Evidenciometer: a tool for evaluating the scientific quality of health claims - part I

Abstract

Assessing the scientific validity of health claims is complex and often subjective. In order to ensure greater objectivity and reproducibility to the process, while also providing a simple tool for professionals and the population, we propose the creation of an “Evidenciometer”. The evidenciometer will be developed in two stages, the first corresponding to this work. First, a model for detecting the level of evidence was designed, in addition to a web application. Then, health claims were collected for systematic literature review and, finally, validation against the model. The evidenciometer, generated here, allows for the evaluation of scientific evidence using objective criteria (i.e., number of studies, sample size, and effect size) and provides the public with the ability to examine the validity of common health claims.