Medpedia
Encyclopedia
Medpedia is a collaborative
project launched on 17 February 2009. Its aim is to create an open access online medical wiki encyclopedia in association with Harvard Medical School
, Stanford School of Medicine
, Berkeley School of Public Health
, University of Michigan Medical School, the U.K. National Health Service
(NHS) as well as other contributors. Content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) license and runs on MediaWiki
software. Harvard Medical School does not have a role in, nor is it responsible for, the content that appears in the “wiki” section of Medpedia.
Anyone with medical knowledge is welcome to become part of Medpedia's community. However, to qualify to edit or contribute to the main content, approved editors must have an M.D.
, D.O.
, or Ph.D.
in a biomedical
field. Such editorial control policies appear to have been relatively successful in earlier established medical wikis directed towards a more technical audience such as Ganfyd
. A potentially useful innovation for medical wikis is that others can contribute by writing in suggestions for changes to the site using the "Make a suggestion" link at the top of each page. An approved editor will review and potentially add submitted suggestions.
Medpedia is composed of three primary components:
1) a collaborative encyclopedia (also referred to as the "knowledge base")
2) a Network & Directory for health professionals and organizations
3) Communities of Interest where medical professionals and non-professionals come together to discuss topics of interest
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
project launched on 17 February 2009. Its aim is to create an open access online medical wiki encyclopedia in association with Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Stanford School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine is a leading medical school located at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, California. Originally based in San Francisco, California as Cooper Medical College, it is the oldest continuously running medical school in the western United States...
, Berkeley School of Public Health
UC Berkeley School of Public Health
The Berkeley School of Public Health is one of the schools located at University of California, Berkeley. Established in 1943, the institution was the first school of public health west of the Mississippi River...
, University of Michigan Medical School, the U.K. National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
(NHS) as well as other contributors. Content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) license and runs on MediaWiki
MediaWiki
MediaWiki is a popular free web-based wiki software application. Developed by the Wikimedia Foundation, it is used to run all of its projects, including Wikipedia, Wiktionary and Wikinews. Numerous other wikis around the world also use it to power their websites...
software. Harvard Medical School does not have a role in, nor is it responsible for, the content that appears in the “wiki” section of Medpedia.
Anyone with medical knowledge is welcome to become part of Medpedia's community. However, to qualify to edit or contribute to the main content, approved editors must have an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, D.O.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a professional doctoral degree for physicians in the United States. Holders of the MD degree, Doctor of Medicine, have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as osteopathic physicians in the United States.The American Osteopathic Association’s Commission...
, or Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in a biomedical
Biomedical research
Biomedical research , in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid and support the body of knowledge in the field of medicine...
field. Such editorial control policies appear to have been relatively successful in earlier established medical wikis directed towards a more technical audience such as Ganfyd
Ganfyd
Ganfyd is a medical wiki community and online medical wiki encyclopedia, created in November 2005 by a group of doctors working in the United Kingdom. The site has been the subject of academic exposition into emerging methods of disseminating medical information and more specifically, the...
. A potentially useful innovation for medical wikis is that others can contribute by writing in suggestions for changes to the site using the "Make a suggestion" link at the top of each page. An approved editor will review and potentially add submitted suggestions.
Medpedia is composed of three primary components:
1) a collaborative encyclopedia (also referred to as the "knowledge base")
2) a Network & Directory for health professionals and organizations
3) Communities of Interest where medical professionals and non-professionals come together to discuss topics of interest