Dietary and herbal supplements for fatigue: A quality assessment of online consumer health information, 2021, Ng et al

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213422021000366

Integrative Medicine Research
Available online 26 May 2021, 100749
In Press, Journal Pre-proof


Dietary and herbal supplements for fatigue: A quality assessment of online consumer health information
Jeremy Y Ng
Catherine Jiayi Zhang
Saad Ahmed
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imr.2021.100749

Abstract
Background
: The Internet is increasingly utilized by consumers to learn about and self-prescribe dietary and herbal supplements (DHSs). Studies which assessed websites about DHSs revealed a general insufficiency in both the safety and quality of provided information. The present study assessed the quality of DHSs consumer health information provided by websites on the topic of fatigue.

Methods
: Six unique search terms were searched on Google, each relating to fatigue and DHSs, across four countries. Four hundred eighty websites were initially searched, 48 of which were assessed. All assessments were conducted using DISCERN, a standardized index of the quality of consumer health information.

Results
: Across 48 eligible websites, the mean summed score was 47.64 (SD=10.38) and the mean overall rating was 3.06 (SD=0.90). Commercial sites were the highest in quantity and poorest in quality. Irrespective of type, websites were mostly lacking in delivering information on uncertainties regarding treatment options, the no treatment option, and treatments’ effect on overall quality of life.

Conclusion
: Physicians and other healthcare professionals should be aware of the high variability in the quality of information provided by websites on DHSs for fatigue and facilitate open communication with fatigue patients to guide them towards reliable online sources.

Keywords
Consumer health information
Dietary and herbal supplements
DISCERN
Fatigue
Quality of information

 

I have never come across a doctor who knew anything about DHSs.

DHSs are defined as “products containing naturally occurring substances intended to supplement the diet, and restore or maintain good health,” encompassing vitamins and minerals, herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines, traditional medicines, probiotics, and other products such as amino acids, essential fatty acids, enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites

The scope of what the authors refer to as DHSs is huge, and I suspect the available research on them might be contradictory and of poor quality.

 

There are many reasons not to pay much attention to this paper but to begin with, "we searched on Google" is not a proper starting point as all search results are personalized, they are not a reflection of what other users will see. There is as much variation in individual search results as there are variations in medical clinics the world over, from world class to a shack in a remote village.

Now this isn't really meant to be a serious paper but it's something that authors, reviewers and editors should have enough sense not to do precisely because the results cannot be generalized, it is a fully custom algorithm and simply using a new computer signed out doesn't work because most users' results will be customized anyway.

Weak. Medical research is so damn weak.

 

DISCERN: an instrument for judging the quality of written consumer health information on treatment choices.

https://jech.bmj.com/content/53/2/105