Terms & Privacy

Effective date: March 24, 2026 | Last updated: March 29, 2026

Medical Disclaimer

Do Not Enter Protected Health Information (PHI). PouchRAG is not a HIPAA-covered system. Do not include patient names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, or any other individually identifiable health information in your queries. Queries containing PHI may be flagged and your account may be suspended.

Pouchology.org is an academic literature search tool. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations.

The information presented on this website, including AI-generated summaries ("PouchRAG"), is derived from published peer-reviewed literature and is intended for educational and research purposes only. This content:

Is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment
Should not be used to make clinical decisions without consulting a qualified healthcare provider
May contain errors, omissions, or outdated information
Reflects the published literature and not the opinions of the Pouchology team or Cleveland Clinic

AI-generated answers are summaries of published research, not original clinical guidance. Always verify claims against the cited source publications. If you are a patient experiencing symptoms, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Terms of Service

1. Service Description

Pouchology.org provides a curated database of peer-reviewed publications related to ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) and continent ileostomy surgery, along with an AI-powered literature search feature (PouchRAG). The service is provided as-is for academic and educational use.

2. User Accounts

Certain features (PouchRAG, dashboards) require a free account. By creating an account, you agree to provide a valid email address and professional information (role, institution). Pouchology.org uses email-based account recognition — there are no passwords, magic links, or one-time codes. To access the tool on a new device, enter the email address you registered with. If your email is found, you are granted immediate access with a 1-year browser cookie.

Registered accounts may be suspended or revoked for violations of our acceptable use policy, including but not limited to: entering protected health information, submitting abusive or explicit content, or automated/scripted access.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree to use Pouchology.org for lawful, non-commercial research and educational purposes. You may not:

Attempt to circumvent rate limits or access controls
Use automated scripts to bulk-query the RAG system
Redistribute AI-generated content as original clinical guidance
Use the service to make clinical decisions for patient care without independent verification

4. No Warranty

The service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information. The AI system may produce inaccurate summaries. Service availability may be interrupted without notice.

5. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Pouchology.org, its creators, and affiliated institutions shall not be liable for any damages arising from the use of this service, including but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.

6. Changes

We may update these terms at any time. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. Material changes will be communicated via the registered email address.

Privacy Policy

What We Collect

Registration data — first name, last name, email address, NPI number (US providers only), professional role, and institution name
Demographic data (optional) — age bracket, gender, years in practice, practice setting
Anonymous session ID — a randomly generated UUID stored in your browser's localStorage (key: pouchology_session_id), used to link your queries before and after registration
Free-query counter — a simple integer in your browser's localStorage (key: pouchology_query_count) that tracks how many PouchRAG queries you have submitted on this device. The first 3 PouchRAG queries are free; after the 3rd, a registration prompt is shown before further queries. Clearing your browser storage resets this counter. Search of the literature collection is unlimited and requires no account.
Registration cookie — a first-party cookie (pouchology_registered) set after you create a free account; retained for up to 1 year to recognize you on this device.
Search queries — By submitting a query, you expressly consent to its being logged and used recursively to improve the PouchRAG AI system. Queries are stored in aggregate and not linked to personal identity in analytics. You must not include protected health information (PHI) or any individually identifiable data in queries. Queries flagged as containing PHI may be purged and associated accounts suspended.
Basic usage data — query counts, timestamps, and response latency (for rate limiting and service monitoring)
IP address — for rate limiting only; not used for tracking or analytics
Bot defenses — Cloudflare Rate Limiting Rules and Bot Fight Mode evaluate request patterns at the network edge to block automated abuse. No personal data is collected beyond the request metadata Cloudflare uses for routing.

What We Do NOT Collect

No passwords (email-only auth)
No protected health information (PHI)
No third-party tracking cookies, advertising pixels, or cross-site trackers (the only cookie we set is the first-party pouchology_registered login cookie described above)
No third-party analytics (Cloudflare Web Analytics is cookieless)
No personal health data or patient information
No browsing history beyond this site

Data Storage

Data is stored on Cloudflare's global network (D1 database) and processed in the United States. We retain account data for the duration of your account. You may request account deletion by contacting us.

Third-Party Services

PouchRAG queries are processed by OpenAI's API (for answer generation) and may be subject to OpenAI's API data usage policies. No personal information is included in API calls — only the search query and retrieved literature passages.

Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or share your personal information with third parties. Aggregate, de-identified usage statistics may be used in academic publications about the Pouchology platform.

Your Rights Under GDPR (EU/EEA Users)

If you are a resident of the European Union or European Economic Area, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) grants you the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — request deletion of your data
Right to restrict processing — request we pause processing of your data
Right to data portability — request an exportable copy of your data in a structured format
Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interest
Right to withdraw consent — withdraw previously-given consent at any time (as easily as you gave it)
Right to lodge a complaint — with a supervisory authority in your EU member state

To exercise any of these rights, email holubas@ccf.org with the subject line "GDPR Request". We will respond within 30 days.

Legal Basis for Processing

Consent — for search queries and their use to improve the PouchRAG AI system; for optional demographic data
Legitimate interest — for rate limiting, abuse prevention, and anonymous usage analytics
Contract performance — for account management and delivery of registered-user features

Data Controller

The data controller for Pouchology.org is Stefan D. Holubar, MD, MS, acting on behalf of the Holubar Lab at Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Contact: holubas@ccf.org.

Data Retention

Account data — retained for the duration of your account; deleted within 30 days of account deletion request
Search queries — original queries purged after 90 days; anonymized aggregate statistics retained for AI training
Basic usage data — retained for up to 90 days for service monitoring

International Data Transfers

Our servers are located in the United States (Cloudflare D1 database). If you access this site from the EU/EEA, your data will be transferred to the US. Cloudflare participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and provides GDPR-aligned Standard Contractual Clauses as the transfer safeguard.

Cookies & Client-Side Storage

Pouchology.org uses only strictly necessary cookies and client-side storage — no tracking, advertising, or third-party analytics cookies.

Authentication cookie (1 year) — set after you register, so you don’t have to re-enter your email on each visit. Essential for PouchRAG access. This is a strictly-necessary cookie under GDPR and does not require separate consent.
Anonymous session ID (localStorage) — a random identifier used to link your queries before and after registration. No personal data.
Cloudflare Web Analytics — cookieless; measures performance only.

You may clear all client-side storage at any time via your browser settings. Doing so will sign you out.

Data Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach. If the breach is likely to result in a high risk, we will also notify affected users directly via the email address on file.

Request Data Deletion / Withdrawal of Consent

You may withdraw consent, request deletion of your account, or request deletion of any personal data we hold at any time.

Request Data Deletion

We will confirm receipt within 7 days and complete deletion within 30 days, per GDPR Article 17. Query logs already purged (after 90 days) cannot be recovered; anonymized aggregate training data has no link back to you and is unaffected.

Contact

For questions about these policies or to request account deletion:

Stefan D. Holubar, MD, MS, FACS, FASCRS
Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic
holubas@ccf.org

Pouchology.org is an academic project of the Holubar Lab at Cleveland Clinic. It is not a commercial product and is not endorsed by or affiliated with any pharmaceutical company or medical device manufacturer.