How Cited Medical Answers Work: A Look Inside AskMed

General chatbots can write a confident paragraph about almost any clinical topic, but they often give no real references, and checking their claims means going back to PubMed by hand. AskMed, an AI medical assistant for healthcare professionals, takes a different approach: every claim in an answer links to the source it came from. This article explains how that works and how to use cited answers well.

Searching first, writing second

When you ask AskMed a question, it does not answer from memory. It first searches a fixed list of trusted medical sources: journals and research databases such as PubMed and the Cochrane Library, clinical guidelines and health agencies such as NICE, WHO and CDC, FDA and DailyMed drug labels, and clinical references such as StatPearls and the MSD Manual. It does not search the open web, forums or social media.

Only after that search does an AI language model write the answer, using what the search found. AskMed prefers guidelines and health agencies first, then systematic reviews and meta-analyses, then review articles and references, then large trials and other studies.

Every claim carries a citation

Each sentence or clause in an answer is followed by a link to the source that supports it, and the app turns those links into numbered references. AskMed is instructed to cite a source only for what that source actually says, and never to invent web addresses, studies or statistics. When sources disagree, the answer says so and says which evidence is stronger.

Source filters let you choose which source types to use (journals, guidelines, drug labels, references) and which kinds of studies to include, such as systematic reviews, review articles or clinical trials.

No source, no answer

If the search finds no usable medical source, AskMed does not guess. Instead of an AI-written answer, you get a fixed reply saying that no medical sources were found and asking you to rephrase the question. An answer that comes back with no citations at all is replaced by the same reply, so an uncited answer is never shown as if it were evidence.

What AskMed leaves out

AskMed never states medication doses, dose calculations or titration schedules. It still explains what a drug is used for, how it works, monitoring and safety, and points to the current prescribing information for exact dosing. It is also not a symptom checker: it is a reference and education tool for doctors, residents, medical students and researchers, not a substitute for clinical judgment.

How to check an answer

Answers are AI-generated and no person reviews them before you see them, so the design makes checking quick. Open the numbered citation behind the sentence you plan to act on, and confirm that the source says what the sentence says, for the same group of patients. Look at the date and type of source: a current guideline outweighs an older review. And check whose guidance it is, because NICE, US and European guidelines can disagree.

Getting a better answer

Answers are only as specific as the question. Mention the patient group, the setting and your country when local practice matters, use generic drug names, and ask one clear question at a time.

Availability

AskMed runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, in 7 languages. It is a paid subscription, made by Loop Studio. You can learn more at getaskmed.com, and read the full explanation of its sources and limits in How AskMed answers.