Tomorrow, Tuesday 20th October, is World Evidence-based Healthcare Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the need for better evidence to inform healthcare policy, practice and decision making. To mark the occasion, our library team are highlighting UpToDate, a resource which supports clinicians to use evidence in their practice.

UpToDate is an evidence-based point-of-care tool containing useful resources including regularly updated clinical guidance, a drug interaction calculator, patient education materials and more. It is available as both a mobile app and on PC and clinicians can log in using their OpenAthens account.

Consultant Microbiologist, Anu Rajgopal, regularly uses UpToDate to check for updates and references on infectious diseases. Anu said: “Evidence from UpToDate has helped inform regional discussions on standardisation of treatment guidance. It’s free for colleagues and can give easy access to up-to-date, peer-reviewed guidance and can also be used to support and provide evidence for CPD. I would absolutely recommend UpToDate to a colleague.”

Consultant Haematologist, Hussnain Javid, also recommends UpToDate to colleagues: “UpToDate has become an invaluable part of my daily clinical practice. Turning to it for reliable, evidence-based answers has become almost second nature, and I particularly value its excellent figures, tables and flowcharts that make even complex topics easy to navigate. Over the years, I have found few resources as consistently useful and comprehensive, and we are incredibly fortunate to have access to it at our Trust.

“Its value extends beyond everyday clinical presentations to rare and unfamiliar conditions. To give a recent example, while investigating a patient with suspected congenital methaemoglobinaemia, UpToDate's excellent differential diagnosis section helped us navigate an uncommon presentation and quickly narrow down the possible causes. I would wholeheartedly recommend this gem of a resource to every clinician.”

Our library team’s evidence search service is available to all colleagues to take the heavy lifting out of searching for evidence, whether it is for patient care, research, study, or CPD. You can also join more than 800 colleagues who receive biweekly current awareness bulletins personalised to their professional interests. The library, based in the Learning Centre at Calderdale Royal Hospital, is home to a collection of over 2000 medical textbooks, handbooks and resources available for all colleagues to borrow.

For more information about library services, check out their website page or intranet page.