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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Molybdenum on May 1, 2008, at 8:08:42
Nah,
not one of those ones! I mean it would be great if Dr Bob would have someone who manages the servers write some scripts in Perl or TCLTK or whatever that would :
1. Run every time a poster clicks the "Submit your post" button in the form that would scan through their draft post looking for words that are not in the "site drug dictionary" & prompt them to select the correct name from one or more likely candidates. For example, someone might type "Cerlexor". When they try to post the script would detect that this word is misspelled & prompt them to select a close match - in this case "Celexa". The problem that this fixes is that so many people aren't getting the help they need because they've misspelled a word and nobody finds their post because they assume it's a new drug they've never heard of. Try searching on Celexa & then browse or search for close matches - there's lots.! I think this would be educational & help people to find info on their meds with a much higher success rate.2. Once that process is complete, the poster sees a draft of their post (just like now) except that another script has run over it immediately prior to the draft being displayed. This script would do two things:
a) Auto substitutes every instance of the now correctly spelled "Celexa" with name "citalopram" instead.
b) Appends a little bit of text to the bottom of their post that is straight out of the Dr.Bob database. In this example it would looks like this:
citalopram=(Celexa, Cipramil, Citrol, Seropram, Talam, Recital Zetalo, Celepram, Ciazil, Zentius, Ciprapine, Cilift, Cipram)
This would be appended ditto for each drug in the post.
This way I would be able to identify quickly which posts I can help with & which I can't.
There's just too many names for each drug i=out there...!
let me know what you think
:)
Molybedamnd
Whadayathink...?
Posted by Molybdenum on May 2, 2008, at 23:57:48
In reply to We need a script please...!!!, posted by Molybdenum on May 1, 2008, at 8:08:42
\\ So this is what a post looks like now:
Paxel with Lovux Day or Evening?
Posted by Molybdenum on April 24, 2012, at 22:31:43
Well going to try and add some paxel to my lovux. Did it once before many years ago only two that did work for me. First ad was l0mg of paxel with xanax and 25mg of lopressor to keep anxiety down the pdoc said then...
\\ This is what a poster would see as a DRAFT once they hit "Submit your post" and then accept the spelling suggestions:
Paxil with Luvox Day or Evening?
Posted by Molybdenum on April 24, 2012, at 22:31:43
Well going to try and add some paxil to my luvox. Did it once before many years ago only two that did work for me. First ad was l0mg of paxil with xanax and 25mg of lopressor to keep anxiety down the pdoc said then...
\\ This is what would actually get posted once the poster hits the "Confirm your post - click just once" button:
Paroxetine with Fluvoxamine Day or Evening?
Posted by Molybdenum on April 24, 2012, at 22:31:43
Well going to try and add some Paroxetine to my Fluvoxamine. Did it once before many years ago only two that did work for me. First ad was l0mg of Paroxetine with Alprazolam and 25mg of Metoprolol to keep anxiety down the pdoc said then...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Bob's Drug Name Substitutions:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alprazolam (Xanax, Niravam) is a short-acting benzodiazepine used to treat moderate to severe anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with clinical depression.Fluvoxamine (Luvox) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant.
Metoprolol (Lopressor, Lopresor, Toprol-XL, Selokeen, Minax, Metrol, Betaloc, Neobloc, Corvitol) is a selective beta1 receptor blocker used in treatment of several diseases of the cardiovascular system, especially hypertension.
Paroxetine (Seroxat, Paxil, Aropax) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant.
(Bob - you could even make the brand names the poster used appear underlined for emphasis)
Posted by Molybdenum on May 3, 2008, at 0:23:47
In reply to Re: We need a script please...!!! EXAMPLE » Molybdenum, posted by Molybdenum on May 2, 2008, at 23:57:48
The reasons I think these changes would be a great addition to the site is that it would:
a) educate people as to the drugs they are taking.
b) encourage them to use their proper chemical names rather than brand names.
c) allow posters & readers to easily identify other posts that are relevant to them or to which they might contribute. This is the big issue for me, I really like your site Bob but I'm not a doctor and god help all doctors who are forced to have to remember up to 15 or so pseudonyms for every drug! I can only imagine the enormous number of mistakes that must happen.
d) once the scripts started running for all new posts, they could easily be run over the old ones too. That way you'd have a meaningful database that would grow & grow.
e) you don't need to buy any new software. I got the info above from Wiki. I imagine they would let you source it if you credit them perhaps? Else it's not proprietary knowledge anyway.
FYI I have central sleep apnoea & am prescribed methylphenidate which I dislike. Hence I am swapping to modafinil which sadly has the following brand names around the world :
* Provigil (US, UK, Ireland, Italy, Belgium)
* Vigil (Germany)
* Modalert, Provake, Modapro, Modafil (India)
* Modiodal (France, Mexico, Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands)
* Modavigil (Australia, New Zealand)
* Alertec (Canada)
* Vigicer (Argentina)
* Forcilin (Argentina)
* Resotyl, Mentix, Alertex, Zalux (Chile)
* Modasomil (Austria, Switzerland)
* Vigia (Colombia)With the global trade in generics now, people source their meds from all over the world. So to find relevant posts at your site I have to search for 17+1 names...! Tragically, people must just skip a lot of posts because they don't recognise the names used. I know I do.
Regards
Molybdenum :)
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 4, 2008, at 9:24:20
In reply to Re: We need a script please...!!! CONCLUSION » Molybdenum, posted by Molybdenum on May 3, 2008, at 0:23:47
> The reasons I think these changes would be a great addition to the site is that it would:
>
> a) educate people as to the drugs they are taking.
>
> b) encourage them to use their proper chemical names rather than brand names.
>
> c) allow posters & readers to easily identify other posts that are relevant to them or to which they might contribute.
>
> d) once the scripts started running for all new posts, they could easily be run over the old ones too.
>
> e) you don't need to buy any new software. I got the info above from Wiki.That's an interesting suggestion, thanks. It would do all of the above, but:
1) if people want to know what the generic name of a medication is, they can just ask,
2) as long as someone in the thread spells the name correctly, the thread should show up in a search,
3) new software would be needed to look up names and suggest them, and
4) the list of names would need to be kept up to date.
What if there were an easy way to look up generic names? It would be easier for me just to add something like the "check spelling" box.
Bob
Posted by Molybdenum on May 11, 2008, at 20:38:17
In reply to Re: We need a script please...!!!, posted by Dr. Bob on May 4, 2008, at 9:24:20
> > The reasons I think these changes would be a great addition to the site is that it would:
> >
> > a) educate people as to the drugs they are taking.
> >
> > b) encourage them to use their proper chemical names rather than brand names.
> >
> > c) allow posters & readers to easily identify other posts that are relevant to them or to which they might contribute.
> >
> > d) once the scripts started running for all new posts, they could easily be run over the old ones too.
> >
> > e) you don't need to buy any new software. I got the info above from Wiki.
>
> That's an interesting suggestion, thanks. It would do all of the above, but:
>
> 1) if people want to know what the generic name of a medication is, they can just ask,
>
> 2) as long as someone in the thread spells the name correctly, the thread should show up in a search,
>
> 3) new software would be needed to look up names and suggest them, and
>
> 4) the list of names would need to be kept up to date.
>
> What if there were an easy way to look up generic names? It would be easier for me just to add something like the "check spelling" box.
>
> BobHi Dr. Bob,
thanks for replying to my idea.
I think you're correct in that a spell-checker option would sort out a lot of my issues.
Would you be able to extend the spell checker so that the site used YOUR spell checker & didn't allow users to add their own words? I think that would be a help. FYI I have a few misspelt words in my Nokia phone & only a hard reset erasing everything will allow me to get rid of those annoying mistakes..! I am loathing doing it ;)
Could you make the spell-checker suggest "Remeron (mirtazapine)" when someone types "Rimeron"..?
This way we can get the brand name the poster chose plus the generic at the same time. That would be great for me. The meds board is so busy. I'd really like to know what people are talking about but there's so many unfamiliar terms it takes so long to wiki them all, only to find I have both nothing to offer & nothing relevant to my situation.
So suggesting "Efexor (venlafaxine)" when I type Effexor would be GREAT...!
Will you do it????
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 19, 2008, at 7:23:36
In reply to Re: We need a script please...!!! Attn: Sr. Bobus. » Dr. Bob, posted by Molybdenum on May 11, 2008, at 20:38:17
> I think you're correct in that a spell-checker option would sort out a lot of my issues.
>
> Could you make the spell-checker suggest "Remeron (mirtazapine)" when someone types "Rimeron"..?OK, so as not to reinvent the wheel, have you seen any other sites that do that? Thanks,
Bob
Posted by Molybdenum on May 22, 2008, at 22:50:31
In reply to Re: We need a script please...!!!, posted by Dr. Bob on May 19, 2008, at 7:23:36
> > I think you're correct in that a spell-checker option would sort out a lot of my issues.
> >
> > Could you make the spell-checker suggest "Remeron (mirtazapine)" when someone types "Rimeron"..?
>
> OK, so as not to reinvent the wheel, have you seen any other sites that do that? Thanks,
>
> BobWell I've looked & looked but I can't find a similar thing on the www! I don't read a zillion forums - and this is the only medical one I'm interested in, but I do subscribe to quite a few Comp Sci related ones - that's my area of expertise. The kind of modified dictionary needed here just wouldn't work at the other forums I visit. In fact, I can't think of any other subject matter that would have this issue / benefit from it like it would for the medical industry. Where else are there so many synonyms?
So I think the best bet would be to talk to whoever does your server & operating systems admin about adding a custom dictionary. I think they'll be able to do that pretty easily. Even if your current SW does not allow for this, the inbuilt dictionary could at least be appended to include the medical name data that would be imported on a regular basis.
For example, each line from your source DB would likely be in the format: Mirtazapine (Remeron, Zispin, Remergil, Norset, Rexer, Remergon, Mirtabene, Avanza, Mirtazon, Axit, Mirtaz, Promyrtil, Noxibel, Mirzaten, Mizapin)
Then your systems admin staff would need to write a little script to turn the above into multiple lines like this:
Remeron (Mirtazapine)
Zispin (Mirtazapine)
Remergil (Mirtazapine)
Norset (Mirtazapine)
etc..- which would then become separate "word" entries in your dictionary.
Another way to get the data would be to do a lookup at another site every time someone started to write a post. So your server would send the term "Remmeron" to another site & it would return several strings such as "Remeron (Mirtazapine)", etc.
So the issue is where to get such a DB from. I don't believe it's proprietary information. A quick googling for "free medical dictionary" has found:
1. USP Dictionary of USAN and International Drug Names developed by the US Pharmacopeia. at http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0464.html#DI
2. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ This looks a bit more friendly. In fact, on the left hand pane, is:
For webmasters
- Free content for websites
- Linking to the Dictionary
- Dictionary lookup box
- Script word lookup
- Partner with usSounds like they offer this service and considering the URL is "thefreedictionary" - the price sounds right too :)
3. And there's always Wikipedia. We know they have exactly the data required. Take a look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine & there's a nicely formatted list of equivalent names 1/2 a page down. They might very well offer a service where you could either get a regular dump of this data or else do a lookup each time.To reiterate, (I do that a lot) I think this would be a great feature. Not only would the posts become easier to read & more informative but your entire Babble history could become an even more valuable resource. One could just look up "mirtazapine" and know that the hits you get are all that's there. No more trying one brand name after another. And currently any search will likely not reveal what good info there might be contained in threads where a drug-name is misspelt.
Hmmm..... :)
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 23, 2008, at 1:39:45
In reply to Re: We need a script please...!!! » Dr. Bob, posted by Molybdenum on May 22, 2008, at 22:50:31
> 2. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ This looks a bit more friendly.
>
> Sounds like they offer this service and considering the URL is "thefreedictionary" - the price sounds right too :)Thanks! I've added a "look up drug name" box under the "check spelling" box, I hope that helps.
Bob
Posted by Molybdenum on May 23, 2008, at 3:54:42
In reply to Re: a script, posted by Dr. Bob on May 23, 2008, at 1:39:45
Bob,
I just tried it *woohoo*...!
Personally, I prefer the data from Wiki though. Damned if I know if it's reliable or not, but the Wiki entries certainly have all the nice ancillary info I like to read.
If "Dr Bob drug name dictionary" gets implemented, it would need to be easy as a "click here" on the chosen term from a drop-down selection. Else if it's too hard, I doubt many posters would bother manually copying & pasting.
:)
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 24, 2008, at 17:24:52
In reply to Re: a script » Dr. Bob, posted by Molybdenum on May 23, 2008, at 3:54:42
> I just tried it *woohoo*...!
:-)
> Personally, I prefer the data from Wiki though. Damned if I know if it's reliable or not, but the Wiki entries certainly have all the nice ancillary info I like to read.
The Free Dictionary seems to link to Wikipedia when it doesn't have an entry for something itself. And of course you're free to check there whenever you like.
Bob
Posted by Molybdenum on May 29, 2008, at 23:26:25
In reply to Re: Wikipedia, posted by Dr. Bob on May 24, 2008, at 17:24:52
> > I just tried it *woohoo*...!
>
> :-)
>
> > Personally, I prefer the data from Wiki though. Damned if I know if it's reliable or not, but the Wiki entries certainly have all the nice ancillary info I like to read.
>
> The Free Dictionary seems to link to Wikipedia when it doesn't have an entry for something itself. And of course you're free to check there whenever you like.
>
> BobIdeally, it would work the other way around. Wiki first then Free Dictionary if not found. Maybe I'm just a bit of a Wiki fan lately...but it usually has such nicely laid out & comprehensive info. :)
Thanks
M.
This is the end of the thread.
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