RESUMO

Introduction: The World Health Organization's Report on Hearing underscores that approximately 1.5 billion individuals worldwide suffer from some form of hearing impairment. Globally, nearly 1 billion cases of hearing loss are preventable, with a disproportionate impact on low- to middle-income nations. This prevalent health concern detrimentally affects socioeconomic status, hastens cognitive decline, and disrupts interpersonal communication. The global disparity in ear and hearing care is partly attributed to insufficient and incomprehensible information, particularly evident in hearing health. In response, various healthcare institutions have devised strategies to improve the quality of health-related content on Wikimedia platforms. Wikipedia, the foremost open-source encyclopedia and collaborative knowledge platform, maintained by volunteers, stands as the largest and most widely consulted reference source on the internet. Scholarly recognition of initiatives aimed at enhancing Wikipedia content is increasing, driven by the growing inclusion of Wikipedia writing assignments in educational programs and scientific literature. Enhancing the dissemination of hearing health information is recognized as a pivotal health communication strategy for addressing hearing loss. Objective: This study aimed to examine an online volunteer-based Wikimedia outreach campaign with Wikipedia university course assignments in terms of contribution reach and student involvement. Methodology: In 2022, researchers from seven Brazilian universities and a Canadian university, in collaboration with institutions in the United States and a Wikimedia affiliate group, coordinated efforts to enhance hearing and healthcare content through educational programs by using Wikimedia platforms. They also took part in the global campaign Wiki4WorldHearingDay2023. We assessed the feasibility and implementation of both strategies and compared contributions from participants engaged in educational activities versus volunteer Wikipedia editors involved in the global campaign. Results: The strategy proved feasible, resulting in increased availability of high-quality, plain-language information on hearing conditions and care. By May 1, 2023, during Wiki4WorldHearingDay2023, 145 participants (78 from educational programs) collectively contributed 167,000 words, 259+ references, and 140 images to 322 Wikipedia articles (283 existing and 39 new ones), reaching 16.5 million readers across six languages. Portuguese-language edits, primarily from participants in educational programs, accounted for the majority of articles expanded or created (226 or 70.2%) during the five-month tracking period. Conclusions: Harnessing expertise and knowledge through crowdsourcing proves invaluable for public health efforts. Critical to the success of such initiatives are compelling topics, global partnerships, close collaboration with local Wikimedia affiliates, and robust technical infrastructure enabling efficient metrics and coordination. Furthermore, partnerships, dissemination across multiple platforms, engagement of multidisciplinary teams, and access to institutional support and funding significantly enhance the effectiveness of these initiatives.