Identifying Harmful Information on CAM Websites
Author Information
Author(s): Muhammad Walji, Smitha Sagaram, Deepak Sagaram, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Craig Johnson, Nadeem Q Mirza, Elmer V Bernstam
Primary Institution: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Hypothesis
Can technical quality criteria identify potentially harmful online CAM content?
Conclusion
Current technical quality criteria do not identify potentially harmful CAM information online.
Supporting Evidence
- 25% of sites contained statements that could lead to direct physical harm.
- 97% of sites omitted vital information.
- Technical quality criteria did not correlate with potential harm.
Takeaway
Many websites about alternative medicine can give dangerous advice, and just looking for quality signs on these sites doesn't help you find safe information.
Methodology
Analyzed 150 websites for technical quality criteria and harmful statements regarding three popular herbs.
Potential Biases
Potential bias from primary reviewers being aware of the study hypothesis.
Limitations
The study was limited to websites about three herbs and relied on subjective clinical judgments.
Statistical Information
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website