Structured prompts for slowing down health claims.

HAW tools help people pause, check and act with greater confidence. WATCH provides a clear starting point, supported by wider appraisal and reflective frameworks.

Tools support judgement rather than replace it

HAW tools are not diagnostic systems or final truth machines. They structure questions, reveal uncertainty and support safer next steps.

Each tool explains its limitations, evidence basis, intended audience, privacy implications and when professional advice is appropriate.

  • No medical diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
  • Clear distinction between education, appraisal and clinical advice.
  • Visible evidence and limitation information.
  • Privacy-respecting design with minimal data collection.
  • Accessible interaction for keyboard and assistive technologies.

A practical public appraisal tool

WATCH is a memorable way to review health claims through five questions: Who, Accuracy, Transparency, Claims and Harm.

It can be used independently, in learning sessions or as part of a structured conversation before information is trusted, shared or acted upon.

Who

Who created, funded, reviewed or shared the information?

Accuracy

What evidence supports the claim and how recent is it?

Transparency

What is disclosed, uncertain or missing?

Claims

What exactly are you being asked to believe, buy, share or do?

Harm

What could happen if the claim is followed, delayed or spread?

Clear status and limitations

Each tool identifies its intended use, evidence basis, version and review date.

Where automation or AI is used, HAW explains what the system can and cannot infer, how information is handled and when human advice is needed.

References behind this section

These sources make the evidence basis visible and help readers review the guidance, standards and research informing this page.

Public guidance

Evaluating health information

MedlinePlus

Provides practical public questions for judging online health information sources, ownership, evidence and date of review.

View source
Reference standard

Infodemic management

World Health Organization

Supports HAW's focus on misinformation resilience, information voids, trust and credible health communication.

View source
Evaluation framework

Evidence standards framework for digital health technologies

NICE

Informs how HAW should describe evidence quality, safety, usability and evaluation for future digital tools.

View source
Web standard

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2

W3C

Sets the accessibility benchmark used for HAW interface, content and interaction design.

View source

Build with communities

HAW tools are shaped with the people and settings where language, culture and trust influence information decisions.

Go to Community

Pause before a health claim becomes an action.

WATCH is a public prompt for checking health information before believing, sharing or acting on it. It supports judgement; it does not diagnose, score or replace professional advice.

Who

Who created, funded, reviewed or shared this information?

  • Named author or organisation
  • Funding or sponsor visible
  • Relevant expertise shown