Guidance for the Perplexed

When submitting an inquiry to AskMed, after a donation has been made, it is helpful to balance brevity with thoroughness. Questions like "Are there any alternative treatments for my toe problem?" are too brief. Information about what specific problem, patient age, duration of the problem, what has been tried already, which types of practitioners have worked with it, any medications currently used, medical history, diet, and the like--all can be presented briefly but with enough detail to make a response more quickly available. Anything that is felt to have a bearing on the issue can be included. Up to a point, that is-because a very long letter about a simple problem can make work unnecessarily difficult.

After an initial inquiry, Dr. Bauer will usually have more questions, particularly for full consultations. This will be the time to expand the story in the right way to find a way forward. "Brief Inquiries" (as described on the AskMed introductory page) can be a way of exploring whether it will be useful to undertake a full consultation with this service, for someone with a complex issue who is not sure whether to jump right in.

Another very useful way of using this service is to have done some research on one's own and to ask Dr. Bauer to review what has been found. This can be very helpful in separating potentially useful material from that which is suspect or doubtful. Less time is generally needed for this type of consultation.

As important as knowing the questions and options is to have a framework, a larger perspective in which to place them. Dr. Bauer often asks many questions before proposing a way of looking at a given situation. This is the part that takes time, in addition to any extra research that is required. The questions at some point come together to create a response-sometimes instantly, and sometimes after some time to settle. Responses to Brief Inquiries usually occur within two days. Full Consultation responses more often require several days or more to return in a final form.