Wikipedia page views for health research: a review

Abstract

Wikipedia is an open-source online encyclopedia and one of the most-read sources of online health information. Likewise, Wikipedia page views have also been analyzed to inform public health services and policies. The present review analyzed 29 studies utilizing Wikipedia page views for health research. Most reviewed studies were published in recent years and emanated from high-income countries. Together with Wikipedia page views, most studies also used data from other internet sources, such as Google, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. The reviewed studies also explored various non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and health interventions to describe changes in the utilization of online health information from Wikipedia, to examine the effect of public events on public interest and information usage about health-related Wikipedia pages, to estimate and predict the incidence and prevalence of diseases, to predict data from other internet data sources, to evaluate the effectiveness of health education activities, and to explore the evolution of a health topic. Given some of the limitations in replicating some of the reviewed studies, future research can specify the specific Wikipedia page or pages analyzed, the language of the Wikipedia pages examined, dates of data collection, dates explored, type of data, and whether page views were limited to Internet users and whether web crawlers and redirects to the Wikipedia page were included. Future research can also explore public interest in other commonly read health topics available in Wikipedia, develop Wikipedia-based models that can be used to predict disease incidence and improve Wikipedia-based health education activities.

Infodemiology and Infoveillance of the Four Most Widespread Arbovirus Diseases in Italy

“…In fact, although digital epidemiology is not yet prepared to substitute traditional surveillance systems [ 15 ], it can represent a valuable supportive tool. Integrating traditional surveillance systems with the analysis of user search trends on platforms like Google and Wikipedia could assist political decision-makers in implementing preventive measures and information programs for the population [ 15 , 16 ]. This field of study is still in its infancy and relatively unexplored, but it is likely to experience rapid growth, particularly due to the ease of accessing data, its increasing availability, and the computational power of computers [ 17 ].…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Interest in Antidepressants: An Analysis of Worldwide Internet Searches With Google Trends Data

“…The widespread use of the Internet in society causes individuals to search public databases on subjects they are curious about or want to have information about [ 1 ]. Providing easy and fast access to leads in this way is reflected in searches made on medical issues as well as in every other subject [ 2 ].…”