Medical Review Policy
Little Hugs exists to help Indian parents make confident decisions during pregnancy and early childhood. Because health information can directly affect a baby's or parent's wellbeing, every piece of medical or health-adjacent content on this site is reviewed and certified by a qualified doctor before it is published — and re-reviewed on a set schedule after that.
This page explains exactly how that process works, so you know what "Doctor Reviewed" means when you see it on an article.
Who reviews our content
Our medical review team is made up of practising doctors who hold valid registration with the Medical Council of India / State Medical Council (or the National Medical Commission, once transitioned). As the team grows, we expect to add further specialists — obstetricians/gynaecologists, nutritionists — alongside our current reviewers.
Each doctor's name, qualifications, registration number, and area of specialisation are published on their author/reviewer profile, linked from every article they've reviewed.
Dr. Rahul Yadav completed his MBBS at Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik (2023) and is currently a Junior Resident pursuing MS in Orthopaedics. He is registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council.
Dr. Vikas Gupta is currently a Junior Resident pursuing MD in Paediatrics and is registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council.
Reviewer scope: while our team is small, each doctor reviews content within their own training and competence. Content requiring specialist expertise beyond that is held pending sign-off from an appropriately specialised reviewer, rather than published under a review that doesn't actually match the claim being made.
What standards we follow
Most parenting content available online defaults to US or global bodies (CDC, WHO, AAP). Where Indian guidance exists and differs, we follow it instead, because it reflects what's actually recommended and available to families in India. Our default reference bodies are:
- Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) — vaccination schedules, growth references, feeding guidelines
- Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) — nutrition and dietary guidance
- Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) — pregnancy and maternal health
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) — government schemes, national health programmes
International bodies (WHO/CDC) are referenced only where no Indian-specific guidance exists, and this is noted explicitly in the article. Citable sources are limited to the bodies above, peer-reviewed journals, and other official government health authorities.
Our three-tier review process
Not every article carries the same level of risk if it contains an error, so review depth is matched to risk:
| Tier | Examples | Review depth |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — High risk | Dosages, vaccination schedules, danger signs/red flags, medical conditions, symptoms requiring urgent care | Full doctor review of every claim, sources checked line by line, doctor sign-off required before publish |
| Tier 2 — Moderate risk | Feeding/nutrition guidance, developmental milestones, general wellness | Doctor review of key claims and any numbers/recommendations; lighter-touch sign-off |
| Tier 3 — Low risk | Product roundups, name lists, general lifestyle content | Editorial fact-check; doctor spot-check on any health-adjacent claim |
What "reviewed" actually means
When you see a "Medically Reviewed by Dr. [Name]" badge on an article, it means:
- The article was drafted by our content team using vetted, cited sources.
- A doctor with relevant specialisation read the full draft, checked every medical claim against current Indian clinical guidance, and either approved it or sent it back with required changes.
- The doctor's name and the review date are logged and displayed on the article.
- The article is scheduled for re-review (see below) — being reviewed once doesn't mean it stays accurate forever.
On AI use: our writers may use AI to help generate a research brief — a subtopic outline and candidate sources to check — but never to generate citations or published prose. Every source is independently verified by a human writer, and every published article is human-written from that verified brief, not an edited AI draft.
Conflicts of interest: any doctor or team member with a financial or professional interest in a product, treatment, or company referenced in content they review must disclose it before reviewing that content, and the disclosure is noted on the article.
How often content gets re-reviewed
Medical guidance changes. Our re-review schedule is:
- Tier 1 content: every 12 months, or immediately if IAP/ICMR/MoHFW/FOGSI issues an update
- Tier 2 content: every 18 months
- Tier 3 content: every 24 months, or on reader-flagged error
Every article displays both a "Published on" date and a "Last medically reviewed on" date — these can differ, and both matter.
How we handle errors
- It's logged and triaged within 2 business days for Tier 1 content, 5 business days for Tier 2/3.
- The relevant reviewing doctor (or another qualified doctor if unavailable) evaluates the correction.
- If confirmed, the article is corrected and the "Last medically reviewed on" date is updated.
- Material corrections to Tier 1 content are noted at the bottom of the article for transparency.
We're finalizing a dedicated channel for reporting content concerns directly — check back soon.
What this policy doesn't cover
Content on Little Hugs — even when doctor-reviewed — is educational and general in nature. It is not a diagnosis, prescription, or substitute for consulting your own doctor about your or your child's specific situation.