A medical disclaimer is a notice on your website that tells your readers the information you’re providing is for informational purposes only. If your website publishes articles on medical or health topics, it’s advisable to include one.
What Is a Medical Disclaimer?
A medical disclaimer is a legal statement that helps reduce liability for informational content on medical and health topics. It informs users that the information you provide is for informational purposes only and doesn’t constitute professional advice.
Like other disclaimers, it helps reduce liability should a reader pursue legal action based on your content. It isn’t legally required, but it’s advisable.
Who Should Use a Medical Disclaimer?
Any website that includes health or medical information should carry one, including:
- Health, medical, and wellness blogs: writing about health and medical topics often includes suggestions for improving a health condition. A disclaimer reduces the chance readers mistake this for personal medical advice.
- Medical centre and doctor websites: practice websites frequently publish articles on medical topics and should carry a disclaimer covering that content.
- Hospital websites: hospital sites often cover a wide range of medical topics and should disclaim that the content is informational only.
- Pharmaceutical company websites: pharmaceutical companies publish information on how their products treat medical conditions, and a disclaimer helps reduce liability around that content.
- Government medical websites: health agencies publish general medical information and typically disclaim that it’s for informational purposes only, not individual advice.
Examples of Medical Disclaimers
Below are examples of medical disclaimers taken from various types of medical websites that show the importance of including this type of disclaimer on your website.
Health, Medical and Wellness Blogs
Health blog everydayhealth.com includes the following disclaimer on their website:
Medical Centers and Doctors Websites
Below is an example of a medical disclaimer taken from Hospital Hill Surgery website in Scotland.
Hospital Websites
Below is an example of a Hospital website medical disclaimer from Mass General Hospital in Massachusetts U.S.A.
Pharmaceutical Companies Websites
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer include this medical disclaimer in their website:
Government Medical Websites
The American Medical Association (aka the AMA) has a website that contains information on health and medical topics. The following disclaimer can be found on their website:
Conclusion
Medical disclaimers, like all disclaimers, help reduce a website’s liability in the event of legal action. They’re useful for any site publishing medical or health information: blogs, medical practices, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and government health agencies alike.
Our disclaimer generator includes a lawyer-drafted medical disclaimer clause to help reduce legal liability for your website.
The information in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any matter, and does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
