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Evidence-led information · Clinical editorial standards

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AddictionInfo guide

Medical Review Process

What evidence-checked means, how clinical review is labeled and when pages are re-evaluated.

How review labels work

“Evidence checked” means the editorial team reviewed the page against cited authoritative sources. “Medically reviewed” is used only when a named, appropriately qualified clinician has reviewed that specific version and their role is displayed.

Editorial evidence check

  1. Define the page’s clinical questions and high-risk claims.
  2. Search the current guidance and primary or authoritative sources.
  3. Check terminology, numbers, contraindications, urgent symptoms and treatment boundaries.
  4. Remove unsupported certainty and marketing statistics.
  5. Add source links and an evidence-check date.
  6. Apply safety and published methodology and limitations modules where relevant.

Clinical review

When a clinician reviews a page, the publication should record their name, credentials, scope, date and any conflicts. Review does not imply a treating relationship or personal advice. A reviewer should be qualified for the subject; one professional title does not cover every specialty.

Topics prioritized for clinical review

Withdrawal, overdose, medication, pregnancy, severe mental illness, suicidality, medical complications and content likely to influence urgent decisions receive priority. Until named clinical review is complete, pages must use conservative language and authoritative source links.

Legacy content

Older articles can remain useful, but they should not inherit a medical-review label. Pages with speculative claims about named people are excluded from indexing pending individual review. High-risk legacy pages receive a visible safety notice even before a full rewrite.

Corrections

A correction should be proportional to the error. Material changes—such as reversing a recommendation, correcting a dangerous instruction or removing an unsupported statistic—should update the review date and be noted. Typographic edits do not need a public correction record.

Sources and further reading

  1. Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide — National Institute on Drug Abuse
  2. About The ASAM Criteria — American Society of Addiction Medicine

How this page was prepared

Prepared by the AddictionInfo Editorial Team and last evidence-checked on September 4, 2026. We distinguish education from medical advice, link material claims to primary or authoritative sources, and correct substantive errors transparently. Read our editorial standards.