Search

The Internet has become an important health information resource for patients and the general public. Wikipedia, a collaboratively written Web-based encyclopedia, has become the dominant online reference work. It is usually among the top results of search engine queries, including when medical information is sought. Since April 2004, editors have formed a group called WikiProject Medicine to coordinate and discuss the English-language Wikipedia’s medical content. This paper, written by members of the WikiProject Medicine, discusses the intricacies, strengths, and weaknesses of Wikipedia as a source of health information and compares it with other medical wikis. Medical professionals, their societies, patient groups, and institutions can help improve Wikipedia’s health-related entries. Several examples of partnerships already show that there is enthusiasm to strengthen Wikipedia’s biomedical content. Given its unique global reach, we believe its possibilities for use as a tool for worldwide health promotion are underestimated. We invite the medical community to join in editing Wikipedia, with the goal of providing people with free access to reliable, understandable, and up-to-date health information.

Over thousands of years it has been thought that the moon influences human behaviour and the world around us. We reviewed the literature for evidence of a relation of the lunar cycle with the incidence of trauma. We searched Pubmed for studies relating the moon and its phases to trauma. Nine studies were found, of which one suggested an inverse relation of full moon with the incidence of trauma. The lunar cycle might influence trauma incidence, but if any real effect exists, it is certainly small. Moreover such an effect does not require paranormal explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Efficient care processes are crucial to minimize treatment delays and improve outcome after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in patients with ischemic stroke. A potential means to improve care processes is performance feedback., Objective: To evaluate the effect of performance feedback to hospitals on treatment times for EVT., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2022. Participants were consecutive adult patients with ischemic stroke who underwent EVT in 13 Dutch hospitals. No patients were excluded. Data analysis took place from March to May 2023., Intervention: The intervention consisted of feedback on hospital performance using structure, process, and outcome indicators. Indicator scores were based on data from a national quality registry and compared with a benchmark. Performance feedback was provided through a dashboard for local quality improvement teams who developed and implemented improvement plans based on the feedback. Every 6 months, 3 to 4 randomly selected hospitals switched to the intervention condition., Main Outcome and Measures: The primary outcome was time from door to groin puncture for all patients treated with EVT. Secondary outcomes included door-to-needle time, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at day 2, expanded Treatment in Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) score, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months. The effect of the intervention was estimated with multivariable linear mixed models., Results: A total of 4747 patients were included (intervention: 2431; control: 2316). Their mean (SD) age was 72 (13) years; 2337 (49.2%) were female and 2410 (50.8%) were male. The median (IQR) baseline NIHSS score was 14 (8-19). Median (IQR) door-to-groin puncture time under the intervention condition was 47 (25-71) minutes, compared with 52 (29-75) minutes under the control condition. The adjusted absolute reduction was 5 minutes (β = -4.8; 95% CI, -9.5 to -0.1; P = .04), corresponding to a relative reduction of 9.2% (95% CI, -18.3% to -0.2%)., Conclusion and Relevance: This study found that performance feedback provided through a dashboard used by local quality improvement teams reduced door-to-groin puncture time for EVT. Implementation of performance feedback in hospitals providing EVT can improve the quality of care for ischemic stroke., Trial Registration: The Netherlands Trial Register: NL9090.