About Surfbound Health
Editorial & Evidence Policy
This page explains how Surfbound Health creates and evaluates the educational content on this website — what we write, how we source it, how we check it, and the standards we hold ourselves to. We publish it so patients, journalists, clinicians, and anyone reading our content can judge its reliability for themselves.
Editorial purpose
Surfbound Health publishes educational guides, articles, and research summaries about health topics — primarily GLP-1 weight-loss medications, telehealth, and related treatment options. The purpose of this content is to help readers understand a subject well enough to ask better questions and make more informed decisions together with a licensed provider.
Our educational content is informational. It is not a substitute for consultation with a licensed medical professional, and reading it does not create a patient–provider relationship or direct any individual treatment decision.
Our people-first standard
We write for people first. That means content should be clear, accurate, and genuinely useful to the person reading it — not written primarily to rank in search results or to promote a product. We aim to answer real questions directly, using plain language, without exaggerating benefits or hiding important caveats.
We believe trustworthy information is the foundation of a trustworthy service. If a piece of content is not accurate and useful to a reader, it does not belong on this website regardless of any other benefit it might provide.
Evidence hierarchy and primary-source preference
When we write about medications, conditions, or clinical evidence, we prefer authoritative primary and secondary sources over general or anecdotal references. Where applicable, our source preference is roughly:
- FDA prescribing information — the official drug label, including indications, dosing, warnings, and contraindications.
- FDA safety and regulatory communications — drug safety communications, recalls, and guidance, including statements about compounded medications.
- NIH / PubMed-indexed primary research — original peer-reviewed studies and systematic reviews.
- Peer-reviewed clinical trials — randomized controlled trials and well-conducted observational studies.
- Major professional medical organizations — clinical practice guidelines and position statements from recognized bodies.
- Government health sources — agencies such as the FDA, NIH, and CDC.
This is a preference, not a rigid rule. The most appropriate source depends on the specific claim being made, and we aim to use the strongest available evidence for each statement rather than a single source type in every case.
How we source medical claims
A medical claim — for example, a statement about what a medication does, how effective it is, or what side effects it may cause — should be traceable to an authoritative source. We aim to anchor claims about safety, effectiveness, dosing, and contraindications in FDA prescribing information and peer-reviewed research rather than in marketing materials or unverified opinion.
When we reference a specific study or statistic, we aim to attribute it to the underlying source so a reader can verify it. Where the strength of the evidence is limited, we aim to say so rather than present a claim as more certain than it is.
Preliminary research, and correlation vs. causation
We distinguish between established, replicated findings and preliminary research. Early-stage studies, small trials, animal studies, and conference abstracts may be interesting, but they do not carry the same weight as large, peer-reviewed clinical trials or established clinical guidelines. When we discuss preliminary research, we aim to label it as such and avoid presenting it as settled medical fact.
We are also careful not to confuse correlation with causation. An association between two things does not mean one causes the other. When we describe an observational finding, we aim to describe it accurately as an association rather than imply a causal relationship the study did not establish.
FDA-approved vs. compounded formulations
We are explicit about the difference between FDA-approved medications and compounded formulations. FDA-approved drugs have been reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, and quality.
Compounded medications are prepared by pharmacies to meet a specific patient's needs, but are not FDA-approved. They have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality. Our educational content distinguishes these clearly and does not imply that a compounded formulation carries FDA approval.
Using clinical-trial results responsibly
Clinical-trial results describe average outcomes across a specific study population under controlled conditions. They do not guarantee that any particular person will experience the same result. When we cite a trial, we aim to present the number in context — including what population was studied, over what timeframe, and whether the figure reflects the treatment effect as measured in that study.
Surfbound Health does not publish its own treatment-outcome statistics or make quantitative weight-loss guarantees. An individual's results depend on factors a licensed provider evaluates — including medical history, medication, dose, adherence, and lifestyle.
Pricing and commercial-content standards
When educational content references pricing, we aim to keep the information accurate and current, and to clearly separate factual pricing information from promotional messaging. Educational articles are not advertisements, and we aim to keep them from reading as such.
Where content does describe Surfbound's own services, we aim to make the commercial nature of that content clear rather than present a sales message as independent education.
Competitor-comparison standards
When we compare medications, treatment approaches, or services — including comparisons involving Surfbound itself — we aim to be fair, accurate, and non-misleading. We describe differences based on verifiable facts and appropriate sources, and we avoid disparaging others or overstating our own position. Comparisons should help a reader make an informed decision, not pressure them into one.
Disclosure of our commercial interest
Surfbound Health is a telehealth platform operated by Open Water Rx LLC. Our educational content exists alongside commercial services, and we disclose this relationship. We aim to keep educational information accurate and clearly separated from promotional messaging, so readers can tell the difference between what is informational and what is an offer of services.
Editorial and source checking
Surfbound Health checks its educational content against authoritative sources and regulatory guidance before publication. This is an editorial and source-checking process performed by Surfbound Health; it is not a physician review of website content, and we do not present it as one.
We do not attribute content to a named individual where no such attribution exists. Where a specific operational detail of our process is not published, we describe it at a general level rather than claim a procedure we cannot verify.
Publication and update dates
We aim to reflect, where available, when content was published and when it was last meaningfully updated. This helps readers understand how current the information is.
A date reflects our best available record of when the content was created or substantively changed. We do not fabricate a publication date where we do not have a verifiable record of one.
Substantive updates
When evidence, guidance, or our understanding changes in a way that meaningfully affects a piece of content, we update it. Substantive updates are reflected in the content itself and, where appropriate, in the page's revision date. We aim to revisit content as new research and regulatory guidance emerge rather than leave outdated claims in place.
Corrections
If we discover that a factual error was published, we correct it. Our correction process is:
- Identify — we confirm the error against the underlying authoritative source.
- Correct — we update the content so the statement is accurate.
- Verify — the correction is reviewed to confirm it resolves the inaccuracy.
If you believe any content on this website contains a factual error, we want to hear from you so we can review it. Please contact us at [email protected] and include the page URL and a description of what you believe is incorrect, along with any source you think we should review. Please do not include sensitive personal health information in your message.
Conflicts of interest
Surfbound has a commercial interest in the topics it covers: this website promotes and facilitates its own telehealth services. We acknowledge that interest and aim to manage it by keeping educational content accurate, evidence-based, and clearly distinct from promotional messaging. We do not accept payment in exchange for favorable coverage, and we aim to ensure that commercial considerations do not override accuracy or safety.
AI-assisted drafting and human accountability
We do not publish a description of specific drafting tools or workflows we cannot verify. Regardless of how any draft is produced, the standard is the same: published content must be accurate, sourced, and reviewed.
Accountability for everything published on this website rests with Surfbound Health, not with any tool. Final responsibility for the accuracy of published content is held by people within Surfbound Health, consistent with our editorial and source-checking process.
What we do not do
We do not fabricate or invent any of the following, and we require that none of our published content does so:
- Statistics or data — we do not invent numbers, percentages, or study results, and we do not present made-up figures as evidence.
- Testimonials or reviews — we do not fabricate patient testimonials, reviews, or ratings. Any reviews displayed are attributed to their genuine source.
- Credentials, authors, or reviewers — we do not invent clinicians, authors, reviewers, licenses, certifications, awards, or accreditations that do not exist.
Where we cannot verify a specific fact, credential, or claim, we omit it or describe it conservatively rather than state it as true.
Surfbound and Surfbound Health are trade names of Open Water Rx LLC. Educational content on this website is provided for general information only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or treatment.