Medical Review Policy

Purpose and scope

This policy explains when Virtual Sleep Care content requires medical review, how reviewers are selected, what they assess and how readers can interpret a “medically reviewed” attribution. It applies to health education, symptom guidance, sleep testing, treatment, CPAP use, medical-device safety and other content that could reasonably affect a health decision.

This policy works with our Editorial Policy, Transparency and Corrections Policy and contributor information on the Experts page. Editorial, product, privacy, legal, accessibility and operational reviews remain separate when their expertise is also required.

Which content requires medical review?

Medical review is normally required for content that discusses:

Purely administrative, corporate or non-clinical material may not need medical review. If editorial changes introduce a clinical claim, the page moves into the medical-review pathway.

• symptoms, warning signs or possible causes of a health concern;
• sleep disorders and clinical definitions;
• screening tools, diagnostic pathways and sleep-test interpretation;
• treatment benefits, limitations, risks, contraindications or alternatives;
• CPAP settings, usage data, side effects and troubleshooting;
• medical-device safety, recalls, compatibility or clinically meaningful product claims;
• pregnancy, children, older adults, complex health conditions or other populations needing added context;
• driving, workplace or emergency safety advice related to sleepiness; or
• any statement that could materially influence whether or when a reader seeks care.

How we select a reviewer

A reviewer must have qualifications and experience relevant to the page’s subject. Virtual Sleep Care checks identity, credentials, professional registration where applicable, scope of practice, subject-matter fit and material conflicts before assigning review credit. Appearance on an expert profile does not automatically qualify someone to review every topic.

The required expertise depends on the content. A respiratory therapist may be well suited to review CPAP setup, mask fit and adherence education; a physician or other professional may be needed where diagnosis, prescribing, complex disease or another regulated scope is central. More than one reviewer may be used when a page crosses disciplines.

What a medical reviewer checks

The reviewer assesses the exact draft presented for approval, including:

A reviewer may approve the page, request changes, narrow a claim, require another specialist or decline attribution.

• whether material clinical claims are accurate and supported by appropriate sources;
• whether benefits, limitations, alternatives and uncertainty are represented proportionately;
• whether the page avoids diagnosing an individual or giving unsafe treatment instructions;
• whether risk, contraindication, recall and escalation language is clear enough for the topic;
• whether urgent symptoms and safety-sensitive situations are directed appropriately;
• whether Canadian context is accurate or clearly distinguished from guidance from another jurisdiction;
• whether terminology, units, examples, tables, FAQs and summaries remain consistent;
• whether links and references support the claims for which they are cited;
• whether visible content, metadata and structured data communicate the same meaning; and
• whether the review date, attribution, disclaimer and planned update timing are appropriate.

Evidence and source standards

Reviewers consider whether the sources are appropriate for the claim and current enough for the topic. Priority generally goes to Canadian regulators and public-health authorities, professional clinical guidelines, systematic reviews, peer-reviewed research and official manufacturer instructions for product-specific facts. A source’s authority does not make it relevant to every sentence.

Where evidence is limited, mixed or changing, the page should say so. We do not turn association into causation, treat an insurer’s reimbursement schedule as a clinical replacement rule or present a manufacturer’s marketing statement as independent clinical evidence.

What “medically reviewed” means

A visible medical-review attribution means the named professional reviewed that version of the page within the documented scope and authorized the stated attribution. Published pages should identify the reviewer’s name and credentials, the review or update date and a link to available profile or policy information.

It does not mean the reviewer personally wrote every sentence, endorses every Virtual Sleep Care service or product, or has assessed the reader. It also does not guarantee that the information applies to every person or remains unchanged indefinitely.

Authors, editors and reviewers have different roles

An author develops or substantially writes the content. An editor shapes clarity, structure, sourcing and consistency. A medical reviewer evaluates clinical accuracy and safety within a defined professional scope. One person may perform more than one role only when the page labels those roles accurately and the required checks are still documented.

Naming a reviewer does not transfer responsibility away from Virtual Sleep Care. The organization remains accountable for publishing, maintaining, correcting and retiring its content.

Independence, commercial relationships and conflicts

Reviewers disclose relevant financial, ownership, referral, supplier, manufacturer and professional relationships. A potential conflict does not automatically prohibit participation, but it must be assessed and managed. Depending on the circumstances, Virtual Sleep Care may add a disclosure, use an independent second reviewer, narrow the assignment or select another reviewer.

Commercial goals do not lower the evidence or safety standard. Product availability, affiliate arrangements, supplier relationships or sales priorities must not determine a clinical conclusion or suppress a reasonable alternative.

How review is documented

The review record should identify the page and version, reviewer, verified credentials, scope, review date, decision, material changes requested, relevant disclosures and the next planned review or trigger. A page may display medical-review credit only after the record is complete and the final wording and attribution are approved.

Minor spelling, punctuation or formatting changes that do not alter meaning may use an expedited editorial check. Any change that affects a clinical claim, recommendation, risk statement, source, table, FAQ answer, metadata or schema requires an appropriate renewed review.

Update triggers and review frequency

Medical content is reviewed on a planned cycle and sooner when warranted. Triggers can include new clinical guidance, safety communications, recalls, regulatory changes, significant new evidence, product changes, broken or retired sources, reader feedback or discovery of an error.

The date shown on a page refers to the version reviewed or materially updated. It should not be refreshed merely to make older content appear current. If a page can no longer be supported, it may be corrected, rewritten, redirected, archived or removed.

Corrections and professional disagreement

Readers and professionals can report a factual, safety, sourcing, accessibility or attribution concern through the route described in our Transparency and Corrections Policy. A report is logged and assessed according to its potential impact; urgent safety concerns receive priority.

Qualified reviewers can reasonably interpret incomplete evidence differently. When disagreement is material, Virtual Sleep Care may seek an additional review, describe the uncertainty, narrow the conclusion or remove the disputed claim. We do not present consensus where it does not exist.

Limits of medical review

Even carefully reviewed education cannot include every contraindication, interaction, diagnosis or individual circumstance. Readers should use it to prepare questions and understand options, not to start, stop or change prescribed treatment without appropriate professional guidance.

Call emergency services for an immediate danger or medical emergency. Medical review of a webpage does not provide monitoring, emergency response, diagnosis, prescribing or an individualized standard of care.

Policy ownership and changes

Virtual Sleep Care is responsible for this policy and for maintaining the review records behind published attributions. Material policy changes should update the visible revision date and, where useful, explain what changed. The policy should be reviewed alongside the Editorial Policy and corrections process so that the three remain consistent.