[Foundation-l] Doctors Again

Wed Jun 1 14:55:11 UTC 2011

> There's a huge difference between "consulted Wikipedia on any matter in
> their professional arena" and "relied exclusively on Wikipedia for a
> medical
> matter about a patient's treatment".
>
> A doctor might well use it as a regular place (one of several) to double
> check something, especially obscure areas, or when writing a professional
> letter (eg to a professional magazine or colleague)
>
> FT2

Sounds good, but I think that is probably at variance with human nature.
Doctors generally are behind on their reading, what they are
theoretically responsible for being up to date on is beyond human
capacity. They have no time to leisurely research relatively simple
matters in medical journals; thus they rely on Wikipedia as it is an
effective method to get basic information.

They are smart and practical; a characteristic they share with the
typical student, who will also fail to cite Wikipedia as a source if
questioned closely by authority.

Fred