IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES" clause. What do you do with medical devices? The best you can get away with is "for entertainment purposes only."