Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The increasing use of the Internet as a source of health information makes the accuracy of such information crucial. An example is the use of the widely advertised bitter melon (Momordica charantia) in treating diabetes despite its unproven efficacy. This study aims to assess the accuracy of websites containing information on bitter melon's role in diabetes, to search for the presence of the proposed quality indicators, and to determine their correlation with accuracy. METHODOLOGY: An Internet search was used to generate a list of websites. The accuracy of each website was determined by comparing its content with that of a tool that was developed from authoritative sources. The presence of the proposed quality indicators, taken from published guidelines, was then correlated with accuracy. RESULTS: Of the 158 websites identified, 10 (6.33%) were characterized as "most accurate" and 21 (13.3%) as "somewhat accurate." The identified indicators of accuracy were the HONcode logo (OR 12.1, p=0.011); the author, identified as a healthcare professional (OR=6.11, p=0.008); and a citation from a peer-reviewed medical literature (OR 2.92, p=0.029). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that most of the Internet-based information on bitter melon's role in diabetes is inaccurate. The public can use several indicators of accurate information on the use of bitter melon in diabetes to improve health care.