Quality of complementary and alternative medicine information for type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional survey and quality assessment of websites

Abstract

Background The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is projected to reach approximately 700 million by the year 2045, with roughly 90–95% of all diabetes cases being type 2 in nature. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) frequently seek information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) online. This study assessed the quality of publicly accessible websites providing consumer health information at the intersection of T2DM and CAM. Methods An online search engine (Google) was searched to identify pertinent websites containing information specific to CAM for T2DM patients, and the relevant websites were then screened with an eligibility criteria. Consumer health information found on eligible websites were then assessed for quality using the DISCERN instrument, a 16-item standardized scoring system. Results Across the 480 webpages identified, 94 unique webpages remained following deduplication, and 37 eligible webpages belonged to and were collapsed into 30 unique websites that were each assessed using the DISCERN instrument. The mean overall quality score (question 16) across all 30 assessed websites was 3.55 (SD = 0.86), and the mean summed DISCERN score was 52.40 (SD = 12.11). Eighty percent of websites presented a wide range of CAM treatment options with the associated benefits/risks of each treatment, but in 56.7% of the websites, the sources used to collect information were unreliable. Conclusion This study identified, assessed, and presents findings on the quality of online CAM information for T2DM. Although there were several high scoring websites, there was variability across most of the individual DISCERN items in the assessed websites. This study highlights the importance of awareness among healthcare providers regarding the reliability of online information about CAM treatment and management options for T2DM. Healthcare providers should be aware of patients' information seeking behaviour, guide them in navigating through the content they encounter online, and provide them with resources containing trustworthy and reliable information.

Multifaceted physiological and therapeutical impact of curcumin on hormone‐related endocrine dysfunctions: A comprehensive review

“…There has been a notable increase in the worldwide occurrence of DM, nearly doubling since 1980 (Duffy et al, 2020). Moreover, it is estimated that the global prevalence of DM will reach approximately 700 million individuals by the year 2045, with the majority of cases, about 90-95%, falling under the type 2 category (Ng et al, 2021). DM is a multifaceted and varied metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood sugar levels resulting from either insulin resistance, insufficient insulin secretion, or a combination of both factors.…”

Paradigm of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Type 2 Diabetes

“…Moreover, Healthcare providers need to be aware of the reliability and accuracy of online information regarding CAM treatments for T2D. In over half (56%) of the websites surveyed, the sources utilized for information gathering were deemed unreliable [137]. Healthcare providers need to communicate with their patients about the various treatment options.…”

Attitudes pregnant women in Türkiye towards holistic complementary and alternative medicine and influencing factors: a web-based cross-sectional study

“…Although various different terms such as alternative medicine or modern medicine have been used for complementary medicine in recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that there can be no alternative to medicine, but only therapies complementary to it, and in line with that decision, the term “traditional and complementary medicine” has come to the fore. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), complementary and alternative health approaches are defined as a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not considered to be part of conventional or allopathic medicine [ 7 , 8 ].…”