Suggestion for the site policy of not giving medical advice

I know that our website has a policy on not giving out medical advice. I know that it's not the purpose of the site and can possibly have legal liability consequences for incorrect information, not knowing the patient, the fact that members are not physicians, etc.

However, at the same time, we see some tragic stories posted and it seems horrible to just post, "I'm sorry, we cannot give medical advice" followed by a locked thread. Even though it's the truth, it comes across as uncaring.

I really think that we can do better.

Sometimes when you are a layperson, researching things on the internet can be difficult, especially when you don't know what medical term to look up, what it's supposed to be called, or what direction to go. This site pops up high on Google because of all of the medical discussions that take place here...so naturally, people will come here to ask questions.

We are taught that part of our job is to educate the public....and I think it is possible to have a happy medium.

Instead of answering these posts with "we can't give medical advice" why not post some websites that "may be helpful in your quest for more information" or maybe offering suggestions on local agencies that they may look for to turn to help, support groups, just letting them know that any time you have a serious question to always get a second opinion, etc.

To me, when people have questions, all they really want is more information.