Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

These Terms of Use and Privacy Policy apply to our websites medlounge.org, i-practice.ch ("the online services"). impulze GmbH is a Swiss based company.

Terms of Use

Acceptance of these conditions of use

By using our online services, you agree to these Terms of Use in accordance with the provisions in the following, in particular in respect of being bound by them and adhering to them. If you do not agree to them, we ask that you cease using our online services and that you do not read the information contained within. IMPULZE reserves the right to change these Terms of Use from time to time. IMPULZE will announce these changes and the date upon which they enter effect on the website in the up-to-date Terms of Use. The currently applicable version of these Terms of Use can be accessed at any time via a link at the end of each page on this website or in the newsletter.

Scope of validity

These Terms of Use apply to the online services of IMPULZE. Regarding data protection and privacy, including any registration required on your part, special additional provisions are applicable. Special provisions also apply to the intellectual property of IMPULZE, in particular the copyright of online services offered by us and the information contained therein.

Medical information / health problems

Although the online services of IMPULZE may possibly contain general information on health problems and the treatment of these, you should consult your own doctor or healthcare institution as quickly as possible in the event that you experience health problems. IMPULZE does not offer any medical diagnoses relating to any individual person, nor does it offer patient-specific advice regarding treatment. Only your doctor or other specialist is capable of performing a diagnosis and determining the best possible treatment for you personally. The information published on this website is only provided for information purposes.

Description of the services

The online services of IMPULZE contains educational material for healthcare professionals and community driven sections. Certain online services are directed towards a specific readership, including healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Feel free to browse our website at your discretion accordingly. Your access to the information contained within our online services and the use of this information is subject to these Terms of Use and all enforceable legislation.

Subscriber Contribution

As a user of our online services, you are liable for the correctness of the information that you supply to IMPULZE, for example your profession. All content contributed by a Subscriber (the Subscriber Contribution) is perpetually and irrevocably licensed to IMPULZE. The Subscriber grants IMPULZE the perpetual and irrevocable right to use, copy, publish, display, distribute, adapt, modify, create derivative works, cache and store the Subscriber Contribution, in whole or in part, and to allow others to do the same, in any known or hereinafter developed medium, in order to provide the Services. Removal of the Subscriber Contribution from the forum by the Subscriber will not result in the revocation of the license and rights granted to IMPULZE. The Subscriber represents, warrants and covenants that his or her Subscriber Contribution will not:

• infringe, violate or otherwise interfere with any third party rights, including copyright, trademark, trade secrets or any other intellectual property rights;
• infringe third party privacy or publicity rights;
• be profane, libelous, defamatory, false, inappropriate, abusive, threatening, harassing, hateful, or offensive;
• encourage conduct that would constitute a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability or otherwise be in violation of any right of any third party or any local, state, national, or international law or regulation; or
• contain any malicious malware, including, but not limited to, viruses, trojan horses, worms, or time bomb that are designed to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or information.

Although IMPULZE has the right to remove any Subscriber Contribution, the Subscriber remains solely responsible for the content thereof and agrees to fully indemnify and hold IMPULZE, its directors, officers, employees, agents, consultants, contractors, partners, vendors and service providers (including, without limitation, hosting and telecommunications providers) harmless with respect to any claims contained in the Subscriber Contribution.

IMPULZE reserves the following rights:

• the right to remove any Subscriber Contribution from the Forum;
• the right to edit any Subscriber Contribution to such extent as IMPULZE deems reasonable.
• the right to suspend or terminate the Subscriber’s right to use the Services at any time;
• the right to pursue any other remedy or relief available in equity or law, for any reason whatsoever, including concerns or complaints that the Subscriber has violated clauses
• the right to re-post to the Forum any Subscriber Contribution removed by any Subscriber or former Subscriber 

Links to other websites

On websites of IMPULZE, there will be links to other websites that are operated by companies that may or may not be owned by IMPULZE or companies affiliated with IMPULZE. IMPULZE assumes no liability for the content of websites that we link to but which are not operated by IMPULZE. The online services of IMPULZE do not include content from third-party websites; it is possible, however, that the online services of IMPULZE may link to other websites of companies affiliated with IMPULZE, and that these contain third-party content. Such websites are subject to their own terms of use; these are stated on the respective website and can be accessed from there.

Intellectual property and other rights

IMPULZE is the owner and provider of these online services. All brands, names, titles, logos, images, designs, text and other materials used in our online services are property of IMPULZE, or of a contract partner. No rights (usage, licence or intellectual property rights) are conferred or transferred through the accessing, downloading, receiving or copying of information from our online services. The (full or partial) reproduction, transmission (by electronic or other means), modification, linking or use of our online services and the information contained within for public or commercial purposes is prohibited without the prior written consent of IMPULZE.

Exclusion of warranty

IMPULZE has taken appropriate measures to ensure the reliability of the information disseminated via its online services. However, by using our online services, you accept the information offered "as is". IMPULZE provides no implicit or explicit warranty or guarantee for the accuracy, content, completeness, reliability, usefulness or legality of the information contained in its online services; the same exclusion of any warranty from IMPULZE applies to merchantability, suitability for a given purpose, and non-violation of property rights. It is not possible to exclude the possibility of incorrect information, print errors and technical inaccuracies. IMPULZE further accepts no responsibility or liability for damage incurred on your computer or equipment (e.g. caused by viruses) resulting from your accessing or using our online services. IMPULZE reserves the right to modify the content of its website at any time without prior announcement.

Violation of these conditions of use

IMPULZE is entitled to take legal action against you for violations of these Terms of Use. In particular, IMPULZE reserves the right in the event of such violations to lock or delete your account. In the event that your violation causes damage or loss, you are required to indemnify IMPULZE, particularly in relation to any loss of assets, property damage or incurred costs, and in relation to any legal claims or actions. IMPULZE will support law enforcement authorities and enforce any court rulings that demand that IMPULZE disclose the identity of a person who may have committed criminal acts in relation to the use of the online services of IMPULZE. These Terms of Use and your use of our online services are subject to Swiss law, under exclusion of Conflict of Laws rules.

Company Policy

Background

Our Company Data Protection Policy refers to our commitment to treat information of employees, customers, stakeholders and other interested parties with the utmost care and confidentiality. With this policy, we ensure that we gather, store and handle data fairly, transparently and with respect towards individual rights.

Scope

This policy refers to all parties (employees, job candidates, customers, suppliers etc.) who provide any amount of information to us.

Employees of our company must follow this policy. Contractors, consultants, partners and any other external entity are also covered. Generally, our policy refers to anyone we collaborate with or acts on our behalf and may need occasional access to data.

Policy elements

As part of our operations, we need to obtain and process information. This information includes any offline or online data that makes a person identifiable such as names, addresses, usernames and passwords, digital footprints, photographs, social security numbers, financial data etc.

Our company collects this information in a transparent way and only with the full co- operation and knowledge of interested parties. Once this information is available to us, the following rules apply.

Our data will be:

• Accurate and kept up-to-date
• Collected fairly and for lawful purposes only
• Processed by the company within its legal and moral boundaries
• Protected against any unauthorized or illegal access by internal or external parties

Our data will not be:

• Communicated informally
• Stored for more than a specified amount of time
• Transferred to organizations, states or countries that do not have adequate data protection policies
• Distributed to any party other than the ones agreed upon by the data’s owner (exempting legitimate requests from law enforcement authorities)

In addition to ways of handling the data the company has direct obligations towards people to whom the data belongs. Specifically, we must:

• Let people know which of their data is collected
• Inform people about how we’ll process their data
• Inform people about who has access to their information
• Have provisions in cases of lost, corrupted or compromised data
• Allow people to request that we modify, erase, reduce or correct data con- tained in our databases

Actions

To exercise data protection, we’re committed to:

• Restrict and monitor access to sensitive data
• Develop transparent data collection procedures
• Build secure networks to protect online data from cyberattacks
• Establish clear procedures for reporting privacy breaches or data misuse
• Include contract clauses or communicate statements on how we handle data
• Establish data protection practices (document shredding, secure locks, data encryption, frequent backups, access authorization etc.)
• Our data protection provisions will appear on our website.

Disciplinary Consequences

All principles described in this policy must be strictly followed. A breach of data pro- tection guidelines will invoke disciplinary and possibly legal action.

Privacy Policy

Summary of our data protection obligation

We understand and respect that the protection of your personal data is important to you. Personal data that you convey to us is only used and transmitted to third parties by us in the form that we specify to you. We take commercially feasible measures to prevent the use and transmission of personal data that you convey to us online for other purposes. For more details, please read our Privacy Policy below or contact us directly.

IMPULZE offers online resources for the purpose of providing information and services related to health, medicine and products. Respecting the privacy of your personal data is very important to us. IMPULZE warrants that it will collect, update and protect your personal data in accordance with this Privacy Policy and with applicable legislation and regulations in respect of IMPULZE's websites and other services (for example the e-newsletter) that contain a link to this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy is applicable to personal data that IMPULZE collects via online resources and communication channels, for example websites and email. This Policy is generally not applicable to personal data that is collected via offline resources and offline communication channels, except when such personal data is combined with personal data collected by IMPULZE online. This Policy further does not apply to the online resources of third parties that IMPULZE may link to, but which IMPULZE has no control over in terms of content or data protection/privacy practices.

How does this Privacy Policy define "personal data"?

The term "personal data" in the context of this Privacy Policy refers to all data that contains information about persons whose identity is or can be determined.

How does IMPULZE collect personal data online?

IMPULZE collects personal data online via websites and other online resources and communication channels. IMPULZE also offers online resources in partnership with other online service providers, from which IMPULZE may receive personal data about the users of such resources. Such online partnerships are governed by contracts that require that appropriate measures be taken to protect personal data. Individuals may access many pages of our websites without having to disclose personal data. There are three ways or methods that IMPULZE uses to collect personal data online:

• Data transmitted by you: IMPULZE collects personal data and other data, for example that you enter in forms or input fields. Notable examples of such data include contact details (e.g. your name, address, email address, telephone number, user name and password), date of birth, professional references, leisure activities and interests. IMPULZE may also collect data about your state of health that you convey by answering questions and participating in surveys, or by using the healthcare-related data services that we provide for online use or download.
  
• Data that is collected from public data sources or third-party data sources: IMPULZE may also collect personal data about physicians and medical professionals that register on our websites from public information sources or third-party information sources for the purpose of verifying their professional references and identity. In some cases, we may also add data from third parties to our existing user databases. Some of this data may be of a personal nature, for example a change of residential address.
  
• Data that is collected via your computer or via other electronic devices: We collect data about your computer or about other electronic devices whenever you visit our websites and use our online resources. Such data may include your internet protocol (IP) address, your domain name, your browser type, the date and time of your query, as well as information that is provided by tracking technologies, for example cookies and pixel tags. If you use a mobile device to access our websites and online resources, we may also collect information on your device, for example your device ID and device type, as well as usage information about your device and your use of our mobile websites and other mobile resources.
  

Some of our websites and other online resources use tracking technologies in order to improve functionality and enable you to use these resources more efficiently. IMPULZE uses tracking technologies that do not enable personal identification of the user, for example in the way that the precise number of users or the precise number of websites that link to our online resources is determined, or to establish whether you have demonstrated your medical credentials, or whether you are resident in a certain country. IMPULZE may employ the services of other companies to send emails on our behalf or place IMPULZE advertisements on other websites. IMPULZE does not monitor the tracking technologies used by these other companies. If you wish to limit the collection of anonymous data by tracking technologies, please note the options described below.

In some cases, IMPULZE may use tracking technologies that enable you to be personally identified. However, this is only done after you have entered personal data in a form or input field on our websites, or after you have registered as a user of our online resources (for example, following the issuing of a user name or password on the basis of data that has been confirmed via other offline links). We may, under certain circumstances, use tracking technologies to identify your personal preferences and selection trends, for example personal data that you have entered on our website in input fields, your responses to our surveys, or areas of our website that you visit often, and also for the purpose of confirming whether you have read or clicked on certain email messages sent by us so that we can make our communications and notifications even more useful and interesting to you.

If you wish to limit the collection of data by tracking technologies, please note the options presented to you below.

What are cookies?

A cookie is a small file that is sent from web servers to the hard drive of your computer, on which your internet browser files are stored. Cookies enable websites to store small bundles of information on your computer and access this information again at a later point in time. IMPULZE uses two types of cookies: "session cookies", which are cookies that only apply to one session, are temporary, and are deleted from your computer's storage as soon as you close your internet browser or shut down your computer, and "persistent cookies", which are cookies that remain on your hard drive until they reach their expiry date, unless they are deleted beforehand.

What are pixel tags?

Pixel tags, also known as web beacons or web tags, are images that work similarly to cookies. Pixel tags are not visible due to their tiny size. They are used to collect data in web logs, in which you are not personally identifiable. This data includes the pages that you visit, the website that you came from, or the advertisement that you clicked on to arrive on our websites. They are also used to determine whether certain emails that we send you are opened.

Why does IMPULZE collect, use and forward personal data?

Generally speaking, IMPULZE collects personal data that is required for users to register for certain online resources of and online notifications from IMPULZE, and to customize these to the user's specific needs. IMPULZE uses the personal data that it collects to perform services and provide other benefits requested by individual persons, for example literature for training purposes, tools, quiz games, questionnaires and surveys. IMPULZE analyses the personal data that it collects to review existing and offer additional services that we believe you may be interested in. IMPULZE assesses the use of certain online notifications using anonymous data only. IMPULZE may also use personal data to verify that access to its online resources is authorized and to evaluate the security of these services.

Social media: Online social media are interactive media services that typically enable you to collaborate or share information with other users. Examples of social media services include social networks, discussion platforms, bulletin boards, blogs and wikis, which enable website content or tools to be shared with friends or colleagues. IMPULZE may collect personal data about you to enable you to use social media services online that we may offer from time to time. IMPULZE may also enable you to use these social media resources to publish information or send personal data to other persons. You should exercise care in determining which personal data you wish to share with others when using such social media services. IMPULZE provides additional help and information on its websites and other online resources on how personal data is collected, used and forwarded.

Mobile computing devices: Some IMPULZE websites and online resources are specifically designed for use on mobile computing devices. For some mobile versions of IMPULZE websites, it may be necessary to log in using your user account for this website. Data about your usage of the mobile version of the website will be linked to your user account. On some of our websites and online resources, you can download applications, widgets or other tools that you can use on mobile devices or other computing devices. Some of these applications may store data regarding your mobile device or other computing device. These applications may forward personal data to IMPULZE to enable you to access your user account and to enable IMPULZE to track use of these applications.

Some of these applications may also enable you to send reports and other data from this application by email. IMPULZE may use personal or anonymous data sent to IMPULZE for the purpose of improving these applications, developing new applications, improving quality, or for other purposes described in this Privacy Policy or in other notifications from IMPULZE.

Does IMPULZE compile personal data files?

In certain cases, IMPULZE will compile personal data files on the basis of data that it receives from users via various services and information channels, for example by telephone, surveys, websites, and other online & offline resources and communication channels. This data is used to improve the quality of the services offered by IMPULZE. This is done in compliance with the standards listed in this Privacy Policy and for the purposes specified, and also in compliance with other fundamental data protection principles.

How can I control how IMPULZE collects, uses and forwards personal data about me?

There are means at your disposal that can be broken down into four categories. These are:

• No collection of personal data: You can choose to not transmit any personal data to IMPULZE by refraining from entering any personal data in forms or input fields on our websites, or by not using any of the personalized services offered in our online resources. However, some of our online resources and services are only available to those persons who provide personal data or utilize personalized services.
  
• Restrictions and options regarding use and publication for other purposes: Certain online resources and services of IMPULZE may require your consent for the use and forwarding of your personal data, to add you to our address list, and to identify and offer additional services and marketing campaigns that you may be interested in. You can restrict the use of your personal data by marking or not marking the options offered to you at the time of data entry, and by exercising any options that may be offered for restricting the use of your data. You can also amend your communication preferences (for example by cancelling your registration for notifications that you previously requested) by contacting us via the contact address most suitable for you.
  
• Restrictions and options regarding tracking: IMPULZE online resources that utilize, for example, cookies to identify your personal preferences and selection trends will provide you with the means to select whether IMPULZE should use such technologies to remember you or offer you additional services. You can make this choice by marking or not marking the options offered you during registration or at the time your personal data is entered in forms or input fields. Our online resources do not contain any restriction options for individual users regarding non-identifiable use of tracking technologies. Most internet browsers enable individual users to control the use of certain tracking technologies – cookies, for example. Some internet browsers enable you to limit or prevent the use of cookies for certain websites. Other internet browsers enable you to configure cookie handling for all websites that you visit. If you are concerned about the use of cookie technology, please read the section "Data that is collected via your computer or via other electronic devices" above to gain an understanding of the types of tracking technology employed by IMPULZE. If you limit or prevent the use of cookies, certain functions on our websites may not work correctly, most notably access to some of our websites that require registration.

Who will have access to my personal data?

IMPULZE will have access to your personal data. Moreover, external persons and organizations that use personal data exclusively for IMPULZE will also have access to your personal data for the purpose of being able to perform services in the name of and on the behalf of IMPULZE. The use and disclosure of personal data by external persons and organizations acting in the name of and on the behalf of IMPULZE is governed by contracts that demand that appropriate measures be taken to protect personal data. Your personal data will only be used and disclosed by IMPULZE and these individual persons, companies and organizations in accordance with this Privacy Policy as well as other data protection principles, laws, regulations and directives.

Does IMPULZE disclose personal data to third parties?

IMPULZE does not sell or pass along your personal data. However, it is possible that IMPULZE may make a commercial decision to abandon its business operations by way of sale, merger or acquisition, or to engage in reorganization. In these circumstances, personal data may be disclosed to actual or potential buyers. IMPULZE will obtain written assurances to the effect that personal data will be suitably protected in such cases. IMPULZE reserves the right to disclose personal data regarding your person, including your email address, for reports to authorities, to parties of related legal disputes with the approval of the competent court, or in any other form permitted by applicable legislation and regulations. Unless expressly otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy, your personal data will not be disclosed without your consent.

How does IMPULZE protect my personal data?

IMPULZE will take reasonable action to protect personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, modification or deletion. You are responsible for the protection of copies that you make of your passwords and user names for our online resources.

How can I obtain access to and correct my personal data?

To obtain access to data collected about you for the purpose of correcting, completing or updating this data, you may access your account/profile on the respective web-service or you may contact us via the address provided below.

Where offered, you can also update your personal data online by amending data that you previously entered on our websites in forms or input fields. Where legally permitted, your options to access and amend your personal data are limited in the following cases: where such access or amendment would impair the ability of IMPULZE to comply with statutory or ethical obligations; where such access or amendment would impair the ability of IMPULZE to initiate investigations regarding its own or third-party legal claims, to assert such legal claims, or to defend itself against legal claims; where such access or amendment would result in personal data being disclosed via third parties; or where such access or amendment would result in a contractual violation or the disclosure of trade secrets or other confidential business information that are owned by IMPULZE or a third party.

How can I raise an objection to the use of my data?

Unless the use of data is required by law or there is another legal justification, you are entitled to raise an objection to the use of your data. Provided that these requirements are met, we will delete your data from our data processing applications within a reasonable timeframe and cease any disclosure of this data.

What is the IMPULZE address for questions regarding privacy and data protection?

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or on IMPULZE's data collection, usage and forwarding principles, please contact us at the following address: [email protected]

If you contact us, please state the name of the website or online resource to which you have sent data, and also the nature of the data that you have sent. We will make reasonable efforts to respond to your requests, questions or comments regarding the use of your personal data within 10–20 days. Unless required by law, IMPULZE cannot guarantee a response to questions or comments on topics that are not related to this Privacy Policy or to IMPULZE's data protection policy.

How will I know if IMPULZE has updated this Privacy Policy?

IMPULZE may periodically update this Privacy Policy. IMPULZE reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy, add certain parts or remove certain parts at its discretion. Should we decide to amend this Privacy Policy, we will indicate the changes made on this website, so that you always know what data we collect, how we might use this data, and whether we may forward it to anyone.

Last updated: May 2018