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Cited by 31Health Literacy and Information AccessibilityComplementary and Alternative Medicine StudiesPharmacy and Medical Practices

Web-based online resources about adverse interactions or side effects associated with complementary and alternative medicine: a systematic review, summarization and quality assessment

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Ng, Jeremy Y., Munford, Vanessa, Thakar, Harmy·2020·BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
DOI 10.1186/s12911-020-01298-5PMC PMC7653751
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Abstract

Background: Given an increased global prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, healthcare providers commonly seek CAM-related health information online. Numerous online resources containing CAM-specific information exist, many of which are readily available/accessible, containing information shareable with their patients. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has summarized nor assessed the quality of content contained within these online resources for at least a decade, specifically pertaining to information about adverse effects or interactions. Methods: This study provides summaries of web-based online resources that provide safety information on potential interactions or adverse effects of CAM. Specifically, clinicians are the intended users of these online resources containing patient information which they can then disseminate to their patients. All online resources were assessed for content quality using the validated rating tool, DISCERN. Results: Of 21 articles identified in our previously published scoping review, 23 online resources were eligible. DISCERN assessments suggests that online resources containing CAM-specific information vary in quality. Summed DISCERN scores had a mean of 56.13 (SD = 10.25) out of 75. Online resources with the highest total DISCERN scores across all questions included Micromedex (68.50), Merck Manual (67.50) and Drugs.com (66.50). Online resources with the lowest total scores included Drug Information (33.00), Caremark Drug Interactions (42.50) and HIV Drug Interactions (43.00). The DISCERN questions that received the highest mean score across all online resources referred to whether the risks were described for each treatment (4.66), whether the aims were clear (4.58), whether the source achieved those aims (4.58), and whether the website referred to areas of uncertainty (4.58). The DISCERN questions that received the lowest mean score across all online resources assessed whether there was discussion about no treatment being used (1.29) and how treatment choices would affect quality of life (2.00). Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive list of online resources containing CAM-specific information. Informed by the appraisal of these resources, this study provides a summarized list of high quality, evidence-based, online resources about CAM and CAM-related adverse effects. This list of recommended resources can thereby serve as a useful reference for clinicians, researchers, and patients.

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  • The adverse event report databases were searched for creatine in dietary supplements or products following accepted protocols.

    “These databases were searched for “creatine’ in dietary supplements or products following accepted protocols [61,62].”

    From Safety of creatine supplementation: analysis of the prevalence of reported side effects in clinical trials and adverse event reports (2025) · cites this paper as [62]

    The Results section, under “Summaries of included online resources” (page unavailable), describes databases containing information on adverse effects and supplements. The Methods sections describe selecting and assessing those resources, not searching adverse-event report databases for creatine. Searches of our copy for “creatine” and “accepted protocols” found no passage documenting the claimed search. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ng, J. Y., Munford, V., & Thakar, H.
Affiliations
McMaster University (CA)
Corresponding author
Ng, Jeremy Y.
ORCID
Venue
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-11-09
Volume
20
Issue
1
Pages
290-290
ISSN
1472-6947 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12911-020-01298-5
PMC
PMC7653751
OpenAlex
W3103001400
Cited by
31
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 3
FWCI
0.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmacy and Medical Practices
Keywords
complementary and alternative medicine, adverse drug interactions, online health information resources, DISCERN, information quality assessment, patient information, clinician-patient communication, drug information websites
MeSH terms
Complementary Therapies, Drug Interactions, Humans, Pilot Projects, Quality Assurance, Health Care, Quality of Life, Internet, Access to Information, Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions

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