How accurate are Wikipedia articles in health, nutrition, and medicine?

Previous studies of Wikipedia have reported mixed results regarding the quality of information on health-related topics. We investigated the accuracy of Wikipedia entries in the areas of health, nutrition, medicine, and complementary and alternative medicine. We formulated 32 statements which are often stated but are probably incorrect ("common misconceptions"). Using Google we found 49 Wikipedia entries that provided information on these 32 statements. Most entries are accurate, but deficiencies are present in a minority. The information provided by Wikipedia has a high degree of accuracy for 23 (72%) of the 32 common misconceptions (19 had a score of 5, the highest mark possible, and 4 had a score of 4.5- 4.7). Seven of them (22%) had a score of 4-4.1, indicating that the entry has a minor error or that significant information is missing. Two had a low score (3.5), which indicates a more serious problem. Of all the 49 Wikipedia entries that were evaluated, four had a score of only 3, indicating that the accuracy is seriously flawed or that no information is given. These findings together with those from other studies indicate that the information provided by Wikipedia is mostly of high quality but that significant errors and omissions are fairly common.