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Editorial Standards

Last updated June 2025 · A standing reference statement

Last revised
June 2025
Status
In force

Note

Template wording — review with qualified counsel before launch.

How We Research Each Factor

Every factor in our framework is researched autonomously by an AI agent that conducts multiple targeted web searches and synthesises its findings into a structured, cited markdown report. Each report covers one country × factor pair — for example, "South Korea: availability of IVF for single women" — and is written to a consistent structure: regulatory status, practical availability, quality indicators, cost range, and editorial summary.

Research agents are instructed to prioritise primary and official sources: government health ministry publications, national accreditation body databases, peer-reviewed clinical literature, and official statistics. Secondary sources (reputable journalism, academic commentary, patient advocacy organisations) are used where primary sources are unavailable or ambiguous. All sources cited in a report are listed in a numbered bibliography at the end of that report.

Sourcing and Citation Policy

  • Every factual claim in a research report must be accompanied by a numbered citation to its source URL.
  • Reports with fewer than three independently verifiable citations are flagged for human review before publication.
  • We do not accept sponsored content, advertorial, or payment to influence our research conclusions or scores.
  • Where a primary source conflicts with secondary reporting, we note the discrepancy and prefer the primary source unless it is demonstrably outdated.

The 1–5 Scoring Scale

A second AI pass converts each research report into a 1–5 score against the scale below. The score is an editorial opinion — a careful assessment of how favourable that country's conditions are for the factor in question, for a non-citizen seeking private medical services.

5.0Good Excellent. Conditions are highly favourable: the service is legal, widely available, of internationally recognised quality, and accessible to foreigners at reasonable cost.
4.0Good Good. Conditions are generally favourable with minor limitations — e.g. some bureaucratic requirements, moderate cost, or patchy geographic availability.
3.0Moderate Moderate. Mixed conditions: the service exists but access is restricted, quality is variable, costs are high, or the regulatory framework is uncertain.
2.0Poor Poor. Conditions are largely unfavourable: the service is heavily restricted, of limited quality, very expensive relative to alternatives, or legally ambiguous in ways that create risk for patients.
1.0Poor Very poor. The service is effectively inaccessible, prohibited, or so unreliable that it poses meaningful risk to patients who attempt to access it.

Editorial Independence

Epidaurus has no commercial relationships with healthcare providers, hospitals, clinics, insurers, or medical tourism agencies. Our revenue comes from reader subscriptions and report purchases. We do not accept advertising, affiliate fees, referral payments, or any other payment that could influence our editorial conclusions.

Country rankings and scores are determined solely by the research scale. No country, government, or commercial entity has any influence over scores or which countries are included in our framework.

Conflicts of Interest

Team members involved in research and scoring are required to disclose any financial interest in healthcare businesses operating in countries they score. Such individuals are recused from scoring that country until the interest is resolved.

Corrections Policy

We are committed to correcting factual errors promptly. If you believe a report contains an inaccuracy — including a mis-cited source, an outdated regulatory fact, or an incorrect score — please contact us with the URL, the specific claim you believe is wrong, and a source supporting the correction. We will investigate and, if the error is confirmed, update the report and note the correction at the bottom of the relevant page within 10 business days.

Research Currency

Each report notes the approximate date of the research pass. Regulations, accreditation statuses, and pricing change; a report that was accurate when written may become outdated. We re-research factors on a rolling schedule and invite readers to flag outdated information via our corrections process above.

Last revised June 2025 — this edition supersedes all prior editions of the editorial standards.