User:Danglingdiagnosis/Involuntary health consequences


 * See also What Wikipedia is not and Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information

Wikipedia should provide information in ways that both promotes and preserves the reader's ability to make informed choices. Unfortunately, some information, by their nature, have involuntarily health consequences that infringe on a reader's choice. This infringement can occur both indirectly via the reader's protected relationship with a medical professional, and directly by the mere act of reading Wikipedia. Examples follow:

1. Visual stimuli known to cause seizures.
Photosensitive epilepsy is a form of epilepsy in which seizures are triggered by visual stimuli that form patterns in time or space, such as flashing lights, bold, regular patterns, or regular moving patterns. In order to preserve the safety of our readers, our content should conform to the level AAA criterion found in Section 2.3.2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

2. Psychological test information
Published statements by recognized national health organizations (i.e. professional organizations with membership amounting to more than 0.02 percent of the host country's population) request that the security of test materials be reasonably maintained. Wikipedia should respect these statements. Articles about psychological tests should provide information that is of a more general nature and that conveys real-world context. They should avoid details that betray specific test questions or stimuli.

Wikipedia's medical disclaimer states that "the medical information provided on Wikipedia is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional." It follows from this that articles containing information about psychological test materials should convey information in a general nature so as to not prompt the involuntarily substitution of one test method for another.

Mental health professionals prefer to administer test information under controlled conditions so as to better gauge the reaction of the patient. Advanced knowledge of test material, (i.e. questions and stimuli) can alter the reactions of patients, reducing the quality of test results. Alternate, or substitute test methods may be available, and these substitutes may or may not result in a reduction in the quality of care afforded to the patient; but that is not at issue, here. What is at issue is the role and influence of Wikipedia in the health care of our readers. Wikipedia is not a doctor and should not so directly influence the diagnostic process and subsequent course of treatment of any of our readers.