Is it Okay for Writers to Give Medical Advice?
Jillita Horton
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Are you a writer who's worried about being sued for giving medical advice in one of your articles? The concept of writers giving medical advice brings to mind several compelling points. I have written tons of medical articles, but from a technical standpoint, I, as the writer, was not literally givi 
ng medical advice. I carefully word my articles when there is no quoted medical doctor included.
This is America and it is perfectly legal for writers to give medical advice. In fact, the Internet is saturated with medical advice given out by laymen. Apparently, nobody is suing them. However, some writers can't help but consider legal consequences of giving medical advice.
When writers give medical advice...
Writers should first determine if they are literally giving medical advice. Oftentimes, writers do no such thing, but only think they are. If your article is about what cancer patients should eat, this is not medical advice. It is dietary or nutrition advice. Doctors can't even agree on what a healthy person should eat for breakfast. Of course, that's no surprise, considering that very few American medical schools educate their students in nutrition science. If your article is about what kind of herbal teas could alleviate depression, again, this is not medical advice. It is nutritional advice. But if in your article you recommend that people with nagging coughs should ingest cough drops, or that everyone with high cholesterol should take statin drugs, THAT is medical advice.
When writers give medical advice...
Dietary, nutritional and exercise recommendations are not medical advice. They fall under the category of dietary, nutritional and exercise advice. So if after evaluation, writers realize that yes, the article contains medical advice, the next step is to ask if it's reasonable. Is the writer suggesting a Type 1 diabetic quit taking insulin? Or is the writer simply recommending that if a woman experiences persistent bloating, constipation and back pain, she should demand an ultrasound and CA 25 blood test?
This is America and it is perfectly legal for writers to give medical advice. In fact, the Internet is saturated with medical advice given out by laymen. Apparently, nobody is suing them. However, some writers can't help but consider legal consequences of giving medical advice.
When writers give medical advice...
Writers should first determine if they are literally giving medical advice. Oftentimes, writers do no such thing, but only think they are. If your article is about what cancer patients should eat, this is not medical advice. It is dietary or nutrition advice. Doctors can't even agree on what a healthy person should eat for breakfast. Of course, that's no surprise, considering that very few American medical schools educate their students in nutrition science. If your article is about what kind of herbal teas could alleviate depression, again, this is not medical advice. It is nutritional advice. But if in your article you recommend that people with nagging coughs should ingest cough drops, or that everyone with high cholesterol should take statin drugs, THAT is medical advice.
When writers give medical advice...
Dietary, nutritional and exercise recommendations are not medical advice. They fall under the category of dietary, nutritional and exercise advice. So if after evaluation, writers realize that yes, the article contains medical advice, the next step is to ask if it's reasonable. Is the writer suggesting a Type 1 diabetic quit taking insulin? Or is the writer simply recommending that if a woman experiences persistent bloating, constipation and back pain, she should demand an ultrasound and CA 25 blood test?
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