The scientists from several medical universities in US studied the entries in Wikipedia related to the 10 most costly medical conditions. The scientists compared the claims in the Wikipedia to the published and peer reviewed research for coronary artery disease, lung cancer, major depressive disorder, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, back pain, and hyperlipidemia.
Their conclusion is that 9 out of 10 entries in Wikipedia contain erroneous information, claims that contradict the official medical research. They caution both their peers and the patients from using Wikipedia as their only source of information.
Health care professionals, trainees, and patients should use caution when using Wikipedia to answer questions regarding patient care.
Our findings reinforce the idea that physicians and medical students who currently use Wikipedia as a medical reference should be discouraged from doing so because of the potential for errors.