You Really Shouldn't Be Using Wikipedia to Diagnose Your Diseases
Stop obsessing over what that weird oozing bump on your arm might be and go see a doctor already because that Wikipedia page you have open is probably wrong and is only going to make your crazier. Also, stop touching it.
A new study published by the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association says ailment and illness-related Wikipedia pages are riddled with errors. Huh. From TIME:
A team of U.S. scientists said they found "many errors" in Wikipedia articles concerning the 10 costliest medical conditions. The researchers cross-checked Wikipedia entries on coronary disease, lung cancer, hypertension and back pain, among other ailments, against the latest research from peer-reviewed journals.
Nine out of 10 entries analyzed on the crowd-sourced encyclopedia contained assertions that were contradicted by the peer-reviewed sources. Only the entry on concussions escaped the review error free. The authors noted that the article appeared to have contributors with a greater degree of expertise, mimicking the peer-reviewed process.
Other people who should definitely not be using Wikipedia for medical information: doctors. Everybody, please start using different sites to worry yourself to death.
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