See also: the MGH Disclaimer, the MGH Privacy Policy, and the MGH Interactive Program Disclaimer - © Copyright 2005.

Disclaimer About Medical Information: The information and reference materials contained herein is intended solely for the information of the reader. It should not be used for treatment purposes, but rather for discussion with the patient's own physician. All visitors to this and associated sites from the Neurosurgical Service at MGH agree to read and abide by the the complete terms of legal agreement found at the Neurosurgery "disclaimer & legal agreement."
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS

Summary:

• the site does not constitute an attempt to practice medicine
• use of the site does not establish a doctor-patient relationship
• individuals should consult a qualified health care provider for medical advice and answers to personal questions
• while the site attempts to remain current, health care information changes rapidly and thus the site should not be relied upon as comprehensive or error-free
• the web site reserves the right to change its disclaimer or other terms and policies, so users should review these periodically.

No medical advice. The information posted here by the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners Healthcare, Inc. or any third party should not be considered medical advice and is not intended to replace consultation with a qualified medical professional. We do not answer specific medical questions.

No Warranties. This web site is provided on an "as is," "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to, those of TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE or NON-INFRINGEMENT or any warranty arising from a course of dealing, usage, or trade practice. No oral advice or written information provided by the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization shall create a warranty; nor shall members or visitors to the site rely on any such information or advice.

Disclaimer of Liability. The user assumes all responsibility and risk for the use of this web site and the Internet generally. Under no circumstances, including negligence, shall  the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization or anyone else involved in creating or maintaining this web site be liable for any DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL or CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, or LOST PROFITS that result from the use or inability to use the web site and/or any other web sites which are linked to this site. Nor shall the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization be liable for any such damages including, but not limited to, reliance by a member or visitor on any information obtained via the web site; or that result from mistakes, omissions, interruptions, deletion of files, viruses, errors, defects, or any failure of performance, communications failure, theft, destruction or unauthorized access.

In states which do not allow some or all of the above limitations of liability, liability shall be limited to the greatest extent allowed by law.

Online Conduct. Visitors agree to use the web site only for lawful purposes and are prohibited from posting on the web site any unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory or obscene material of any kind, including, but not limited to, any material which encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, national or international law. This applies to any posting that could be termed as Sexual Harassment and or Discrimination.  Although in the absence of a specific complaint the postings are not monitored for compliance with this provision, in an effort to discourage such conduct, please note that all postings in the chat area will list the author's name--no anonymous postings are permitted!

See also: Netiquette ~ Social Conventions for the Web, E-Mail Lists & Web Forums

Third Party Content. The Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization are DISTRIBUTORS (NOT PUBLISHERS) of the content supplied by visitors and other third parties. Accordingly,   the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization has no more editorial control over this content than does a public library. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content made available by members, visitors and other third parties are those of the respective author(s) and the Neurosurgical Service,  Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization is not responsible for any material posted by third parties. The  Neurosurgical Service,   Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization cannot and do not endorse it in any way, nor do they vouch for its accuracy or usefulness. Furthermore,  the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization expressly disclaims any liability associated with material posted by third parties.

Disclaimer of Endorsement. Reference to any products, services, hypertext link to the third parties or other information by trade name, trademark, supplier or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation by  the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization. Nor is an endorsement of  the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc., or its employees or those of its affiliated organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization implied by such links. They are for convenience only, as an index in a public library.

Link Disclaimer. "Links" are provided only as an informational resource as a "Patient-to-Patient" service. Please note that many of the links provided are not on one of the MGH Neurosurgical Service servers and are not maintained by us or affiliated with any services provided by us. These links are provided simply as a service, and it should not be implied that we recommend, endorse or approve of any of the content at the linked site(s). The link information and reference materials are intended solely for the information of the reader and should not be used for treatment purposes, but rather for discussion with the patient's own physician.

Web Page and Server Systems Hosting.  The MGH Neurosurgical Service "hosts" a number of Internet and Intranet services in addition to our own informational services. These services are provided as a informational resource only. They are provided within the limitations of the hardware, software and network infrastructure that we normally have available as part of our department. These "Conditions, Terms, and Agreements of Understanding" apply to informational content hosted for Visiting Neurosurgeons, Residents, Fellows, Alumni, Staff and employees of the Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc. as well as for any hosted "Patient-to-Patient" services. The conditions and terms of this disclaimer also apply to any of these "hosted" services.

The Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner's Healthcare, Inc:

• is not liable for content of information on hosted pages or Patient-to-Patient systems
• is not responsible for reliability of computers, hardware and software or the functionality of the network infrastructure (i.e. some times systems just go down).
• is not responsible to archive or maintain backup of site contents
• can not guarantee the availability of hardware or software resources
• does not guarantee the length of time of service to be provided; i.e. either party can decide to end the osting  agreement

See also:

• Conditions, Terms, and Agreements of Understanding for Hosted Services
• Editor Agreement for Hosted Pages, Web Systems / Services and Patient-to-Patient Systems
• Listing of some Patient-to-Patient Support Services
• Listing of some other Hosted Services

Information Subject to Change. Any information on this web site may include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Furthermore, the information may change from time to time without any notice.

THESE LEGAL NOTICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
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