Table 3.

Brief DISCERN questions and scoring.

Questions	Score
	Low (1) “No”	Moderate (2-4) “Partially”	High (5) “Yes”
Is it clear what sources of information were used to compile the publication (other than the author or producer)?	No sources of evidence for the information are mentioned	The sources are clear to some extent and are referenced in the text or in a bibliography	The sources are very clear and are referenced in text and in a bibliography
Is it clear when the information used or reported in the publication was produced?	No dates have been given	Only the date of the publication itself is clear, or dates for some of but not all acknowledged sources are given	Dates for all acknowledged sources are clear
Does it describe how each treatment works?	None of the descriptions about treatments include details of how it works	Descriptions of some but not all treatments are given or the details provided are unclear or incomplete	The description of treatment includes details of how it works
Does it describe the benefits of each treatment?	No benefits are described	A benefit is described for some but not all treatments	A benefit is described for each treatment
Does it describe the risk of each treatment?	No risks are described for any of the treatments.	A risk is described for some but not all treatments.	A risk is described for each treatment.
Does it describe how the treatment choices affect overall quality of life?	There is no reference to overall quality of life in relation to treatment choices.	The publication includes a reference to overall quality of life in relation to treatment choices, but the information is unclear or incomplete.	The publication includes a clear reference to overall quality of life in relation to any of the treatment choices mentioned.