How clinical review works at Little Puggles

This page describes how clinical review of educational content works at Little Puggles. It's the narrower companion to our editorial policy, which covers the broader question of who writes, who reviews, and how we handle corrections. This page focuses specifically on what clinical review IS, what it is NOT, who does it, and what's in and out of scope.

If you've landed here from a "Clinically reviewed by Marcus" footer on an educational article, this is the page that explains what that footer actually means.

Educational content on Little Puggles that involves child-health topics is reviewed for clinical accuracy by Marcus Hando, Little Puggles co-founder. Marcus has a Bachelor of Health Science, a Master of Paramedic Practice, and a Graduate Diploma in Critical Care Paramedicine. He has been a paramedic for ten years and has worked at the intensive care level. He holds current general registration with AHPRA as a paramedic; his registration can be verified on the AHPRA public register.

Marcus is not the author of the articles he reviews. He reviews content written by other contributors (most often Kim Hando, a retired Division 1 Registered Nurse with thirty-plus years' experience) for clinical accuracy.

When Marcus reviews an educational article, he checks four things:

1. Factual accuracy. Does the article correctly state what current Australian child-health guidelines say on the topic? Where the article cites a source (Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Raising Children Network, ASCIA, Red Nose Australia, healthdirect, Better Health Channel, the Eczema Association of Australasia, or other authoritative bodies), Marcus checks that the citation accurately represents what the source says.
2. Currency. Is the guidance the article describes still current? Clinical guidelines change. An article that reflected best practice in 2024 may need updating in 2026. Marcus flags articles where the guidance landscape has shifted.
3. Appropriate scope. Does the article stay within the scope of general parental information, or does it overreach into individual medical advice? An article describing the difference between common nappy rash and a rash that warrants a GP visit is general information; an article that diagnoses a specific child's specific condition is overreach. Marcus reads for that line.
4. Authoritative-source linkage. Does the article link out to authoritative sources for the claims it makes, so a parent can verify the information directly? Articles that describe a clinical topic without sourcing it back to an authority don't pass review.

The scope is narrow on purpose. Marcus reviews what he is qualified to review and defers everywhere else. Editorial integrity at Little Puggles is built on knowing the limits of what any one person can verify.

When Marcus signs off on an article, the article carries the "Clinically reviewed by Marcus" footer with a link to his bio and a link to this page.

Clinical review is not medical advice for individual children. Marcus does not review your specific child's rash or eczema or skin condition through Little Puggles content. Educational articles describe general guidance and direct readers to authoritative sources; if your child has a specific condition or you're worried about a specific symptom, please speak with your GP, paediatrician, or paediatric dermatologist. The educational articles say this directly. The clinical-reviewer role doesn't change it.

Clinical review is not product endorsement. Marcus does not review or endorse Little Puggles products through the clinical-reviewer role. His name appears on educational articles to verify clinical accuracy in those articles; his name does not appear on product pages. We keep the two roles separate deliberately, and the reasons are described in our editorial policy.

Clinical review is not a substitute for product certification. Little Puggles products carry independent product-level certifications (Dermatest® Sensitive Skin, no PFAS detected via SGS testing, no chlorine bleach (SGS verified), the full Safe Cosmetics Australia stack on wipes, Recognised by EAA for suitability on eczema-prone skin). Those certifications are independent of Marcus and predate his clinical-reviewer role. The certifications speak for the products; the clinical-reviewer role speaks for the educational content.

In scope: general guidance on baby and child skin care, nappy rash, eczema-prone skin, sensitive skin, newborn skin physiology, infant skin care principles, ingredient transparency on the formulations Little Puggles uses (where the article is educational rather than promotional), and similar topics within paediatric general health.

Out of scope: any topic where Marcus does not have specialist training (we'd rather defer to a specialist than overreach); any individual diagnosis or specific medical advice for a specific child; any topic requiring AHPRA-registered specialist endorsement (e.g. paediatric dermatology, paediatric immunology); any therapeutic claim about Little Puggles products; any unrelated child-health domain (e.g. mental health, developmental milestones, vaccination guidance).

For topics that are out of scope, Little Puggles either does not publish content (the simpler answer in most cases) or publishes content authored by another contributor with the relevant specialist background, with that contributor's qualifications named.

Marcus is a co-founder of Little Puggles and has a financial interest in products sold on this website. Little Puggles operates under Australian First Aid Distributions Pty Ltd. Marcus's role in reviewing educational content is to verify clinical accuracy against current Australian child-health guidelines. Marcus does not endorse or recommend specific Little Puggles products, and does not provide medical advice for individual children through this website.

This disclosure also appears on Marcus's bio page and is the same wording in both places.

If you're a healthcare professional, parent, advocate, or curious reader who's spotted what looks like a clinical-accuracy issue on a Little Puggles educational article, please email hello@littlepuggles.com.au with the subject line Editorial correction, the article title or URL, and the specific concern. We acknowledge concerns within one business day.

If we agree the article contains a clinical-accuracy issue, we correct it under the process described in our editorial policy. If we disagree, we explain why with reference to the authoritative sources we cite.

We treat clinical-accuracy concerns more seriously than minor factual errors. The audience for our educational content includes parents making decisions about their children's skin and health, and we'd rather over-investigate a concern than under-investigate one.

If you're worried about your specific child right now, please call your GP, contact Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on 1800 882 436 (free, 24-hour Australian phone helpline), or use healthdirect's symptom checker at healthdirect.gov.au. We mean it. The point of writing our content well is that it never replaces a real call to a real clinician. Educational articles describe general patterns; your child is specific. Specific worries deserve specific advice from someone who can ask follow-up questions.