Data from: Accuracy and readability of cardiovascular entries on Wikipedia: are they reliable learning resources for medical students?

Objective: To evaluate accuracy of content and readability level of English Wikipedia articles on cardiovascular diseases, using quality and readability tools. Methods: Wikipedia was searched on the 6 October 2013 for articles on cardiovascular diseases. Using a modified DISCERN (DISCERN is an instrument widely used in assessing online resources), articles were independently scored by three assessors. The readability was calculated using Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. The inter-rater agreement between evaluators was calculated using the Fleiss κ scale. Results: This study was based on 47 English Wikipedia entries on cardiovascular diseases. The DISCERN scores had a median=33 (IQR=6). Four articles (8.5%) were of good quality (DISCERN score 40–50), 39 (83%) moderate (DISCERN 30–39) and 4 (8.5%) were poor (DISCERN 10–29). Although the entries covered the aetiology and the clinical picture, there were deficiencies in the pathophysiology of diseases, signs and symptoms, diagnostic approaches and treatment. The number of references varied from 1 to 127 references; 25.9±29.4 (mean±SD). Several problems were identified in the list of references and citations made in the articles. The readability of articles was 14.3±1.7 (mean±SD); consistent with the readability level for college students. In comparison, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine 18th edition had more tables, less references and no significant difference in number of graphs, images, illustrations or readability level. The overall agreement between the evaluators was good (Fleiss κ 0.718 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.83). Conclusions: The Wikipedia entries are not aimed at a medical audience and should not be used as a substitute to recommended medical resources. Course designers and students should be aware that Wikipedia entries on cardiovascular diseases lack accuracy, predominantly due to errors of omission. Further improvement of the Wikipedia content of cardiovascular entries would be needed before they could be considered a supplementary resource.

研究目的：借助质量与可读性评估工具，评测英语维基百科中心血管疾病词条的内容准确性与可读性等级。研究方法：本研究于2013年10月6日检索维基百科中心血管疾病相关词条；采用改良版DISCERN量表（DISCERN是一款广泛用于在线医疗资源质量评估的工具），由3名评估者独立对词条进行评分；可读性通过弗莱施-金凯德年级水平（Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level）公式计算；采用弗莱伊斯κ系数（Fleiss κ scale）计算评估者间的一致性。研究结果：本研究共纳入47篇英语维基百科心血管疾病词条。DISCERN评分的中位数为33（四分位距IQR=6）：其中4篇（8.5%）为优质词条（DISCERN评分40~50），39篇（83%）为中等质量词条（评分30~39），4篇（8.5%）为劣质词条（评分10~29）。尽管词条涵盖了疾病的病因与临床表现，但在病理生理学、体征与症状、诊断方法及治疗方案方面存在不足。参考文献数量介于1至127篇之间，均值为25.9±29.4（均值±标准差）；词条的参考文献列表与引文标注存在多处问题。词条可读性得分为14.3±1.7（均值±标准差），符合大学生群体的阅读水平。与《哈里森内科学原理》第18版相比，该版本包含更多表格、更少参考文献，但在图表、图片、插图数量及可读性等级上无显著差异。评估者间整体一致性良好（弗莱伊斯κ=0.718，95%置信区间CI：0.57~0.83）。研究结论：维基百科心血管疾病词条并非面向医学专业受众，不应作为推荐医疗资源的替代方案。课程设计者与学习者需注意，维基百科心血管疾病词条因存在大量遗漏性错误，整体准确性不足。在被视为补充医学资源前，仍需对维基百科心血管疾病相关词条的内容进行进一步优化。