The Patient Story Editorial Policy

Last reviewed: Dec 10, 2025

Our Commitment

The Patient Story (TPS) is dedicated to elevating the real patient and caregiver experiences and providing trustworthy, balanced cancer information. Our mission is to empower people with clear, relatable insights that support meaningful conversations with their healthcare teams. This Editorial Policy outlines the principles that guide all content we publish.

Patient-Centered Storytelling

TPS honors the voices of patients and caregivers by sharing their stories in their own words. We make edits for clarity and readability, ensuring each person’s lived experience remains authentic. These narratives represent individual journeys rather than clinical guidance and all participants choose what they are comfortable sharing. TPS respects privacy, consent, and the integrity of each personal story.

Separation of Personal Experience and Medical Information

Personal stories and clinician perspectives may appear together for context, but they serve distinct purposes. Stories reflect what someone experienced in their own care, while any medical insight represents the viewpoint of the individual clinician providing it. TPS does not provide medical advice, and we encourage readers to consult their own healthcare team for decisions regarding their own care.

Reliable, Balanced Educational Content

When TPS offers educational information about cancer, treatment, or clinical research, we do so using reputable medical sources and expert insight. We aim to present this information in a balanced, accurate, and accessible way without overstating benefits, risks, or certainty. TPS does not promote or endorse treatments that fall outside recognized medical practice. Individuals may describe integrative or supportive practices they used, but these are shared solely as personal experiences, not as recommendations.

Personal stories may describe treatments or care practices that were available for that individual at the time, which may vary across health systems or regions and evolve as medical standards change.

Accuracy and Updates

TPS makes every effort to ensure that educational content is created using reputable medical sources and expert insight, and is accurate at the time of publication. As scientific understanding evolves, some information may become outdated as new research, treatments, or guidelines emerge. When feasible, TPS reviews and updates content to maintain clarity and reliability. We encourage readers to speak with their healthcare team for the most current guidance. Personal stories reflect moments in time and may describe practices or standards of care that have since changed.

Community Participation and Moderation

TPS strives to create a safe and supportive community environment. Where comments or interactive features are available, we welcome participation but may remove contributions that could mislead or harm others. This includes medical advice from non-clinicians, promotion of unproven therapies, misinformation, or language that is disrespectful or stigmatizing. Our goal is to maintain an environment built on compassion, safety, and trust. 

Use of Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

TPS uses technology, including AI tools, to support tasks such as transcription, organization, or drafting assistance. However, all published material is reviewed and approved by the TPS editorial team. 

We do not use AI to generate medical guidance, nor do we allow AI tools to alter meaning, tone, or intent of patient stories. Human oversight remains central to the integrity of our content.

Editorial Independence

Editorial independence is a foundational principle at TPS. The content we create is developed without influence from sponsors or external partners. External support does not determine the stories or programs we feature, the perspective we highlight, or the medical context we provide. TPS does not allow review or approval of content by sponsors. All editorial decisions are solely made by TPS. 

Financial Disclosures & Separation of Funding and Editorial

TPS may receive support from foundations, non-profits organizations, or industry partners to help produce or share educational programming. When sponsorship is present, TPS clearly discloses it so readers understand how the content is funded. Financial support does not influence editorial decisions, medical interpretation, or the stories we choose to publish. TPS maintains a strict separation between funding and editorial work to ensure that all content remains unbiased, independent, and focused on the needs of patients and caregivers.

Corrections and Transparency

TPS is committed to accuracy and accountability. We welcome input from readers and clinicians who believe that an educational resource contains a factual error or could benefit from clarification. When inaccuracies are verified, TPS updates or corrects content at its discretion. This feedback mechanism does not involve sponsors and does not compromise TPS editorial independence, it reflects our dedication to providing reliable, trustworthy information.

Our Guiding Principles

Everything TPS creates and publishes is grounded in a set of core guiding principles: 

• Respect for every person’s lived experience
• Accuracy informed by reputable medical sources
• Balanced presentation of medical topics and transparency in sourcing and sponsorship 
• Safety in the information and within our community environment
• Complete Independence in all editorial decisions

Our goal is to ensure that every reader feels informed, supported, and empowered — never misled or overwhelmed. We are committed to upholding these standards across all that we create.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about our Editorial Policy, please contact us by email: connect@thepatientstory.com