OB/GYN Faculty Offer Expertise Online

Dr. Mark Wild checks a resource before he responds to a question posed by a woman on the website.

Imagine is not her real name, yet her concerns are very real. Like many other women she found a helpful resource through the Ask The Expert section on The State newspaper’s website (www.thestate.com). Provided by the faculty of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ask The Expert gives women a place to turn with questions about female health.

“We thought this would be a good way to reach out and educate the community on women’s health issues,” said Mark Wild, M.D., an instructor of obstetrics and gynecology and the department’s coordinator for the question-and-answer service. Since Ask The Expert was implemented last year, the number of questions has soared from approximately eight to about 80 per month. “We’re not just hearing from women in the United States, but from all over the world,” Dr. Wild said. Because of the great demand, guidelines on the website now inform readers that responses will only be posted to inquiries from the southeastern United States.

With the website averaging about 400 hits a month, Dr. Wild feels that many women find the information they are seeking from reading responses to other women’s queries. Faculty members share the job of addressing the questions, which often center on a number of common themes, including irregular bleeding, infertility, and hormone replacement. While some questions are easily answered, others require research or consultation with other physicians. When medical concerns are presented that are not related to obstetrics and gynecology, women are steered to a more appropriate resource.

Sometimes answers are not so easy to come by, particularly when women ask about specific symptoms they are experiencing as opposed to general information about a health condition. Dr. Wild explained, “I give them thoughts on what it could be and try to educate them. I certainly cannot make a diagnosis without all the information and examining them.” If a woman’s situation is determined to be a potentially serious one, a recommendation is made for her to seek medical attention. Dr. Wild is quick to assert, “People need to understand that this is not a substitute for seeing a doctor. We are not practicing online medicine.”

While keeping up with the volume of response is a tremendous challenge, it’s a challenge that the faculty takes to heart. “One of our main missions is not only to educate physicians but to educate the community on women’s health. Through this website we can reach out to a larger portion of the community not only encompassing the Columbia area, but the entire Southeast,” Dr. Wild said.

Reprinted from Connections newsletter, April 2003

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