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Table 4 Websites under developmenta

From: Who can you trust? A review of free online sources of “trustworthy” information about treatment effects for patients and the public

Website

Statements about how the information is prepared & status of the website

CureFacts

https://www.curefacts.com/

https://www.curefacts.com/

“CureFacts provides a scientific based rating of all types of medical treatments. Our rating is mainly based on statistical summaries of all valid clinical trials. Such summaries, called Systematic Reviews, provide the highest level of evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of treatments.”

https://www.curefacts.com/about/company

“We provide everyone with free access to a reliable and user-friendly information about the effectiveness and safety of medical treatments and procedures of all types: surgeries, prescription and non-prescription drugs, medical devices, vitamins, minerals, food supplements, alternative medicine and diagnostic tests.”

https://www.curefacts.com/frequently-asked-questions

“CureFacts relies primarily on Systematic Reviews, which are done by independent organizations and researchers, and summarize all valid clinical trials, and therefore are regarded as the most reliable type of scientific evidence. This sets us apart from other online resources, which usually rely on only one clinical trial, or on regulation guidelines that may be influenced by conflict of interest and by lobbying.”

“Systematic Reviews summarize all valid clinical trials, and therefore provide the most reliable information about the effectiveness of medical treatments. However, when a treatment is introduced to the market and used by many patients, new safety issues, that were not previously detected in clinical trials (and therefore were not covered by Systematic Reviews) may arise. Therefore, we use additional sources to include known side effects and safety issues related to specific treatments. In a similar manner, we receive continuous feedback from doctors and healthcare providers, and use it to improve our database.”

“We are currently running our Alpha version for which the access is limited and requires registration and then permission via email. Following further testing, we will open it to the public, and you will be able to use it without registration. You will need to register, however, if you want to keep your records (medical treatments that you want to save) and preferences (so that we can suggest treatments that people like you prefer), or if you wish to get our newsletter, [notifications] and updates.”

“Currently, CureFacts has no sources of income. We are creating the first ever evidence based medicine platform, a meeting point for science, patients and doctors. In the future, we will provide you with a list of healthcare providers, doctors and on-line consultants; in turn, these doctors and consultants may pay us referral fees. This will enable us to maintain our operation, and to provide free access to all, while keeping us neutral and objective (since we will not gain anything when you choose a specific medical treatment).”

  1. aLast accessed 14 February 2018