WikEM
Type of site | wiki |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | OpenEM Foundation |
| URL | www.WikEM.org |
| Registration | required (to edit) |
WikEM is wiki-based medical website and point-of-care phone application for emergency medicine clinicians.[1] WikiEM is owned by OpenEM Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.[2] WikEM initially started as a database created from notes and checklists passed from resident class to subsequent resident class at the Harbor-UCLA emergency medicine residency program.[3][4] In 2009, WikEM was launched as a free wiki-based website and phone application that was universally available to all residency programs and global practitioners.[3] As of October 2019, WikiEM has about 4,050 content pages.[5]
Emergency medicine practitioners have been quick to adopt smart phone applications, including WikEM, for use as point-of-care medical references.[6] WikEM has been listed as a key reference for emergency medicine physicians,[6] residents,[4] medical students,[4] nurses,[7] and paramedics.[8]
Reliability[edit]
Although the use of wiki-type software has become common for a variety of purposes, several sources have questioned whether the wiki-based format of WikEM is reliable enough to use as a source for medical information,[3] with arguments similar to questions about the reliability of Wikipedia plus the additional concerns of patient safety.
Free open access meducation[edit]
Free open access meducation (FOAM) has been described as “medical education for anyone, anywhere, anytime”[9] and WikEM has been described as a key resource in the FOAM movement.[10] WikEM's free, openly accessible content has been specifically noted as an important growing resource for clinicians in the developing world, where access to up to date medical references is more difficult.[10] However, to date, WikEM is limited in this regard in that its content is only available in the English language.[10]
Mobile apps[edit]
Although WikEM auto-formats for mobile devices, there are offline applications for Android and IPhone specifically designed for rural and international medicine in austere and Internet-poor environments.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "WikEM". www.wikem.org. OpenEM Foundation. April 29, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ "WikEM:About - WikEM". www.wikem.org. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ a b c Castro, Harvey (April 2010). "Wikipedia and the iPhone". Emergency Medicine News. 32 (4). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. doi:10.1097/01.EEM.0000369262.69911.38. S2CID 220589224.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Tom (January 10, 2013). "WikEM app brings free emergency medicine notes to all". iMedicalApps. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ "WikEM". www.wikem.org. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ a b Salber, Pat (February 7, 2011). "iPhone Apps for ER docs – yeah". The Doctor Weighs In. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ "Our Guide to Terrific Apps Every Nurse Should Be Using". OnlineLPNtoRN.org. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ "100 Helpful Trauma Sites to Bookmark". ParamedictoRN.org. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ "FOAM". Life in the Fast Lane. February 6, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ a b c Radecki, Ryan (February 3, 2014). "Tweeting Locally, Reaching Globally". BMJ Group Blogs. BMJ Publishing Group Limited. Retrieved June 23, 2014.