> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.liveclin.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ethical care

> Ethical care in weekly questionnaires: data minimization, consent, weight and photo as triggers, scope limits, and the urgent-contact channel.

Health data is sensitive data, and a weekly questionnaire collects that data every week. Five practices structure responsible use.

## Minimization

Collect only what you'll act on. A question you find interesting but never consult is sensitive data stored with no purpose. The test is the same as [writing rule 12](/en/boas-praticas/escrever-perguntas#the-twelve-rules): if the answer changes no decision, cut it.

## Consent and channel

The patient needs to know what is collected, what for, and for how long. LiveClin requires confirmation of the WhatsApp number before any send — treat that as part of consent, not as red tape.

## Weight and photos need extra care

For patients with a history or signs of a dysfunctional relationship with food and body, these questions can be a trigger.

<Warning>
  In those cases, take weight and photos out of the questionnaire. Leaving them optional but visible is not enough. Replace them with behavior and well-being indicators.
</Warning>

## Professional scope

The questionnaire does not widen your scope. If an answer points outside your field — a symptom requiring medical investigation, significant psychological distress, or risk — a **referral** is the right course of action, not an adjustment to the plan.

## Not an urgent channel

An asynchronous questionnaire with a 48-hour deadline is not a channel for urgent situations and must not be presented as one. Make it explicit to the patient what the route is in those cases.

This goes double for mental health: weekly questionnaires are not risk-screening instruments and must not be used to monitor self-harm risk. If your scope requires that, use validated instruments within an active-contact protocol, with an urgent channel defined and communicated to the patient.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Overview" icon="compass" href="/en/boas-praticas/visao-geral">
    Go back to the start of the series and review the checklist before you save.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schedule sending" icon="send" href="/en/boas-praticas/configurar-envios">
    The usage agreement that tells the patient which channels and deadlines apply.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>