Difference between revisions of "Libre Pathology"

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'''Onlinepathology''' is a wiki to collect all things pathology.  The primary target audience is [[pathologist]]s and pathologists-in-training, and it is assumed that the reader has some basic medical knowledge.   
'''Onlinepathology''' is a wiki to collect all things pathology.  The audience is anyone that wants to know more about pathology.   


An effort is made to formulate things so that medical students, other physicians and the public at large can gain some insight into the fascinating world of pathology.
An effort is made to formulate things so that the public at large, medical students and other physicians can gain greater insight into the fascinating world of pathology.


==Motivation==
==Motivation==
With a few exceptions, pathology journals and textbooks are pay-per-view. Imagine a world in which pathology knowledge is accessible to every person on the planet with an internet connection. Patients and other physicians would have a chance to see for them self the challenges pathologists deal with. Medical students would see a vibrant specialty that is evolving with progress in medicine and, in fact, a driver of progress.  
With a few exceptions, pathology journals and textbooks are pay-per-view. Imagine a world in which pathology knowledge is accessible to every person on the planet with an internet connection. Patients and other physicians would have a chance to see for them self the challenges pathologists deal with. Medical students would see a vibrant specialty that is evolving with progress in medicine and, in fact, a driver of progress.  


Second, good pathology textbooks are few. Most are laden with dense text and impractical when looking down the [[microscope]]. The philosophy seems wrong -- the emphasis is on making dense text. In my first profession, I have heard it said that the textbook writers are paid by the figure and table.  In this light, many of the people writing pathology textbooks, by and large, have it backward.  The philosophy here is deliver the goods straight and give a [[differential diagnosis|differential]]. Tables are considered highly desirable and decision trees useful. Dense text is seen as a weakness.
Second, good pathology textbooks are few. Most are laden with dense text and impractical when looking down the [[microscope]]. The philosophy seems wrong -- the emphasis is on making dense text.  


The task taken up here is no small one and it is challenging as [[pathologist]]s not only often disagree on whether a certain feature is present, but also on whether it important or even relevant to the diagnosis! Psychiatrists, in this respect, have to be envied, they at least agree on the criteria. With things as they are, it is shocking to think that the gold standard in medicine is built on this - foundation of shifting sand.
The philosophy here is deliver the goods straight and give a [[differential diagnosis|differential]] and images or at least links to some. Tables are considered highly desirable and decision trees useful. Dense text is seen as a weakness. The philosophy is in line with that in engineering, where it said that the textbook writers are paid by the figure and table.  


==Motto==
The task taken up here is no small one and it is challenging as [[pathologist]]s not only often disagree on whether a certain feature is present, but also on whether it important or even relevant to the diagnosis! Psychiatrists, in this respect, have to be envied, they at least agree on the criteria... and just argue whether they are present in a given case or not.  
"Love the truth, seek to know it and spread it."


:This is adapted from a famous surgeon eulogized by ''Haggard'', that is known to have had on his desk a sign that read "He loved the truth and sought to know it."<ref name=haggard>{{Cite journal  | last1 = Haggard | first1 = W.D. | last2 = | first2 = | title = In memoriam William J. Mayo (1861-1939) and Charles H. Mayo (1865-1939) | journal = Annals of Surgery | volume = 111  | issue =  | pages = 503-7 | month = Aug | year = 1940 | pmid = | pmc=1387905 | doi = | url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1387905/pdf/annsurg00498-0167.pdf }}</ref>
==History==
This project grew out the need to pass [[FRCPC|an exam]] and a realization that nuggets of wisdom scribbled down on a piece of paper are never to be found when needed most.  


==Milestones==
The finding little bits of information thing, in a pile of it, was a problem where the solution was already out there (it is called a database), and some guys had already made a really niffy interface using PHP, and then built one of the biggest damn web sites out there ([[Wikipedia:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]]).  Thus, MediaWiki, the software that runs Wikipedia, was the obvious choice.
 
So, this was essentially a set of study notes.  [[User:Michael|The guy that started it]] passed [[FRCPC|that exam]] and then [[DABP|another one]]. Then, he realized the wiki is sort of useful... but could get even [[Editing Onlinepathology|better with the help of others]].
 
===Milestones===
*First edit - 12 May 2010.
*First edit - 12 May 2010.
*One thousand entities in the ''[[:Category:Diagnosis|diagnosis]]'' category - 8 June 2012.  
*One thousand entities in the ''[[:Category:Diagnosis|diagnosis]]'' category - 8 June 2012.  
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==Software==
==Software==
*Mediawiki.
*[[Mediawiki]].
*PHP.
*PHP.
*Debian [[GNU/Linux]].
*Debian [[GNU/Linux]].
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