Do G.I. specialists have a forum to discuss Crohn's?

[kss]

I was just looking around the internet trying to find the place where physicians discuss Crohn's disease and their patients. I can't find one. Does anyone know how G.I. specialists interact? They must have some sort of forum, right?

And I've read a good many posts and I can't find anyone who's a physician. Are there any physicians on here?

Thanks!

 

[David]

There are, but you have to be a member of one of their organizations as it's all behind lock and key. And their forum software is terrible.

I know of at least a couple physicians that lurk here.

 

[kss]

Good to know - thanks. It's very sad they don't share openly.

 

[kss]

Just FYI I tried clicking the Facebook link and it went to my facebook homepage and not the Crohnsforum.com facebook page. I also can't find it by searching.

 

[David]

Thanks, should be fixed. I had canceled my personal facebook and it took the Crohn's one with it. Oops!

 

[Crohn's 35]

Yes I have seen the Gastroenologist site and you have to be a doctor to sign in. They have published stuff sent to them. Besides being in Latin lol, they have to learn laymen terms :lol:

 

[kiny]

Kind of depends what you're talking about, G.I. talk to each other through university / clinic and lab networks completely separate from the public. As it should be though, people would be taking stuff left and right based on snippets of info.

I can tell you how a hospital tends to discuss patients in private though because I was able to attend one.

Say you just had an MRI scan. What happens next is that the person will go over all the slides, often a few thousand. Next a meeting will take place, usually a surgeon (even if surgery is out of the question, there is often one present), a GI, an assistant GI, the person responsible for the MRI, and whoever else will sit around and discuss the patient, it can take anywhere from half an hour to a few hours. After that they make an evaluation and inform the patient.

 

[Crohnadian]

Why would doctors have any discussion? Aren't they all super geniuses who know everything? Lol. Just frustrated with mine..
They do have conferences and meetings though and I'd bet there are online private access via passcode forums. Or probably more like places to post reports and such. But I doubt patient information can be posted online. That would probably violate several patient/human rights and get doctors in a lot of trouble if it ever got out

 

[kss]

Crohnadian is an awesome name! Thanks. The more I'm learning about how physicians communicate the more disappointed I get.

 

[notfullyfathomed]

In my field there is a listserve that you can join where people discuss interesting clinical problems -- not sure if GIs would do this, but it is one way to really control who sees these kinds of online conversations.

 

[Nosick]

The CCFA website used to have a forum that was moderated by a GI doc. It was great. LOTS of good information from the doc (and other doctors) and the members.

About 5 years ago they took the whole thing down because of liability concerns. I don't know if I believe that but it was a real disappointment when they did it.

 

[kss]

Oh wow! That's interesting. Thanks.

I'm surprised the CCFA forums really aren't very active. At least not nearly as active of this one. This furum is about 100X better than that one.

 

[littlemissh]

In England (not sure if all uk but probably) each hospital will have Multidisciplinary team meetings . For IBD in general they are once every week to fortnight where patients are discussed etc. In the team there are GI's , surgeons, radiologists, dietician, ibd nurses etc.
This may only be a UK thing.An interesting article in the British Medical Journal said that british GI docs have about 300-400 patients with ibd under their care (and their team) whereas most north american gi's often have around 20-40. Those figures may not be totally correct but about right. So it may not be worthwhile north american gi's holding fortnightly meetings.
The British Society of Gastroenterology also have regular meetings/conferences where IBD is discussed...though probably the crap gi's don't bother going to get updated!