Wolters Kluwer Health has won seven new NHS contracts for its clinical decision support tool UpToDate, as hospitals have turned to evidence-based support during the COVID-19 crisis.
New customers in the UK include:
- Leeds University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWalsall NHS Trust
- University Hospital Southampton
- Norwich Medical School (UEA)
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
The significant increase in the use of UpToDate highlights the important role technology-based support tools have played on the coronavirus frontline. During the crisis, Wolters Kluwer Health provided clinicians with access to its evidence-based information on COVID-19 topics free of charge.
Dr. Amad Khan, chief resident, neurosurgery, University Hospital Southampton, said: “Doctors are used to dealing with complex and unpredictable cases, but the COVID-19 pandemic made this a daily reality, presenting us with challenging situations never faced before, with many clinicians working outside their usual specialities.
"Hospitals adopted a crisis footing to manage and treat the unprecedented number of patients, with doctors working in an unfamiliar setting, treating an unknown disease. In this situation it was crucial to have access to the latest evidence-based research and treatment recommendations. UpToDate, with its regularly updated information across 50 COVID-19 topics, was a big help.”
Clinical decision support tools like UpToDate can help reduce misdiagnoses, inaccurate prescriptions of drugs and unnecessary tests and referrals. Feedback from those using UpToDate shows that it makes a significant difference to doctors’ ability to make accurate, safe and evidence-based decisions. So far, during the coronavirus crisis, the COVID-19 topics on UpToDate have been viewed by 11.4 million views worldwide and 9,000 unique users in the UK.
