Terms of Use

EMG GmbH & Co. KG 
Effective date: 8. Mai 2017

Thank you for visiting Altmeyer's Encyclopedia, a collaborative medical resource.

By accessing the Website or the App ("Platform") or by submitting registration information anywhere on the Platform (where we ask you to agree to these Terms of Use), you enter into an agreement with us. With this Agreement, you agree that we may make changes to these Terms of Use from time to time to which you are bound. In return, we agree to grant you access to our Platform until such access is terminated in accordance with these Terms of Use. Please take the time to read these Terms of Use carefully as they contain important information about your remedies and obligations. These include various limitations and exclusions as well as an important medical disclaimer. If you do not agree with these terms of use, please do not register, access or use this platform. If you accept these Terms of Use (including the following disclaimer for medical applications), you may browse content on any platform and possibly do so until you accept these Terms of Use. Your continued browsing will be deemed your continued acceptance of these Terms of Use. If you wish to add, curate or edit content on a platform, you may contact other users, subscribe to services, have a profile page or be notified of material changes to these Terms of Use (collectively referred to as "Registration"), you must register on the Website and create an account. Such account may be terminated in accordance with these Terms of Use.

Copyright

This work is protected by copyright. The rights based thereby, in particular those of the translation, the pressure, the lecture, the removal of illustrations and tables, the radio transmission or the duplication on other ways and the storage in data processing plants remain reserved, also with only partial utilization. Reproduction of this work or parts thereof is also permitted in individual cases only within the limits of the statutory provisions of the Copyright Act of the Federal Republic of Germany of 9 September 1965, as amended from time to time. It is generally subject to remuneration. Violations are subject to the penal provisions of the copyright law.

Product liability

The publisher cannot accept any liability for information on therapy instructions and schemes, dosage instructions and forms of application. Such information must be checked for correctness by the person using it in each individual case on the basis of other literature references.

Disclaimer

Content on the platforms is provided for training purposes only and is used by healthcare professionals. They are not suitable for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. It is not intended and should not be a substitute for independent professional medical care. We recommend that you contact your physician for diagnosis, imaging, or treatment. Because content is submitted by individual users, Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie and its partners (including licensors) cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information and accept no liability or responsibility for the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the information. Doctors must make their own independent assessments before proposing a diagnosis or recommending or initiating treatment. The platforms should in no way be regarded as a substitute for consultation with colleagues or other sources or as a substitute for traditional training and studies. If you are not medically qualified, you further acknowledge that the content on the Platforms is provided for training purposes only and is made available for use by healthcare professionals. You agree to use the information solely for your own personal educational purposes and agree not to rely on the information in any way.

Granting of rights of use

  1. The user irrevocably grants EMG the exclusive, temporally and spatially unlimited right of use to the texts, images, graphics and other content (together: content) uploaded by him. This right of use includes in particular the right to reproduce, distribute and make publicly accessible the contents in whole and in part, both in electronic and printed form as well as for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
  2. In addition, EMG has the right to change the contents without the user's consent, in particular to format, edit, shorten, summarize or convert them. Furthermore, EMG has the right to combine and mix the contents with the contents of other users.
  3.  EMG may grant all rights mentioned above to third parties, in particular to other users. EMG may transfer all rights of use to third parties and grant licenses.
  4. EMG's exclusive right of use shall not be affected by any deletion of a user account.
  5. In return for granting the rights of use, the user is named as the author of his content in a scientifically appropriate form. The user has the non-exclusive right to use his content for non-commercial purposes, provided that he mentions Altmeyer's encyclopedia as the source.
  6. The user is solely responsible for observing the rights of third parties, in particular personal rights and intellectual property rights such as copyrights. In addition, the user is solely responsible for ensuring that no information requiring confidentiality is published.
  7.  The user is also solely responsible for the factual, in particular medical, correctness of the content.
  8. EMG provides a guideline for the creation of content which must be observed by users. EMG is entitled to block and delete content, in particular content of a commercial nature or content that violates statutory or professional regulations.

General use

With the use of a platform you agree:

  • Follow any Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie or its affiliates policies contained in or referenced by the Platform or disclosed to you from time to time by or on behalf of Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie;
  • not to interfere with or introduce into its security or otherwise abuse the Platform, or services, system resources, software, accounts, servers or networks connected to or accessible through the Platform or connected or linked websites;
  • not to interfere or interfere with any other user's use of the Platforms or any connected or linked websites;
  • not to upload, publish or otherwise transmit any viruses or other harmful, interfering or destructive files through or on the Platform;
  • not to use or attempt to use anyone else's account, service or system without the permission of Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie, or to create or use a false identity on the Platform;
  • not to transmit through or through the Platform spam, chain letters, junk mail or other unsolicited bulk email to any person or entity who has not agreed to participate in such mailings;
  • not to disclose your username and password on or outside the Platform;
  • not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any aspect of the Platform that is excluded from general access; and
  • not use the Platform to seek, provide or obtain any particular medical advice, opinion, diagnosis or treatment relating to the particular situation or situation of any person.

In addition, you agree that you are solely responsible for actions and communications undertaken or transmitted under your account and that you will comply with all applicable local, state, national and international laws and regulations when using the Platform.

Access exclusively for healthcare professionals

  • In accordance with the HWG Code of Law, the legislator restricts access for all users who are not medical professionals.
  • The verification of the professional affiliation is done by us individually and applies explicitly only to the person who has registered the account.
  • It is not possible to share accounts/access with other people/companies (even if these persons are also medical professionals). Failure to comply may result in cancellation of the account and subscription without notice and without any claims.

Free and Premium access and features (premium membership).

  • Free use may be partially restricted.
  • The scope and period of free functions and information may be changed or completely discontinued by Altmeyers at any time and without prior notice.
  • For full use, a paid premium membership may be required.
  • Terms and conditions for paid use are subject to change at any time without notice.
  • For optional paid services Altmeyers is required to obtain the user's express consent in advance and to point out conditions.
  • The selected period for the paid Premium Membership shall be automatically renewed for another period of the same length before expiration, unless canceld by the user.
  • Premium users have the option to change their subscription before expiration, to terminate it and keep full access for the remaining period, if applicable.
  • After expiration of the premium membership, the account remains and changes back to the free membership.

Indication of inappropriate use

If you believe that your content has been improperly used on a platform or that another person has violated these Terms of Use, please contact us.

Anonymity of cases / images and other patient data

It is a requirement of the Terms of Use that all patient cases uploaded to the Platform by users be anonymized so that the identity of each patient to whom the content contained in the case relates (e.g. x-rays and case notes) is not reasonably identifiable. If you notice a case in which you believe that you (as a patient) or another person is identifiable, please contact us promptly at [email protected] and we will investigate the case and provide you with a prompt reply.

Information that should NOT be displayed in patient cases uploaded to a platform (based on HIPAA guidelines) includes, but is not limited to:

  • Name
  • Initials
  • Date of birth
  • Address, including full or partial postal code
  • Telephone or fax numbers or contact information
  • E-mail addresses, chat names etc.
  • Unique identification numbers (e.g. UR, MRN, HID etc ..)
  • Vehicle identifiers
  • Medical product indicator (e.g. serial numbers)
  • Web or Internet protocol addresses containing a link to the patient
  • Biometric data
  • Face photography or comparable image
  • Names of relatives
  • Date of study

If, for one reason or another, a case is so clear that a person can be identified from the images alone, it should not be uploaded. This means that a case that appears in the media, for example, or has particularly rare symptoms, is usually not suitable for uploading. Similarly, the text information attached to the text should not contain any identifying information and should not contain any other unnecessary information that could help identify a patient.

Note: Our Privacy Policy does not override individual institutional policies, and users should ensure that they use images within their local policies.

We take the privacy of our patients very seriously and violate our privacy policies and terms of use. If you upload a case that contains patient information or otherwise identifies a person, your case will be deleted from the platforms immediately upon learning of the existence of the platform, and we may take action against you in accordance with the Terms of Use.

Links and contents of third parties, links to other websites

The platform may contain links to other websites. These links are provided as a convenience and do not constitute endorsement, sponsorship (except in the case of "the Sponsor" clearly identified) or recommendation by Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie of or any association or association of Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie with or responsibility of Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie for the linked websites or any content, platforms or products available on or through such websites. If you choose to visit any linked site, you do so at your own risk and it is your responsibility to take all protective measures against viruses or other destructive elements. Links do not imply that Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie or its affiliates are legally authorized to use any trademark, trade name, product name, company name or logo displayed in or accessing the links, or that any linked site is authorized to use any trademark. Trade name, product name, company name or logo of us or of any provider. Users may not post links to other websites except in the form of a link to a reference textbook or journal in the reference field of articles. Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove any link from any part of any platform.

Deletion of your account

Altmeyers-Enzyklopaedie may, without giving reasons, terminate your account or access and delete your data completely. If we exercise such a right, we will send an email to the address provided in your profile. The cancellation will be effective even if an incorrect email address has been provided or the email is not delivered for any reason. You may terminate your account at any time without giving any reason by sending an email to [email protected]. We will implement your request immediately in accordance with the GDPR requirements.