We are aware of and highly critical of unscrupulous, misinformed,
profiteering and self-promoting medical websites. While scouring the Worldwide
Web, we came across the Health on the Net (HON) code for medical websites. The
code guides medical websites on good Ethical conduct.
The HON code below forms the guiding principles for this website. We will be
soon applying for their seal of approval.
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Authority |
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1.
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Any medical or health advice provided and
hosted on this site will only be given by medically trained and qualified
professionals unless a clear statement is made that a piece of advice
offered is from a non-medically qualified individual or organisation. |
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Complementarity |
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2.
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The information provided on this site is
designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a
patient/site visitor and his/her existing physician. |
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Confidentiality |
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3.
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Confidentiality of data relating to
individual patients and visitors to a medical/health Web site, including
their identity, is respected by this Web site. The Web site owners
undertake to honour or exceed the legal requirements of medical/health
information privacy that apply in the country and state where the Web site
and mirror sites are located. |
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Attribution |
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4.
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Where appropriate, information contained
on this site will be supported by clear references to source data and,
where possible, have specific HTML links to that data. The date when a
clinical page was last modified will be clearly displayed (e.g. at the
bottom of the page). |
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Justifiability |
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5.
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Any claims relating to the
benefits/performance of a specific treatment, commercial product or
service will be supported by appropriate, balanced evidence in the manner
outlined above in Principle 4.. |
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Transparency of authorship |
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6.
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The designers of this Web site will seek
to provide information in the clearest possible manner and provide contact
addresses for visitors that seek further information or support. The
Webmaster will display his/her E-mail address clearly throughout the Web
site. |
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Transparency of sponsorship |
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7.
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Support for this Web site will be clearly
identified, including the identities of commercial and non-commercial
organisations that have contributed funding, services or material for the
site. |
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Honesty in advertising & editorial
policy |
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8.
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If advertising is a source of funding it
will be clearly stated. A brief description of the advertising policy
adopted by the Web site owners will be displayed on the site. Advertising
and other promotional material will be presented to viewers in a manner
and context that facilitates differentiation between it and the original
material created by the institution operating the site. |
