Wikipedia in Health Professional Schools: from an Opponent to an Ally.

As an online encyclopedia, Wikipedia is the world's largest reference Web site, with 1.7 billion visits per month. Given how easy it is to access and read, students use Wikipedia globally, despite most faculty members' admonitions. Since 2013, health professional schools worldwide have incorporated Wiki-editing into their formal curricula. These courses impact students by (1) strengthening their ability to evaluate evidence-based content and (2) multiplying their contributions to society through improvements to Wikipedia articles accessed by millions. We showcase several models of incorporating Wikipedia-editing assignments into health professions education worldwide. These successful initiatives can be replicated everywhere.

A physical assessment skills module on vital signs.

OBJECTIVES: To implement and evaluate a physical assessment module for pharmacy students. DESIGN: A physical assessment module focusing on vital signs was incorporated into the curriculum for third-year pharmacy students. This module consisted of an online component, a practical skills workshop, and a clinical practice site. ASSESSMENT: The mean score on the in-class quiz, which evaluated students' knowledge of physical assessment after completion of the online module, was 94%. During the practical skills laboratory, 48% of student-measured systolic blood pressure (BP) readings and 60% of student-measured diastolic BP readings were within 5 mmHg of the machine reading. In the assessment of blood pressure technique, areas of difficulty included detection of Korotkoff sounds; steady deflation of cuff; and hand-eye coordination. CONCLUSION: Students more frequently underestimated systolic BP than the diastolic BP when compared to the automated machine readings. Findings from this study will be used to improve existing modules and evaluation methods on the physical assessment of vital signs.