RxWiki is a digital medication encyclopedia created by pharmacists that aims to address limitations of Wikipedia's medication content such as lack of editor transparency, slow publishing of FDA updates, and information written at too high of a reading level. RxWiki utilizes a pharmacist-only crowdsourcing model where pharmacist editors must meet standards and all edits are published within minutes of FDA announcements. The encyclopedia is written at an 8th grade reading level to be easily understood by consumers.

1. Digital Health Coalition
Don Hackett
Why do consumers and patients
need a digital medications
encyclopedia like RxWiki when
they have access to Wikipedia?
RxWiki’s digital medication encyclopedia
addresses three fundamental concerns
that are often cited with regard to
Wikipedia’s medications content:
▪ Editor transparency: RxWiki
clearly identifies who edits the
content
▪ Publishing velocity: RxWiki
publishes updates within
minutes of an
FDA announcement.
▪ Health literacy: RxWiki is written
at an 8th grade reading level
with related videos to comply
with ADA guidelines RxWiki
utilizes a pharmacist-only
crowdsourcing model for
content creation. Pharmacist
editors must meet qualification
standards and comply with
strict workflow policies defining
who can create, edit, and
publish content. Medication
pages are created using a
consistent, consumer-friendly
style, written in easy-to-
understand language, with a
positive voice and neutral
tone. What is the state of
pharmacist-generated content
(PGC)? Pharmacist-generated
Content (PGC) written for
consumers and patients is not
commonplace among publishers.
Translating clinical information
into an 8th grade reading level,
with a positive voice, and a
neutral tone remains a
journalistic art. Until now,
pharmacist authors have been
an untapped resource in the
battle against limited health
literacy and medication non-
adherence. Most pharmacist-
generated content is
sequestered within pharmacy
publications or the internal
departments of larger
institutions (i.e., medical
centers). Readership of these
publications is largely academic
as they are overwhelmingly
written for the benefit of
clinicians, prescribers, payors, or
other healthcare entities.
Don Hackett, RxWiki - CEO and Publisher, has extensive business
experience in the technology and health industries. He has
deployed innovative marketing strategies, business models and
technology solutions creating several profitable private-sector
businesses. Over the years, Don has successfully delivered
measurable economic returns for both stakeholders and
shareholders alike.

2. Digital Health Coalition
How are content publishers like
Wikipedia being used by
consumers and health
professionals?
Wikipedia has become one of the most
(if not the most) popular health
resources for both consumers and
health professionals. When searching
for health-related information, Wikipedia
consistently appears within the first 10
listings on most search engine result
pages. Consumers have come to rely
on Wikipedia, if for no other reason
than accessibility. For most consumers,
however, Wikipedia’s health information
pages are often difficult to understand
as many of the articles are written at
a university comprehension level.
Healthcare professionals (an estimated
50%) often use Wikipedia as an
“information triage”, searching for
broad items, then refining their
searches in other clinical resources. A
review of studies published in the
Journal of Medical Internet Research
suggested that, while Wikipedia's
information about commonly prescribed
drugs was generally accurate,
healthcare consumers or providers
should not use it as the sole source of
information.
The study noted that while Wikipedia
information was usually accurate and
easy to use, it often lacked depth or
omitted content.
Wikipedia has recently enforced the
use of citations as quality control for
edits to articles. However, this process
does not prevent unqualified editors
from misconstruing the nuances of
clinical trials, pharmacology profiles,
expert opinions, or systematic review
conclusions.
Wikipedia contributors have various
levels of subject expertise, as well as
varying editorial qualities and biases.
For a content type like medications,
the potential dissonance present
among a diverse group of content
editors, who may or may not be
experts, is concerning when considering
the accuracy of the information
published.
A number of pharmacy professionals,
including Ohio State University’s
Pharmacy Librarian and Director of
Drug Information Services who
published a study in The Journal of the
Medical Library Association, believe the
quality of medication information
available on Wikipedia is inconsistent.
The study’s authors maintain that
much of the information may be
incomplete to a degree that could be
potentially harmful to patients.
Study Information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193353/
You give the pharmacist a key
role in your network. Why?
Simply put, patients trust pharmacists
because they are the “Main Street”
medication experts. Most healthcare
professionals rarely undergo the
focused pharmacologic and
pharmacotherapeutic training or the
pharmaceutical-specific education that
pharmacists experience prior to
practice.
As pharmacists become more involved
in patient care, they are well
positioned to collaborate with patients
to improve medication outcomes. Most
pharmacists are easily accessible and
well-known within their communities.
Patients trust their pharmacist’s
guidance and value their in-person
conversations.

3. Digital Health Coalition
How do you envision
pharmaceutical companies
utilizing RxWiki?
RxWiki SubmitTM
offers pharma a digital
platform to communicate clinical
information directly to pharmacist
editors. Pharma companies have the
opportunity to submit product
information for review by RxWiki’s
pharmacist editors for potential
inclusion within the digital encyclopedia.
RxWiki collaborates with manufacturers
to ensure the updated information is
accurately translated into an 8th grade
reading level.
In addition, pharma brands can enroll in
RxWiki NotifyTM
, permitting consumers
to be alerted when any substantive
change has been made to their
products. RxWiki also features pharma
manufacturers’ financial assistance
programs, if available.
Any advice for a company
concerned about using wiki
platforms or user- generated
content (UGC) in general? How
should they evaluate the
relevance of such platforms for
their company and brands?
Editor credentials and transparency are
key requirements for publishing world-
class content. RxWiki offers both of
these essential disclosures. To ensure
the encyclopedia’s quality, RxWiki’s
information comes from sources such
as the FDA, medical journals, research
institutions and pharmaceutical
manufacturers, and is vetted by
pharmacists and physicians to ensure
information is accurate and unbiased.
Only pharmacists can create content,
and each RxWiki contributor is
identified with any information that is
published.
As a closing thought, how will
the rapid growth in consumers’
accessing content via mobile
devices change the future of
UGC - and specifically platforms
such as RxWiki?
Consumers want on-demand access to
trusted information, regardless of their
location. RxWiki’s digital encyclopedia is
available for both Apple and Android
devices. Mobile users can refine the
type of information displayed to
receive a personalized experience.
Features such as Rx refill ordering,
appointment reminders and medication
alerts keep patient actively engaged in
managing their health.
MORE ABOUT DON:
"To achieve measurable economic results
during eHealth 3.0, new solutions must
leverage innovative technologies to create
work-flow inefficiencies that reduce costs
and improve patient outcomes. Patients
must be privately connected to their health
providers at anytime, and from any
communicating device."
Over the past 23 years, Don has pioneered
various digital solutions in the medications
industry that have led to launching RxWiki,
Inc. Don's team deployed the first office-
based eRx app, the first digital e-
prescribing network, filed the 'Drug
Interactions on the Internet" patent,
launched the leading MTM clinical
application and the leading pharmacist-
edited medications
encyclopedia, RxWiki.com.