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Medical Fact Checker for iOS

Medical Fact Checker (MFC) for iOS brings evidence-based medical fact-checking to your iPhone and iPad. The app is designed specifically for answering medical questions and verifying health claims using the biomedical literature - not for comprehensive systematic reviews, which require the full BM Librarian desktop system.

Download on the App Store

Requirements

  • iPhone: iOS 17.0 or later
  • iPad: iPadOS 17.0 or later
  • API key from a supported provider (see Obtaining API Keys)
  • Internet connection for API calls and PubMed searches

Getting Started

Installation

  1. Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad
  2. Search for "Medical Fact Checker" or "MedicalFactChecker"
  3. Tap Get to download and install
  4. Open the app once installation completes

Medical Fact Checker in App Store

Initial Setup

  1. Select AI Provider: Choose from Claude, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Mistral, Groq, or Ollama
  2. Enter API Key: Paste your API key (see Obtaining API Keys)
  3. Set Budget Limits (optional but recommended): Configure spending limits

iOS Initial Setup

Using the App

Fact-Checking a Medical Claim

  1. Enter your claim: Type or paste a medical statement in the input field

  2. Example: "Vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of respiratory infections"

  3. Tap "Check Fact": The app will:

  4. Convert your claim to optimized PubMed search queries
  5. Search over 36 million biomedical articles
  6. Score articles for relevance using dual scoring
  7. Extract key passages from the most relevant papers

  8. Generate a comprehensive evidence report

  9. Review the results: The report includes:

  10. Verdict: Supported, Refuted, Inconclusive, or Insufficient Evidence
  11. Summary: Plain-language explanation of the findings
  12. Evidence: Cited passages from peer-reviewed literature
  13. References: Clickable links to original PubMed articles

Fact Check Results

Understanding the Dual Scoring System

MedicalFactChecker uses two independent scoring methods:

  1. LLM Scoring: The AI model evaluates article relevance based on content understanding
  2. On-Device Scoring: Apple's NLEmbedding provides semantic similarity scoring locally

This dual approach improves accuracy and helps identify the most relevant evidence.

HyDE Enhancement

The app uses Hypothetical Document Embedding (HyDE) to improve search quality:

  1. The AI generates a hypothetical ideal abstract that would answer your question
  2. This hypothetical document is used to find semantically similar real articles
  3. Results are often more relevant than traditional keyword searches

Features

Search History

Access your previous fact-checks:

  1. Tap the History tab
  2. Browse previous queries and results
  3. Tap any entry to view full details
  4. Swipe left to delete individual entries

Search History

PDF Export

Share or save your fact-check reports:

  1. View a completed fact-check
  2. Tap the Share button
  3. Select Export as PDF
  4. Choose to save to Files, share via Messages, Email, or other apps

The PDF includes: - Full report with verdict and summary - All citations with formatted references - Links to original PubMed articles

iCloud Sync

Your search history syncs automatically across devices:

  • Same Apple ID required on all devices
  • Works between iPhone, iPad, and macOS
  • Syncs in the background

Enable iCloud

Go to Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → ensure MedicalFactChecker is enabled.

Settings

Access settings by tapping the gear icon.

AI Provider Configuration

  • Provider: Select Claude, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Mistral, Groq, or Ollama
  • API Key: Enter or update your API key
  • Model: Choose specific model variant (e.g., Claude 4.5, GPT-4o)

Provider Settings

Budget Controls

Protect against unexpected charges:

  • Per-Analysis Limit: Maximum spend for a single fact-check
  • Monthly Budget: Total monthly spending cap
  • Current Usage: View spending for the current period

Budget Settings

Search Settings

  • Max Results: Number of articles to retrieve (affects quality and cost)
  • Search Providers: Enable/disable PubMed, Europe PMC
  • HyDE: Toggle Hypothetical Document Embedding

Tips for Best Results

Writing Effective Claims

Be Specific

Good: "Regular consumption of green tea reduces LDL cholesterol levels in adults with hyperlipidemia"

Less Effective: "Is green tea healthy?"

Claim Formatting Tips

  1. State a clear proposition that can be evaluated as true or false
  2. Include relevant context (population, condition, intervention)
  3. Avoid vague terms like "good for you" or "helps with health"
  4. Focus on one claim per query for best results

Understanding Limitations

Research Tool Disclaimer

MedicalFactChecker is a research tool, not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult healthcare professionals for medical decisions.

  • Results depend on available published literature
  • Very recent findings may not yet be indexed in PubMed
  • The AI interprets evidence but may occasionally err
  • Some topics have limited or conflicting research

Troubleshooting

"API Key Invalid" Error

  1. Verify your API key is entered correctly (no extra spaces)
  2. Check that your provider account has billing set up
  3. Ensure you have sufficient credits/balance
  4. Try generating a new API key

No Results Found

  1. Try rephrasing your claim with different terminology
  2. Check your internet connection
  3. Verify the claim is within biomedical/medical scope
  4. Try enabling additional search providers

App Crashes or Freezes

  1. Force close and reopen the app
  2. Check for app updates in the App Store
  3. Restart your device
  4. If persistent, delete and reinstall the app

Sync Issues

  1. Verify iCloud is enabled for the app
  2. Check your internet connection
  3. Sign out and back into iCloud
  4. Wait a few minutes for sync to complete

Privacy & Security

  • API Keys: Stored in iOS Keychain (encrypted, secure enclave)
  • Search History: Stored locally and in iCloud (if enabled)
  • No Tracking: The app does not collect analytics or personal data
  • Data Transmission: Only your queries are sent to the AI provider and PubMed

Getting Help