In some ways, the fact that Wikipedia allows for speedy connections between topics should be obvious. After all, wiki is a Hawaiian word meaning quick. What’s perhaps less obvious is why that quickness provides value. Older doctors might suggest that today’s med students have it easy—so much medical knowledge is available on their phones! But the body of knowledge required is many, many times the amount it once was. That’s why having tools to quickly navigate and connect concepts is so critical. As Heilman and the paper’s other authors note, the rate of expansion for medical knowledge has increased rapidly. The estimated doubling time of medical knowledge in 1980 was seven years, which allowed doctors ample time to gradually learn new concepts and treatment methods that were being discovered. The doubling time of medical knowledge in 2020 is expected to be a mere 0.2 years, or 73 days.

The full article can be found at Slate.com