This is a message from the moderators and on behalf of Webed.
There has been a worrying trend recently for users to post on the message board requesting advice in an emergency situation or acute attack.
Webed and the Moderators wish to stress that this is a DISCUSSION board and is not a suitable place to be obtaining medical advice in an emergency.
The message board is not necessarily populated at all times and as such it may be some while before anyone reads such posts (personally, during the last 2 incidents, I was shown logged into the board but was away doing other things). Most message board users are NOT medically qualified and are not able to give emergency healthcare advice. Even users who are medically qualified cannot carry out an appropriate or accurate assessment of an emergency situation through online descriptions.
We have had contacts from message board users who have become worried and upset by these posts and the thought that someone may be relying on a discussion board for emergency medical advice.
If you feel unwell and think you need advice as to what to do in an emergency situation, then help should be obtained from nearby friends/family and/or one of the following sources:
- Asthma UK's own guidance for what to do in an attack, which is here: tinyurl.com/2nrqr7
- Your local GP service - either your surgery, or, if closed, the local Out of Hours centre; some regions have NHS Walk-In Centres in addition
- NHS Direct - a nurse-led advice line who are in a position to access doctor advice or call an ambulance if needed - telephone 0845 46 47
- By calling 999 for an emergency ambulance, or by going to your local A&E (Casualty) department.
Please note that this does not apply to non-acute situations; discussions around management in non-urgent situations is welcome and is one of the functions of the message board.
Please also note that any posts requesting emergency advice will be removed, so as to avoid causing upset to other message board users; please follow the advice above in these cases.
I would like to add that, although there *are* medical professionals on this board, myself included, it is difficult to provide precise medical advice on personal situations over the internet. We can provide suggestions and try to access information on topics where possible. However please bear in mind that I am a volunteer in this position, and I am primarily here as an asthma sufferer and AUK volunteer. Medicolegally I feel that it is unsafe to offer personal medical advice via PM, and encourage people with enquiries to post on the board where all users can offer knowledge and experience. I will contribute to these threads as and where possible.
Thank you, Cathy and all the moderators, for this guidance - I've been worried too about the number of people posting in situations which potentially could be emergencies.
I just wanted to add something - as most of you know, I am a doctor too, although, like Cathy, I post on here primarily as a fellow asthma sufferer.
I know people have PMed me in the past asking for medical advice and information. I'm usually happy to try to answer general queries, for example asking for information about a specific disease, condition or drug, or asking me to research something, although how long it takes me to respond will depend very much on how busy/unwell I am at the time!
Specific medical advice is, as Cathy says, harder and more risky to give when I don't know your medical history, and is a potentially difficult situation medicolegally. Most of the time to protect both myself and the person asking I will have to suggest that they contact their own doctor.
I do enjoy researching things for people, it keeps my brain active and allows me to feel that I am still using my medical knowledge to some purpose now that I am not working; so please don't feel that you can't ask me anything at all! I'm very happy to do research into questions such as 'what is the evidence that x works in asthma', although again it might take me a while to answer if my asthma's not to good or I'm in hospital etc. If you are not sure if your question is appropriate, then do please ask - I'll soon tell you if I'm not happy giving advice or if I think you should see your own doctor.
I agree with Cathy that most questions are best asked as a post rather than a PM, unless it's something that you wish to keep private. Not only does it help others who have the same questions, but also don't forget that there are other healthcare professionals on here as well as very experienced asthmatics, and a lot of them will be better able to answer questions on the more esoteric aspects of asthma treatment that I don't have knowledge or experience of.
Well I'll shut up now, just felt I should clear that up!
Take care all,
Em H
Thanks Emily. Good to know you are happy to help out folks in this way
Bump to keep this thread on the ""recent topics"" list.
Bump to keep on recent topics
Bump to keep on Recent Topics
Bumped again!
And again...
I have to agree with what Emily has said.
I have staff nurse written on my profile however, many people forget/don't relise that there are many specialities of nursing.
As, a result many people PM asking for advice however, due to the fact that I am a pychiatric nurse (RMN) I am very reluctant to give medical advice even though my current nursing job involves a lot of general nursing because I am simply not trained in ""asthma care"" I am reluctant to offer advice to people from a nursing vantage though I am willing to offer advice and help from my experiences as a severe asthmatic.
To that end if you are worried about your asthma get medical help and advice as Cathbear has described and if you need specific advice relating to day to day asthma management it may be better posted on the main board so you get the benefit from many peoples experiences not just one persons.
Wanda
Bumped to keep on Recent Topics
Bumped again!
Cathy, you need to ask Web Ed for sticky feature So you can secure this to the top of the forum.
Bex
Already have done m'dear....it's on its way, hopefully, but these things take time!
Until that time I am confined to the crude technique of Bumping....um, no comment
You know everywhere I go I just keep bumping into this message.
I need a padded suit
Bex
I think someone should be dishing out paracetamol for all these people who keeping bumping!!!!!!!!!!!! I have arnica if you cant tolerate paracetamol or lavendar oil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have a few friendly ellies if anyone needs a hand with bumping
It's bounced back off the trampoline again, bump (just thought I'd join in having been given a good laugh looking at all the messagesx but then it made me cough, oh eck!)
Webed and the Moderators wish to stress that this is a DISCUSSION board and is not a suitable place to be obtaining medical advice in an emergency.
We also wish to add that it is equally inappropriate to try and obtain emergency medical advice VIA THE PERSONAL MESSAGING SERVICE of this forum. This too has been happening and is causing unnecessary distress.
Is it ok if I bump it back up....
SPOINGGGGG!
By all means....and me too!
up to the top we go!
stood on top of all these messages it is like standing on mount everest!!!!!!!!!!!!
i can see what you are all up too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bedoiiing
*rummages around in the heap of posts*
*finds the Mod's message and tosses it to the top of the pile*
*starts rummaging for the T&Cs thread*
Booooiiiiiinnnnngggg
well since i posted had better put this back on top. plonk!
if we all jump at same time apart from mass asthma attack do you think thread will jump to top??????????????????????
Bounce no more!
Thanks folks, for all the bouncing!
However, the contents of Cathy's message are now in the new terms and conditions, so this thread can be left to quietly drop off the main index page.
Steve
And it went hoppity, hoppity, hoppity-hop!!
(with apologies to most people, to whom that will make NO sense at all)
back to the top
Back up top where it belongs!
Just posting on this thread to bring it to the top, as it seems relevant at the moment.
Hope you don't mind, Cathy - thought it might save you typing it out again!
Em H
Hello Em H, i joined the boards when you were poorly sick so i didn't know you, but i soon realized how well thought of ,loved and respected you are by a lot of people on the boards. I didn't want to be intrusive so didn't send you a message but hope you don't mind me saying now, welcome back! and am so pleased you are making progress and sooo hope you feel more like Em H soon. Take really good care and thanks for all you do and have done on the boards, you are a star Em H! love, Lois
Thank you Lois, I'm really touched by your post. I personally have got so much out of these boards and have made some really good friends, so if I ever can do anything to help anyone else and give something back to the AUK community, I'm more than happy to do so.
Anything that I can do is dwarfed by the contributions of our very hard-working and entirely voluntary moderators, especially Cathy and Steve, so thanks, guys!
Take care all
Em H
Aah that's nice, i was going to add you've reached the dizzy heights of Cath Bear and Peaksteve in my high esteem stakes but didn't want to detract from your welcome back message! But as you've mentioned it lets hear it for the Moderators, thank you all Moderators you are the unsung heroes of the boards keeping us safe from interlopers and making the boards a happy place to be. A huge THANK YOU to CathBear, Peaksteve, Nutty and everyone else who makes us a happy safe ship - THANK YOU! Love Lois xxx
Thanks both - it is nice to know we are appreciated.
CathBear (& PeakSteve)
This seems to need bumping.
Indeed it does. Note that everything in the initial post is also contained in the terms and conditions that you agree to abide by when you join these message boards - there's a link to them below the search box if you didn't read them when you signed up!
(Additional bump!)
I have been thinking about this again since this message was bumped up. I have been trying probably in vain to find the right words for this post but I think some of us (me included) board regulars might be making the problem worse. When not so good posts are made which say things like ""not very well think I might have to go in"" which are generally followed by messages like ""please go in don't wait"" of course we know these people we know they are not seeking attention or asking if they should go in people are simply stating a fact and also warning that if they go quiet it might be cos they have gone in and reply is just a caring one. However people who are newer the board might see messages like that and wrongly assume they are people asking for advice on when to go in and so when they are having a bit of crisis they post.
There is also another worrying thing that has been happening for as long as I have been here and that is posting about begging to leave hospital, self discharging, or refusing to be admitted when you are clearly not well enough to be at home giving detials of PF's often in the low100's and well below 50%. Is this the sort of thing we should be talking and almost bragging about on a forum. I know it has been happening for years but I directed someone to the AUK site who has moderate asthma and they wanted to know why the Dr's insisted on keeping her in until her PF was 75% of normal when people on here seem be perfectly comfortable leaving hospital against medical advice. I was stumped as to what to say it made my ""asthma kills please do not take risks"" comments to be overkill. What do others think, I had not even considered this until it was pointed out by this friend but she is right so many of us myself included have been guiltying of almost proudly posting in the past that we left hospital when really the Dr's were not happy about it, is it something we should be proud of and should we consider that maybe this is not in the best interests of helping and supporting all asthmatics?
Bex
well said bex
bex have to say think you did really well there and although some of us have been discharged (like me) on pf of well under 75% it is not due to self discharge but that normally my asthma nurse who knows me has intervened on my behalf on the basis i am well enough to be at home. it is hard sometimes to ask questions or make statements that can not be misinterprted by others reading the post. Much as i grumble when am admitted i know deep down that it is due to the fact i need it not cause the NHS has a spare bed.
I've just bumped into Mr Bump
Bumping up to the top re: thread in Parents and Carers.
Em
Hi all
Re - emergency advice on message boards. Obviously all agree this is not a good idea for all the reasons already stated- but maybe we need to ask why people feel so unable to access health services out of hours.
Is there anyway the top of the page (banner i think) could have a list of major/serious symptoms that would require IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION - or at least a permanent and prominant note that this forum cannot give emergency medical advice - if you are concerned about yourself or your child then please contact ........................
I don't know if this is possible but it might help.
But at a more fundamental level why are some people not accessing out of hours care - as these post tend (from the one's i've seen) be posted 'out of hours'. I know that i've had several problems with OoH - I know that before my son was diagnosed with asthma and had broncilitus as a baby - i sat for hours waiting for the out of hours gp to turn up (over 4 hours and in the end he phoned to say he wasn't coming - needless to say i made a formal complaint but still it's not good enough) I remember i was beside myself with worry but didn't phone an ambulance as i didn't think my son was ill enough - i also didn't want to take a small baby out into a cold winter night (it was early hours after all the waiting) - as it turned out he was ok and saw dr in the morning but the hours of worry were hell. Now i have to ask myself why did i wait - now being a bit more experienced i wouldn't hesitate to go directly to A&E and alhtough i've never phoned an ambulance i would if i thought it would get me into hospital quicker.
I just feel sad and angry that people newly diagnosed with Asthma or parents of children and babies are obviously not being given appropriate guidance on when and what level of action they need to take. I know that I wasn't and that i've had to find alot of stuff myself. I know that there's a bit on inhaler tecnique - would it be possilbe to have a video or computer representation of what type of breathing is normal. I know that i initially had problems with 'intercostal breathing' - 'recession' etc - esp as diff dr's called it different things and told me to look out for different signs.
I'm not sure if any of this is possible or has been suggested before (so sorry if repreating stuff) but I just really feel sad that people aren't empowered enough to access the services to which they are entitled and that ultimatley this could lead to some very serious consequences.
Sorry if it comes across as a 'rant' or 'ramble'
Claire
Claire, thanks for your suggestions. I think your idea regarding a ""banner"" type splash is good and I shall forwards your ideas to the powers that be!
I'm uncertain whether it would be possible to provide a video type effort. Medically speaking - everyone's breathing is different during an attack and asthma is so very diverse I'm not sure you could represent that sufficiently - there might be a risk that people would take it as ""gospel"" and ignore any symptoms that did not fit that description. However I agree that there are some things, like intercostal recession and tracheal tugging in children, that could be useful pointers.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Saddened by the nature of some of these messages
Dilemma - advice needed
