Editorial Policy
How CareAtlas uses sources, records verification status and handles corrections — no invented testimonials, no paid placement, labeled AI use.
Evidence first
CareAtlas presents practical information — phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, accreditation records and prices — with source references. We prefer official hospital websites and government pages; we use media reports and third-party databases only when nothing better exists, and we say so.
For recorded hospital facts, we keep the source page and supporting quotation so readers can trace the stated information to its original wording. A quotation shows what the source says; it does not by itself establish that the information is complete or still current.
Re-checking sources
Source pages change. Automated re-checks look for a recorded quotation on its original page. Where a verification record is available, its status means:
- Quote matched in source — the original wording was found again on the source page.
- Quote no longer found — the page still exists but the wording has changed or disappeared.
- Source unreachable — the source page could not be loaded.
- Not yet re-checked — the fact has been recorded but not yet re-verified.
- Editorially checked — an editor manually checked the recorded statement against its source.
- Conflicting information — the recorded information needs review because the sources or statements disagree.
- Needs updating — the recorded information has been flagged for an update.
A fact whose status is anything other than "quote matched in source" or "editorially checked" should be treated with extra caution, and we label it accordingly rather than hiding the uncertainty.
Editorial responsibility and dates
Editing covers selecting sources, recording quotations, organising practical information and reviewing corrections. A page update date does not mean every fact was checked again that day. Read the individual source and check date where shown; a matched quotation or an editor confirmation is not a clinical review or a guarantee of present availability.
Unknown stays unknown
If we could not verify something, we leave the field empty or mark it as unknown. We never fill gaps with guesses, averages, or plausible-sounding numbers. A blank is more honest than a fabrication.
What we never publish
- Invented patients, testimonials, or success stories.
- Success rates or outcome statistics that we cannot trace to a published source.
- "Best hospital" rankings. We do not rank hospitals, and no hospital can pay for placement, priority, or a recommendation on CareAtlas.
AI usage disclosure
The following uses of software are identified on the site:
- Traditional Chinese articles marked as automatically converted are generated from Simplified Chinese text and display a conversion notice. A conversion label does not establish human review.
- The AI trip planner generates clearly labeled, illustrative itineraries. Its output is an example for planning purposes, not medical advice and not a verified fact.
Source references, update dates and translation labels help readers assess the information; they are not a claim of clinical review. Check the cited sources and any verification status shown on the page.
Corrections
Hospital pages have a form for reporting incorrect information. For guides and other pages, use the contact page. Include the page URL, the statement you believe needs correcting and, if available, a supporting source. We review the relevant sources and correct the content when an error is confirmed. A report starts a review; it does not automatically establish that a claim is wrong.