Vertigo Research HQ

Medical Review Policy

Medical review is required when a page materially discusses diagnosis, treatment, dosage, interactions, prognosis, red flags, or clinical interpretation. It is an additional safety and accuracy control for health content, not a site-wide endorsement or a substitute for a reader's own clinician.

When review is required

Qualified medical review is required when an article does one or more of the following:

• interprets symptoms, causes, diagnostic pathways, or prognosis;
• compares treatments, maneuvers, doses, contraindications, or interactions;
• explains urgent warning signs or when to seek care;
• translates clinical evidence into a practical conclusion; or
• could reasonably influence a reader to delay, start, stop, or change care.

Editorial-methodology, disclosure, privacy, and other non-clinical administrative pages may not require a clinician, but they still pass every other applicable publication gate.

Reviewer standard

The reviewer must be a real, appropriately qualified person whose identity, credentials, review scope, date, and findings are recorded. We do not display a reviewer or imply specialist review until that work is complete.

The required qualification depends on the subject. A reviewer must be able to evaluate the specific clinical claims and safety implications in the article, not merely hold a healthcare credential unrelated to the topic.

What the reviewer checks

Review includes the accuracy and framing of clinical claims, consistency with cited evidence, safety warnings, uncertainty, scope limits, and any wording that could be interpreted as individualized medical advice.

The accountable editor remains responsible for reconciling reviewer findings, sources, disclosures, and the final published text.

What medical review does not replace

Medical review is one part of the article process. It does not replace audience and search research, source verification, claim reconciliation, FDA or FTC review where applicable, commercial and referral review, line-by-line editing, accessibility testing, or technical validation.

Medical review also does not create a clinician-patient relationship. Reviewers do not evaluate reader symptoms, answer personal medical questions, or provide emergency care through this site.

Questions or concerns

To question a clinical statement or reported review, email [email protected] with the page address, quoted passage, and supporting source if available. Safety concerns are prioritized under our corrections policy.