scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicine on Wikipedia: Opportunities for Improvement

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm Koo
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Good Article ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Wikipedia, a free and collaborative Internet encyclopedia, has become one of the most popular sources of free information on the Internet. However, there have been concerns over the quality of online health information, particularly that on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This exploratory study aimed to evaluate several page attributes of articles on CAM in the English Wikipedia. A total of 97 articles were analyzed and compared with eight articles of broad categories of therapies in conventional medicine using the Mann-WhitneyUtest. Based on the Wikipedia editorial assessment grading, 4% of the articles attained “good article” status, 34% required considerable editing, and 56% needed substantial improvements in their content. The median daily access of the articles over the previous 90 days was 372 (range: 7–4,214). The median word count was 1840 with a readability of grade 12.7 (range: 9.4–17.7). Medians of word count and citation density of the CAM articles were significantly lower than those in the articles of conventional medicine therapies. In conclusion, despite its limitations, the general public will continue to access health information on Wikipedia. There are opportunities for health professionals to contribute their knowledge and to improve the accuracy and completeness of the CAM articles on Wikipedia.

scholarly journals The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Y. Ng ◽  
Alexandra Vacca ◽  
Tanya Jain
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Abstract Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent among patients living with arthritis. Such patients often seek information online, for the purpose of gaining a second opinion to their healthcare provider or even self-medication. Little is known about the quality of web-based consumer health information at the intersection of CAM and arthritis; thus, investigating the quality of websites containing this information was the purpose of this study. Methods Four unique search terms were searched on Google across four English-speaking countries. We assessed the first 20 results of each search, including them if they contained CAM consumer health information for the treatment and/or management of arthritis. Eligible websites were assessed in duplicate using the DISCERN instrument, which consists of 16-items designed to assess quality. Results Of total of 320 webpages, 239 were duplicates, and a total of 38 unique websites were deemed eligible and assessed using the DISCERN instrument. The mean summed  DISCERN scores across all websites was 55.53 (SD = 9.37). The mean score of the overall quality of each website was 3.71 (SD = 0.63), thus the majority of websites are ranked as slightly above ‘fair’ quality. Conclusion Eligible websites generally received scores better than ‘moderate’ in terms of overall quality. Several shortcomings included a lack of transparency surrounding references used and underreporting of risks associated with treatment options. These results suggest that health providers should be vigilant of the variable quality of information their patients may be accessing online and educate them on how to identify high quality resources.

scholarly journals Satisfaction with Family Physicians and Specialists and the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Israel

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Shmueli ◽  
Judith Shuval
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Family Physicians ◽  
Perceived Quality ◽  
Perceived Quality Of Care ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Higher utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly explained by dissatisfaction or disappointment with conventional medical treatment. To explore, at two points in time in Israel, the associations between six domains of satisfaction (attitude, length of visits, availability, information sharing, perceived quality of care and overall) with conventional family physicians' and specialists' services and the likelihood of consulting CAM providers. This is a secondary analysis of interviews, which were conducted with 2000 persons in 1993 and 2500 persons in 2000, representing the Israeli Jewish urban population aged 45–75 in those years. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used in the investigation. In 1993, users of CAM were less satisfied than non-users with both family physicians' and specialists' care. Lower satisfaction with the attitude of, the amount of information sharing by and in general with family physicians, and with the length of visits and perceived quality of care of specialists were significantly associated with CAM use. In 2000, lower satisfaction with specialists' attitude, length of visits, availability and in general was significantly related to the use of CAM. Lower satisfaction with family physicians and specialists is significantly associated with consulting CAM providers. However, with CAM becoming a mainstream medical care specialty in its own, lower satisfaction with conventional medicine specialists becomes the most important factor.

An Innovative Patient-centered Approach to Common Playing-related Pain Conditions in Musicians

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 170-173
Author(s):  
Marc Brodsky ◽  
Ka-Kit Hui
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Case Discussion ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Musicians are increasingly seeking out complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to relieve suffering that results from playing-related pain conditions. Using an innovative patient-centered model, an approach has been developed that can incorporate various medical systems and therapeutics to offer safe, effective, affordable, and accessible health care for musicians. A case discussion explores how musicians, through combining different traditions of medicine in orchestration, can optimize their quality of life while meeting their needs of prevention and rehabilitation of occupation-related conditions.

scholarly journals Quality Assessment of Online Complementary and Alternative Medicine Information Resources Relevant to Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153473542110660
Author(s):  
Megan E. Sansevere ◽  
Jeffrey D. White
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Healthcare Team ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is often used by cancer patients and survivors in the US. Many people turn to the internet as their first source of information. Health information seeking through the internet can be useful for patients to gain a better understanding of specific CAM treatments to discuss with their healthcare team, but only if the information is comprehensive, high quality, and reliable. The aim of this article is to examine the content, writing/vetting processes, and visibility of cancer CAM online informational resources. Methods: Online CAM resources were identified by Google and PubMed searches, literature reviews, and through sources listed on various websites. The websites were analyzed through a modified online health information evaluation tool, DISCERN (score range = 1-5). The website’s features relevant to the quality assessment were described. Results: Eleven CAM websites were chosen for analysis. The DISCERN analysis showed a range of quality scores from 3.6 to 4.9. Lower DISCERN scores were generally due to deficiencies in describing the writing, editing, and updating processes. A lack of transparency with authorship and references was commonly present. Conclusion: Cancer patients interested in CAM need unbiased, evidence-based, reliable, high-quality, easily accessible educational materials. Individuals should use the guidelines followed in this analysis (including DISCERN and Medline Plus) to find reliable sources. Website developers can use CAM Cancer (NAFKAM), Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, breastcancer.org , Office of Dietary Supplements, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, and Cancer.gov as models for trustworthy content.

scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicine versus Conventional Medicine Use in Thalassemia Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. 105-111
Author(s):  
Wan Ismahanisa Ismail ◽  
Mohamed Azmi Ahmad Hassali ◽  
Maryam Farooqui ◽  
Muhammad Nabil Fikri Roslan ◽  
Nazri Che Dom
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Medicine Use ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
International Publishing ◽  
Treatment Procedures ◽  
Open Access Article ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background: This study explores thalassemia patients' perceptions concerning the effectiveness of conventional therapies for Thalassemia healthcare. Method: The semi-structured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Results: Nearly all thalassemia patients reported to have relied on conventional treatment methods to treat and reduce the severity of their disease. Few patients reported not to comply with their treatment procedures due to fear of infection through blood transfusion, surgery and organ failure. Conclusions: In conclusion, patients showed positive views about the conventional therapies carried out for Thalassemia. Keywords:: Thalassemia; qualitative; conventional; complementary and alternative medicine eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.2665

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