Assessing Reliability and Credibility of Cam

Assessing Reliability and Credibility of CAM Research is an important part of finding the appropriate CAM therapy that will help the patient’s symptoms. The information that is obtained during research could be full of opinions and not facts. Since we want factual information instead of opinions it is important that we are sure the information we are looking at is a reliable and credible source. Criteria for Reliability and Credibility CAM therapies are being used more today than in years past. The use of CAM has become helpful for many patients to elevate symptoms of their ailment. When studying which CAM therapy is right for the symptoms that are presented we need to be sure that the source of information is reliable and credible. There are several things we can ask ourselves to ensure the information we are using is reliable and credible. These criteria should be considered: 1)Does the source provide (Harris, Robert, June 15, 2007): a. Author’s name b. Author’s title and position c. Author’s organizational affiliation d. Date of the document 2)The documentation provides the information we are looking for (Harris, Robert. June 15, 2007): a. Facts b. Opinions c. Arguments d. Statistics e. Narratives f. Descriptions 3)Has there been cited information within the document that we are reviewing (Montecino, Virginia, August 1998). 4)What type of website is the information provided on (Montecino, Virginia, August 1998): a. A personal page b. Special interest site c. Professional site d. News or journalistic site e. Commercial site 5)Does the website contain information that is (Harris, Robert, June 15, 2007): a. Fair b. Objective c. Quality information . Lacking hidden motives Website for Review The website that I am going to use for review is a website regarding fish oil: http://healthlibrary. epnet. com/GetContent. aspx? token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21684#P3. The website homepage is from http://www. iherb. com/default. aspx?. The homepage offers information on herbs, supplements, conditions, drug interactions, homeopathy, and it has a medical library that you can look up all kinds of information. Consumer’s Attitudes and Beliefs about CAM Consumers are skeptical of using CAM therapies to heal the symptoms that are present or to help prevent symptoms of different diseases from appearing in their health. For some consumer’s their religious beliefs or beliefs they have been raised with do not support the use of CAM therapies. Cases where a consumer’s beliefs do not support the use of CAM the consumer would not even consider the possibility of using CAM therapies. Consumers have set opinions and attitudes about different things within their lives. For some they hold these opinions and attitudes to a stern heart and cannot be persuaded to change for any reason. Consumer’s that are set in their opinion and attitude often will not even consider change even with facts in front of them that the change can be a good change. Conclusion about Website For the purpose of this paper I have focused my research on fish oil. The webpage on fish oil has been reviewed by EBSCO CAM Medical Review Board in April 2009. The author of the source is not revealed; with the webpage being reviewed by the EBSCO CAM Medical Review Board it can be considered a reliable and credible source. If the information provided on this webpage is not correct information the Medical Review Board would not support the information. According to the website the page was last updated April 1, 2009, therefore the information is a year old and not extremely outdated. The webpage provides factual information and discusses studies that have been done on fish oil. The beginning of the webpage gives alternative names for fish oil, which can be helpful to the consumer when being sure they are not allergic to another name of fish oil. The webpage has 271 references where the information has been gathered for the purpose of this webpage. Throughout the webpage it allows the person reviewing the information to click on different terms for a further explanation of the term that has been used. The webpage allows the researcher to see and click on different proposed uses of fish oil to review. The information on other proposed uses is useful when looking at other possible symptoms of diseases that the consumer may have, in some cases the use of fish oil could help the consumer with more than one ailment. Through the review of this webpage I would consider it a reliable and credible source of information. Increase Credibility The website I have reviewed on fish oil seems to be a credible website. The information is full of factual information along with studies that have been conducted regarding the use of fish oil. The website even has a disclaimer regarding the use of fish oil, which many websites that discuss different CAM treatments does not include. The website could contain testimonials from consumers that have already used fish oil for the different aliments it helps. The testimonials could give consumers first hand information from consumers that have already used fish oil for the symptoms that the consumer doing the research is trying to elevate. I do not know of any other way that the site could increase the credibility any more than it already has contained within the website. Conclusion CAM can help consumer’s improve symptoms they may be experiencing and in some cases help to prevent a disease by the use of different CAM therapies. Consumer’s read information about different CAM therapies but the consumer needs to be sure that the information they are reading is from a reliable and credible source. Information obtained on the internet can be placed on the internet and contain nothing but opinions. Ensuring that the information is factual and reliable is something a consumer should consider before using any type of CAM therapy. Following the criteria discussed within this paper can help consumers be sure that the information they have found and are considering is credible and reliable, and most of all information that can be used when making decisions on their health. References Harris, Robert. (June 15, 2007). Evaluating Internet Research Sources. Retrieved April 24, 2010 from: http://www. virtualsalt. com/evalu8it. htm iHerb. com. (2010). Fish Oil. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from: http://healthlibrary. epnet. com/GetContent. aspx? token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21684#P3 Montecino, Virginia. (August 1998). Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from: http://mason. gmu. edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites. htm