User:Nkxz4380/sandbox

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Practice Editing Here (Nov 23rd in-class Wiki session work)

 * This is a place to practice clicking the "edit" button and practice adding references (via the citation button).
 * Cirrhosis
 * Acetaminophen is an effective analgesic.

Assignment # 3
Proposed change:

Remove “and paracetamol (acetaminophen)” from the sentence “Regardless of the underlying cause of cirrhosis, consumption of alcohol and paracetamol (acetaminophen), as well as other potentially damaging substances, are discouraged.” Following this sentence, add: “Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that supports the avoidance or dose reduction of acetaminophen in people with compensated cirrhosis; it is thus considered a safe analgesic for said individuals. ”

Rationale for proposed change:

Although this proposed change may receive disagreement due to the ubiquity of the false belief that acetaminophen should be avoided in order to prevent further liver damage, it is important to address the lack of evidence in support of this belief as acetaminophen is a powerful analgesic for compensated cirrhosis patients. Allowing the misleading sentence to remain in the Wikipedia article may cause people to avoid using an effective pain management medication and even replace it with a potentially harmful one (e.g. NSAIDs). By adding the sentence explaining that acetaminophen is a viable option for pain management based on information from a reputable secondary source, a false belief that can lead to harmful consequences may be corrected.

Critique of Source:

The selected source does not seem biased as it extensively acknowledges the fact that acetaminophen is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the US, which engenders the fear surrounding its use. It also utilized very clear inclusion/exclusion criteria for the studies reviewed as well as a validated assessment tool (developed by Downs and Black). The authors limited their review to English articles; however, they minimized publication bias by contacting the manufacturers of intravenous and branded acetaminophen for unpublished trials. Primary limitations among the studies used were the variability within Child-Pugh score classes and the lack of differentiation in cirrhosis severity, which limit the comparison of results. Although the studies have these limitations, the evidence consistently suggests that acetaminophen is a safe analgesic for compensated cirrhosis patients.

What to post on the Wikipedia article talk page?

 * This will also be covered on Nov 23rd in class. Your group should use the below template to share an outline of your proposed improvements (including your new wording and citations). Article talk pages are not places to share your assignment answers. The Wikipedia community will be more interested in viewing your exact article improvement suggestions including where you plan to improve the article (which section), what wording you suggest, and the exact citation (Note: all citations must meet WP:MEDRS)
 * You will not be able to paste citations directly from your sandbox to talk pages (unless you are interested in editing/learning Wiki-code in the "source editing" mode). We suggest re-adding your citations on the talk page manually (using the cite button and populating the citation by pasting in the DOI, website, or PMID). You will have to repeat this process yet again when you edit the actual article live.
 * Talk Page Template: CARL Medical Editing Initiative/Fall 2020/Talk Page Template