Jojy Cheriyan MD,MPH-May 31,2014

Ninety percent of health articles on Wikipedia contain errors, according to a new study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

To evaluate the accuracy of Wikipedia, the authors compared Wikipedia articles on the most costly medical conditions with standard, evidence-based, peer-reviewed sources.

The  top10 conditions chosen in the study were the "most costly" in the United States, that  included coronary artery disease, lung cancer, major depressive disorder, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, back pain, and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol).

The Wikipedia articles used in the analysis were printed off on April 25, 2012 to compare with the latest updates in medicine. Medicine is an ever changing science and needs daily updates to ensure safety of patients and quality of care. The public should not rely on sources like Wikipedia to find answers for their medical conditions.

"While Wikipedia is a convenient tool for conducting research, from a public health standpoint patients should not use it as a primary resource because those articles do not go through the same peer-review process as medical journals," said lead author Robert Hasty, DO, of the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

The study concludes with the recommendation, "caution should be used when searching Wikipedia to answer questions regarding patient care".

For more evidence-based health articles click here