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Shafee T, Masukume G, Kipersztok L, Das D, Häggström M, Heilman J. Evolution of Wikipedia's medical content: past, present and future. J Epidemiol Community Health 2017; 71:1122-1129. [PMID: 28847845 PMCID: PMC5847101 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2016-208601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
As one of the most commonly read online sources of medical information, Wikipedia is an influential public health platform. Its medical content, community, collaborations and challenges have been evolving since its creation in 2001, and engagement by the medical community is vital for ensuring its accuracy and completeness. Both the encyclopaedia’s internal metrics as well as external assessments of its quality indicate that its articles are highly variable, but improving. Although content can be edited by anyone, medical articles are primarily written by a core group of medical professionals. Diverse collaborative ventures have enhanced medical article quality and reach, and opportunities for partnerships are more available than ever. Nevertheless, Wikipedia’s medical content and community still face significant challenges, and a socioecological model is used to structure specific recommendations. We propose that the medical community should prioritise the accuracy of biomedical information in the world’s most consulted encyclopaedia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Shafee
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Gwinyai Masukume
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork, The Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Cork, Ireland.,Gravida: National Centre for Growth and Development, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of the Witwatersrand, School of Public Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lisa Kipersztok
- Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Diptanshu Das
- Department of Paediatric Neurology, Universita degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.,Department of Paediatrics, Kothari Medical Centre and Research Institute, Kolkata, India.,Department of Pediatrics, ICARE Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Haldia, India.,Working Group, Open Access India, India
| | | | - James Heilman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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