Icy Health’s Approach to Providing Reliable and Accurate Health Information

At Icy Health, we are dedicated to offering trustworthy, accessible, and accurate information to empower you in taking care of your health and well-being.

To ensure that we deliver the highest quality information, we have developed a robust Editorial Process that underpins everything we do. So, what exactly is this process and how do we ensure that every piece of content we publish meets our rigorous standards?

Our team follows four key pillars of our Editorial Process, which are designed to provide you with timely, evidence-based information that you can rely on:

1. Establishing and Maintaining Trust

Finding reliable health information can be challenging, with a multitude of sources that may be confusing, overwhelming, inaccurate, irrelevant, or difficult to access. Our goal is to change that.

We are committed to creating content that is trustworthy, accurate, evidence-based, clear, understandable, accessible, empathetic, and actionable. We strive to address all aspects of well-being and emphasize the crucial connection between health and lifestyle, promoting a holistic approach to health. In line with this, we openly and objectively cover a wide range of topics and viewpoints.

We recognize that everyone’s journey is unique, and we stand for inclusivity and empathy. Our platform is free of judgment, and we are here to support everyone in their pursuit of better health.

2. Upholding High Journalistic Standards

When you turn to our health site, you expect accurate and reliable information about your well-being. It is our responsibility to set and maintain high journalistic standards. Our news and educational content are unbiased, balanced, timely, actionable, research-backed, honest, and comprehensive. Additionally, our feature content brings forward individual perspectives with empathy, candor, and respect.

Here’s how we ensure that we meet these standards:

• Careful selection and regular training of contributors: Our in-house editorial team carefully selects expert writers and contributors. We evaluate their subject matter expertise, relevant life experience, and provide ongoing training on research and sourcing best practices. We also provide regular feedback and coaching to maintain the quality of their work.
• Medical review by experts: Our health information undergoes thorough medical review by professionals from diverse backgrounds within our Medical Network. These experts, who come from research institutions, professional organizations, and private practice, have extensive expertise in their respective fields. Their input adds valuable perspectives from clinical practice, research, and patient advocacy.
• Vetting of partner brands: We meticulously research the business practices of brands we collaborate with and mention in our content. Our Brand and Content Integrity team evaluates the medical and health claims of partner brands against the current body of scientific evidence.
• Skilled medical editors for drug information content: Our consumer drug information content is developed by a team of skilled medical editors working in collaboration with PharmD writers and Medical Reviewers. These experts are well-versed in answering your questions and presenting complex pharmaceutical information in a clear and concise manner.
• Staying up to date with the latest research: Our News team consists of experienced writers and professional fact-checkers who keep abreast of the latest medical research. They ensure that you are informed about the latest developments in the world of health.
• Rigorous content review: Our in-house editorial team meticulously reviews every piece of content before publication. We double-check for clarity, accuracy, quality sourcing, and inclusive and empathetic language, ensuring that each article meets our stringent editorial standards.

3. Emphasizing Accuracy, Empathy, and Inclusivity

We are dedicated to making our content accessible and understandable to all readers. To achieve this, we rely on a proprietary style guide based on the Associated Press Stylebook. This ensures that our writers and editors prioritize readability, clarity, empathy, inclusivity, real-life application, quality sourcing, and clear citations.

You will notice that our voice is warm, approachable, and progressive. We strive to go beyond being approachable and transparent by using conscious and respectful language that promotes inclusivity and compassion. Our goal is to tell judgment-free stories using empathetic language, while actively working to remove stigma, stereotypes, and bias.

Participation to Involve You And Us Together

We consider conscious language an ongoing commitment. We actively engage with community advocates and conduct research on language trends within health communities. We carefully choose our words, seeking to combat stigmas and empower our readers.

We understand that language evolves, and we evolve with it. We also recognize that health experiences differ for each individual, so we respect people’s choice of words when they share their personal stories. Ultimately, we believe that we can only be true allies if we place you, the reader, at the center of everything we do. Our use of language reflects this commitment.

4. Continuous Monitoring and Content Updating

Yes, health information is constantly evolving. New research emerges, old ideas are debunked, and terminology becomes outdated. To ensure that we provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information, we have dedicated teams of editors and experts focused on identifying and updating any inaccurate or unclear content.

Our Medical Integrity team remains vigilant about changes in standards of care, new clinical guidelines, drug approvals or recalls, and major practice recommendations. They share these insights with our editors and partners so that our content can be updated to reflect the latest, most accurate, and most useful information.

You may notice various dates associated with our content, each representing a different step in our editorial process:

• “Written on” date: This date indicates when the piece of content was originally written and published on our site.
• “Medical review” date: Every time our content is reviewed by an expert member of our Medical Network, it receives a new medical review date.
• “Fact-checked” date: Our professional fact-checkers verify the accuracy of our content, assigning a new date to indicate when the content was fact-checked.
• “Updated on” date: Whenever a piece of content is modified, it receives a new updated date. These modifications may include corrections of minor inaccuracies, addition of new information, replacement of images and sources, or any other change made to enhance the value of the content for you, the reader.

We prioritize content updating and re-review through several ongoing processes, including regular audits to address changes in language and medical terminology, annual brand vetting to evaluate our partner brands, timely updates from our news team on developing stories, and immediate action based on reader feedback. When readers bring potential issues to our attention, such as inaccuracies, outdated information, lack of clarity, or contradictions, our editorial and medical teams conduct thorough research, make necessary revisions, and republish the updated content.

Our Editorial Process, Designed for You At our health site, your well-being is our top priority. We strive to be your ally in your journey toward health and wellness. Our Editorial Process ensures that we deliver the most accurate, relevant, and accessible content possible.

We are committed to continuous improvement and value your feedback. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the accuracy or usability of our content or if you believe an article needs updating, please visit this page to let us know. Your input helps us maintain our commitment to providing you with the highest quality health information.

Author

Icy Health Editorial Team