Avoid 'roadside' consults if you value your health

Avoid curbside consults (Photo: iStock)

Informal medical consultations, also referred to as curbside consults, are way too common. These are situations where patients solicit for medical advice from healthcare workers opportunistically and informally. Curbside consults are fraught with serious limitations, and should always be considered as a chitchat rather than formal medical advice.

Individuals clamouring for curbside consults are usually looking for information, advice on specific conditions or a second opinion. Either way, a curbside encounter must be regarded as cursory, as it happens outside of a formal medical setting.