Accuracy and completeness of drug information in Wikipedia: an assessment

Abstract

How complete, accurate, and reliable is the drug information that Americans retrieve from Wikipedia? The question is important because 74% of American adults look online for health information [1], and Wikipedia is the 7th-most visited site on the web [2]. Consumers using general search engines like Google or Yahoo often arrive at Wikipedia. A study using keywords from 3 health indexes found that Wikipedia “ranked among the first ten results in 71–85% of search engines and keywords tested,” with its articles viewed more frequently than the corresponding MedlinePlus topic page [3]. Practitioners also go regularly to Wikipedia for health information. A 2009 study of 1,900 physicians found that 50% used Wikipedia to answer health questions, twice the percentage of the year before [4]. Other studies found that Wikipedia was used by 70% of 35 “junior physicians” who graduated from a major London medical school [5] and by 28% of pharmacists seeking drug information, in most cases to identify medication indications [6]. Because Wikipedia contributors have various levels of subject expertise, there are bound to be questions about the accuracy of its health information. Indeed, ever since the web became freely available for public usage in 1993 [7], there have been concerns about health information on the Internet. Several studies have evaluated Wikipedia's general medical content. Petersen recently examined whether Wikipedia met standards developed by the Health on the Internet (HON) Foundation and reviewed several earlier studies that evaluated Wikipedia information, concluding that although Wikipedia did not adhere to some of the HON standards: “expert conducted studies have concluded that the site's accuracy level is comparable to those of more traditional sources of information” [8]. A 2011 review of earlier studies published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that while Wikipedia information was accurate and easy to use, it often lacked depth and had content omissions [9]. Another study found Wikipedia's pathology information to be high quality, comprehensive, current, and useful for both beginner and advanced students [10]. Clauson et al. evaluated drug information in Wikipedia and found “that Wikipedia fared poorly with regard to completeness, but that 100% of the information elements covered by Wikipedia were deemed to be mostly or entirely correct” [11]. Do drug entries now contain more complete information than in 2008? Is Wikipedia's information still mostly or entirely correct? This study examined Wikipedia content for the class of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), indicated for treatment of dyslipidemias. Statins were chosen because they are some of the most prescribed medications worldwide. Statins also pose risks for food interactions and other adverse effects and should be used in conjunction with lifestyle modifications.