Introducing a composite index of information quality for medical web sites.

In this paper we present the MIR index, a composite index of Medical Information Reliability. This percentage index is intended as a simple indicator of Information Quality of medical online resources from the perspective of their potential consumers. We exemplify its application in the domain of the Non Conventional and Complementary Medicine (NCM/CAM) for its lack of institutional professional figures; yet the structure of the index makes it suitable also for other healthcare-related domains where guidelines for IQ assurance exist.