Legal Disclaimer, Terms of Use & Limitation of Liability

For Digital Educational Content and Medical Calculators

1. Purpose and Scope

This digital manual, including all written content, images, algorithms, reference materials, and medical calculators (collectively referred to as “the Content”), is provided by Epic Institute of Emergency Medicine (Pty) Ltd, conducting business as Epic EM, for educational and clinical decision-support purposes only.

The Content is intended for use by appropriately trained and licensed healthcare professionals and is not designed for use by laypersons.

2. Educational Nature of the Content

The Content has been developed using current evidence, accepted clinical principles, and best-practice guidelines relevant to emergency and critical care medicine at the time of publication. While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure accuracy and relevance, the Content:

  • Does not constitute medical advice
  • Does not replace formal training, institutional protocols, or clinical supervision
  • Does not replace individual clinical judgement

Clinical care must always be tailored to the individual patient, clinical environment, and available resources.

3. Medical Calculators and Clinical Decision-Support Tools

This manual includes medical calculators and computational tools intended solely to support clinical decision-making.

Important clarifications:

  • Calculator outputs are estimates only and must never be interpreted as definitive diagnoses, treatment instructions, or mandatory actions.
  • Calculators do not account for the full complexity of clinical care, including comorbidities, concurrent medications, physiological variability, evolving patient conditions, or system-level constraints.
  • Calculator results must never be used in isolation and must always be interpreted in conjunction with:
  • A comprehensive clinical assessment
  • Continuous patient monitoring
  • Local protocols and scope of practice
  • Senior consultation or escalation where appropriate

4. Responsibility for Data Input and Interpretation

The accuracy and clinical relevance of any calculator output is entirely dependent on the accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness of the data entered by the user.

Epic EM accepts no responsibility for:

  • Incorrect data entry
  • Misinterpretation of calculator outputs
  • Use of calculators outside their intended clinical context

The user remains fully responsible for validating outputs against clinical findings and alternative calculation methods where clinically significant decisions are being made.

5. Use During Active Patient Care

While the calculators and Content may be used during active patient care, their use:

  • Does not replace direct patient assessment
  • Does not replace clinical vigilance or escalation of care
  • Does not diminish the clinician’s duty of care

All clinical decisions made before, during, or after use of the Content remain the sole responsibility of the treating healthcare professional.

6. No Medical Device Certification

The calculators and digital tools contained within this manual:

  • Are not classified as medical devices
  • Are not registered with or approved by SAHPRA, the FDA, MHRA, or any other regulatory authority
  • Have not undergone medical device conformity assessment or certification

They are provided strictly as educational and clinical support tools, not regulated diagnostic or therapeutic systems.

7. Accuracy, Updates, and Technical Limitations

While reasonable efforts are made to maintain accuracy and functionality, Epic EM does not warrant that:

  • The Content is free from errors or omissions
  • Calculations are free from rounding or computational inaccuracies
  • The digital platform will be uninterrupted, bug-free, or compatible with all devices

Medical knowledge evolves continuously. Users are responsible for ensuring alignment with current guidelines, institutional policies, and scope of practice.

8. Professional Responsibility

Healthcare professionals using this manual acknowledge and accept that:

  • They retain full professional autonomy and accountability
  • They are responsible for determining the appropriateness of any intervention
  • They must practice within their professional scope, training, and regulatory framework

Nothing in this manual alters or diminishes the professional responsibilities imposed by governing bodies such as the HPCSA, professional councils, or employer policies.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

Epic Institute of Emergency Medicine (Pty) Ltd, Epic EM, its directors, employees, contributors, and affiliates expressly disclaim any and all liability for:

  • Injury, harm, adverse outcomes, or death arising from the use or misuse of the Content
  • Clinical decisions made using or informed by calculator outputs
  • Errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the Content
  • Technical failures, software errors, or system downtime

By accessing or using this manual, the user expressly agrees that Epic EM shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from its use.

10. Intellectual Property and Content Use

All Content remains the intellectual property of Epic EM unless otherwise stated. Reproduction, distribution, or modification without written permission is prohibited.

All third-party materials are used under appropriate licenses with attribution where required.

11. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, downloading, or using this digital manual and its calculators, the user:

  • Confirms they are a qualified healthcare professional
  • Acknowledges understanding of these terms
  • Accepts full responsibility for clinical decisions made

If the user does not agree to these terms, they must not use the Content.

12. Governing Law

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

13. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated Systems

13.1 Definition and Scope of AI Use

This digital manual may incorporate or be supported by artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled systems, including but not limited to:

  • Algorithm-based calculators
  • Rule-based or probabilistic clinical decision-support tools
  • Natural language processing systems
  • Pattern-recognition or data-driven computational models

All AI systems used within this manual function strictly in an assistive and augmentative capacity, and are designed to support — not replace — human clinical judgement, in accordance with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (Booklet 20, September 2025).

13.2 AI Is Not a Decision Maker

  • Do not make diagnoses
  • Do not prescribe treatment
  • Do not authorise clinical decisions
  • Do not function as autonomous decision-makers

Final responsibility and accountability for all clinical decisions remains at all times with the registered healthcare professional.

13.3 Accountability and Professional Responsibility

  • They remain professionally accountable for decisions made with AI assistance
  • AI outputs must be critically evaluated, contextualised, and validated
  • Over-reliance on AI in a manner that compromises independent judgement is contrary to good professional practice

The presence or use of AI does not diminish, transfer, or dilute the clinician’s ethical, legal, or professional duty of care.

13.4 Transparency, Explainability, and Disclosure

  • AI tools used within this manual are not secret, concealed, or proprietary in a manner that prevents understanding of their function
  • Known capabilities and limitations of AI tools are disclosed

Users are encouraged to understand whether outputs are rule-based, probabilistic, or data-driven, and the known limitations of training data or model assumptions.

13.5 Bias, Limitations, and Data Integrity

AI systems may reflect limitations inherent in historical datasets, population representation, and clinical assumptions embedded in algorithms.

13.6 Continuous Learning Systems

  • Is a “locked” system (static logic)
  • Or a continuous learning system that adapts based on new data

13.7 Data Privacy and Confidentiality

AI tools used within this manual are designed to respect patient confidentiality and data protection principles.

13.8 No Regulatory Approval or Medical Device Classification

  • AI systems and calculators within this manual are not registered medical devices
  • They are not approved or regulated by SAHPRA
  • They have not undergone formal medical device certification

13.9 Limitation of Liability Related to AI

Epic EM expressly disclaims liability for errors, omissions, inaccuracies, biases, or adverse outcomes arising from AI use.

13.10 Ongoing Professional Development

Healthcare professionals acknowledge their ethical obligation to maintain competence in understanding AI tools and remain informed as AI evolves.