Policies

We have designed Lab Tests Online-UK to comply with the seven principles of the Code of Conduct for medical and health web sites.

1. Authority: Lab Tests Online-UK (LTO-UK): All medically-related information on the site has been obtained from qualified resources.

2. Complementarity: LTO-UK: Our primary objective is to help public understanding about lab testing in order to help improved doctor-patient communication. We encourage patients and carers to learn as much as they want about their health care so that they can become active partners with their doctors in looking after their own health.

3. Privacy: LTO-UK: We fully respect the confidentiality of our visitors. Please see our privacy policy for more detail.

4. Attribution: LTO-UK: Because this site is designed for patients and carers, we have not included references to source data for the sake of readability. If there is a question regarding a source for a specific piece of information, please send an email from the Contact Us page with your query.

At the bottom of every page containing substantive content, we include the date that the page or article was last reviewed and the date it was last modified.

5. Transparency: LTO-UK: For our feature articles, we do note the author and sources for the information. Our editorial board has been responsible for reviewing all test, condition/diseases, and screening pages; we also note on this page the contributions of individuals who have reviewed or written material. We have not provided e-mail addresses for specific individuals on this site out of respect for their privacy. However, questions to the Webmaster can be submitted from the Contact Us page.

6. Financial disclosure: LTO-UK: These organisations are clearly identified on our home page, and again on our Partners and page which include brief descriptions of each organisation and a link to its web site.

7. Advertising policy: LTO-UK: There is no advertising on the site. 

Content Licensing

Lab Tests Online is copyright protected. Any use of materials on this Lab Tests Online-UK website, including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of the Association for Laboratory Medicine, is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding the use of content on this website can be submitted from the Contact Us page.

Linking Guidelines

1. LTO-UK encourages other web sites to link to the Lab Tests Online home page and, if contextually appropriate, to pages deeper within the site. We do not charge a fee or ask for anything in return.

2. We do not, however, permit viewing of LTO-UK pages within a separately branded environment.

3. All links to LTO-UK should either open a new blank window or first clear all contents of the current window before displaying the Lab Tests Online page. The Lab Tests Online-UK URL should appear in the address bar.

We ask that you send us your web site's URL for our records, noting where you have linked to Lab Tests Online-UK. If LTO-UK finds that linking guidelines are not being followed, you will be notified and required to comply.

The Association for Laboratory Medicine (“LabMed”, “we”, “us” or “our”) are committed to honouring the privacy of the visitors to Lab Tests Online-UK website, available at https://labtestsonline.org.uk/.

You may use the Contact Us page to send us any questions you may have about our Privacy policy.

This website contains links to other websites. LabMed are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Websites.

Information Collected
We collect non-personal data you submit on forms found on our website to help us understand how the website is being used and how we can improve it. This information is invaluable and helps us provide a better service.

Personally Identifiable Information
We collect and store personally identifiable information such as your title, name, surname, email and mailing address, if provided by you, whenever you contact us directly with a question or comment on our feedback form on our Website, when you sign up for our email newsletter, when you request our promotional materials or you have agreed to promote Lab Tests Online-UK as a Champion, when you provide responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research purposes and any search queries on the Website.

We collect this data so that we may contact you with a response to your questions or comments, or to follow up with questions of our own. If you have indicated that you are interested in receiving updates about the website, we will use your email address to send you an email noting such updates. We will not send you unsolicited information, commercial offers, and advertisements.

You may opt out from receiving emails from us by contacting us at labtestsonlineuk@acb.org.uk.

Aggregate Information
De-Identified Personal Information or non-Personal Information is aggregated for system administration and to monitor usage of the Website. It is utilised to measure the number of visits to our Website, average time spent, number of pages viewed and to monitor various other Website statistics. This monitoring helps us evaluate how visitors use and navigate our Website so we can improve the content. We use cookies, clear gifs, and log file information to: (a) remember information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Website; (b) provide custom, personalized content and information; (c) monitor the effectiveness of our Service; (d) monitor aggregate metrics such as total number of visitors, traffic, and demographic patterns; (e) diagnose or fix technology problems reported by our users or engineers that are associated with certain IP addresses; and, (f) help you efficiently access your information after you sign in.

Tracking Technologies
Some content or applications on the Website are served by third parties, including content providers and application providers. The service providers may have access to personal information necessary for the purposes of the Website functions support, but are not authorized to share or use such information for other purposes.

Currently we are using Google Analytics to analyse the audience, improve the content and to help us understand use of our Services. No personal information is collected from Google Analytics.

Storing and Using Information
We do not undertake to maintain any information about you for a duration greater than necessary to provide services to you or as provided by law, rule or regulation.

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any Personal Information:

• To present our Website and its contents to you.
• To send you emails and newsletters with service, company, and other information.
• To communicate with you regarding information, features or offers that we believe will be of interest to you.
• To respond to your questions or other requests.
• To contact you with regard to the Website.
• To process other information or Personal Information that you submit through this Website.
• To notify you about changes to our Website, our policies, terms or any products or Services we offer or provide though it.
• To allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website.
• To ask for ratings and reviews of our Website, Services, and/or products.
• To enhance and improve our Website, for example, by performing internal research, analysing user trends and measuring demographics and interests, as well as Website and system administration or internal audits and reviews.
• To comply with applicable law(s) (for example, to comply with a search warrant, subpoena or court order) or to carry out professional ethics/conduct investigations.
• To fulfll any other purpose for which you provide it.
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the information.

 

Security
Information that you supply to us is held securely and strict security procedures are followed to prevent unauthorized access or use. What Information You Can Access, Change, or Delete If you have any questions about viewing or updating information we have on file about you, please Contact Us.

GDPR
All processing of your Personal Information by us or our service providers is performed in accordance with applicable regulations under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (“GDPR”). For purposes of the GDPR, ACB will be the “data controller” of Personal Information (referred to in the GDPR as “personal data”) we collect through the Website. Lab Tests Online, is a “data processor”, unless they collect such information on behalf of a “data controller” in which case they will be a “data processor.”

Your Data Rights Under GDPR
You have the right to gain access to, object to processing of, request data portability of, and have corrected, updated, restricted, deleted, or be forgotten of the Personal Information collected about you, subject to some exceptions and conditions. You have the right to object to certain types of processing of your Personal Information. You can opt-out of certain uses of your Personal Information. For any of these, please Contact Us. You can find more about these rights by reading the General Data Protection Regulation, available here.

LTO-UK's aim, and that of our collaborating partners, is to create a comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date web site to inform the public about clinical laboratory testing. The content on this site is developed and updated in accordance with established editorial policies.

1. Science-based Content
Content development is based on current scientific literature and the expertise and practical experience of an Editorial Review Board (ERB) comprised of laboratory and medical professionals.

2. Patient-Centred
We aim to provide information that is understandable to the general public. We also strive for a balanced approach; where there are differing views and little or no consensus about testing, we present each side of the discussion so that Lab Tests Online users can be better informed when making decisions about their care.

3. Outcomes-Driven
The information provided on LTO-UK is aimed at improving patient outcomes. Improving health outcomes through laboratory medicine is achieved with the appropriate use of testing. Our content aims to arm people with the information they need to be active participants in their care and to engage their healthcare providers in informed discussions that will result in positive health outcomes.

4. Peer-Reviewed
All new and modified content must be reviewed and approved by members of the ERB. This applies to news items, test and condition articles, feature and screening articles, and Glossary terms. The ERB may refer some content for review by non-ERB laboratorians or medical professionals who have a particular expertise, but the ERB has final approval of the content.

5. Limited Brand References
We avoid the use of company or brand names in written content, except in rare instances where reference to a particular kind of test is so closely associated with a brand that use of the brand name is unavoidable.

6. Content Review Cycle
We strive to review all core content on the site (test, condition, and screening articles) at least once every three years to ensure that it is current with the latest research, technology, policies and practice. From time to time, developments in the science or policy and practice related to a specific topic may require the updating of an article in advance of its three-year review date (e.g., changes in screening guidelines). Each article displays a date that the article was last reviewed; a date that the page or article was last modified is also indicated. A modification may be a minor or editorial change that is implemented ad hoc whereas a review means that the complete article was reviewed and updated as needed.

Because laboratory science continues to evolve, in some cases quite rapidly, we require that the most current sources possible are used when preparing new articles or updating existing articles. Experts on specific topics may be consulted when the current literature is inconclusive. We strive to use peer-reviewed sources and non-commercial resources, including but not limited to journal articles, medical texts, and online health information sites, and these are documented.

7. News Story Policies
Topics for news stories are evaluated based on specific criteria that include whether the topic is relevant to laboratory testing and the related subjects covered on the LTO-UK site, whether there is a public health aspect to the story, and whether the topic is receiving coverage in the popular media. Other criteria that might be considered, particularly when the story relates to a new test or advance in technology, is how soon the new test or advance will affect – or how far away it is from affecting –patient care. Like other content on LTO-UK, news stories strive to be non-commercial and to present a balanced coverage of the issues. News items and links to them from pages on the site are available for three years from the posting date. After that time, they are removed.

8. Links to External Sites
All links listed in LTO-UK articles to sites "Elsewhere on the Web" are included because the pages to which they link are contextually-relevant and considered to be from well-regarded resources. Links are periodically checked to determine if they still function and go to the relevant content.

Under no circumstances will LTO-UK place a link to a web site in exchange for a link from that web site to LTO-UK. Anyone may suggest a link to us, but it will only be added to the site if it is determined to be relevant to LTO-UK users in the context of a given topic and considered to be a credible source.

9. User Feedback
We take user feedback seriously. If you tell us that some part of the information on LTO-UK is wrong or if something is not sufficiently clear, we will review the section of content in question and take steps to modify it if the ERB agrees that the information was incorrect or unclear. Likewise, if you alert us that a link is not working, we will promptly fix it – and we appreciate you letting us know.