UpToDate
Don’t overlook the fact that there is a lot of good research outside of UpToDate. This is a great source, but if it’s your only source you’re closing off a tremendous amount of the literature. The articles are also written by people, and are subject to the biases of individuals - Anonymous
HWN Suggests
How Evidence Based is UpToDate really?
Although it is an impressive list of EBM-sources, this does not mean that UpToDate itself is evidence based. A selection of journals to be ‘handsearched’ will undoubtedly lead to positive publication bias (most positive results will reach the major journals). The electronic searches -if done- are not displayed and therefore the quality of any search performed cannot be checked. It is also unclear on which basis articles are in- or excluded. And although UpToDate may summarize evidence from Systematic Reviews, including Cochrane Systematic Reviews it does not perform Systematic Reviews itself. At the most it gives a synthesis of the evidence, which is (still) gathered in a rather nontransparent…
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UpToDate
When you care for patients, the stakes are high and every decision counts. You need the best evidence and clinical guidance at your fingertips to answer even the most complex questions with confidence.
Are you UpToDate dependent?
Can you make it through hospital rounds or a day in clinic without consulting UpToDate? Do you rely almost entirely on UpToDate to research topics or patient encounters, without going to primary sources? Do you feel you’d be unable to practice competently without it?
Articles of Interest
Are You Dependent on UpToDate for Your Clinical Practice?
It looks like UpToDate is gradually becoming "the universal textbook of medicine." Do you remember the last time you opened Harrison's to consult about a clinical topic? Was that in 1997 or 2001? By the time Harrison's is on the shelf, it is often 5-10 years out of date. And this is where UpToDate steps in -- "up-to-date", what a catchy promising name.
Do doctors already have a source of comparative effectiveness research?
Comparative effectiveness research is the current, trendy buzzword in the health care debate. And certainly, doctors need an authoritative, unbiased, source in which to base their decisions on. But, do we already have that kind of information? Why, yes, we do. It’s called UptoDate.
Study: UpToDate More Likely than PubMed to Answer Patient Care Questions
UpToDate answered more questions than PubMed on all major medical topics, but a significant difference was detected only when the question was related to etiology or therapy.
UpToDate versus DynaMed: a cross-sectional study comparing the speed and accuracy of two point-of-care information tools
Despite a preference for UpToDate and a higher confidence in responses, the accuracy of clinical answers in UpToDate was equal to those in DynaMed. Previous exposure to UpToDate likely played a major role in participants' preferences. More research in this area is recommended.
