Drug Safety in the Digital Age

Wikipedia is reportedly the most frequently consulted online health care resource globally, but it is not reliably updated after the FDA issues safety warnings on drugs. The FDA and others can take some steps to improve the dissemination of essential drug information. The Internet is increasingly redefining the ways in which people interact with information related to their health. The Pew Internet Project estimates that more than half of all Americans sought health information online in 2013, mostly through search engines such as Google and websites such as Wikipedia and WebMD. In this digital age, engaging with new media offers an unparalleled opportunity for medical and public health professionals to find information they need and to interactively reach out to patients and their support networks. One domain where these capabilities may have far-reaching effects that are currently undefined is drug safety. As . . .