The top 100 English Wikipedia pages for healthcare topics were accessed, on average, 1.9 million times during the past year.

Rarer diseases, which often have fewer available information sources and are less understood by patients and clinicians, show a higher frequency of visits than many more common diseases.

In an assessment of 50 major disease-specific Wikipedia articles, the Institute found a strong correlation between page views and medicine use, with online information-gathering occurring throughout the patient journey.

Content incorporated or updated on healthcare-related Wikipedia pages is subject to constant change, often overseen by informal or formal working groups.

An assessment of Wikipedia disease articles indicates that at least half of the changes made are related to patient-relevant information.

Get the full report from IMS Health – http://www.imshealth.com/portal/site/imshealth/