For many residents, fellows, and attendings, the UpToDate program has been a mainstay in their practice, but it is very useful for medical students also. So what is UpToDate? UpToDate is an evidence-based, peer reviewed information resource – available via the Web, desktop computer, and PDA. With UpToDate, you can answer questions quickly, increase your clinical knowledge, and improve patient care. Independent studies confirm these benefits. UpToDate employs faculty in diverse medical fields to write topic reviews that include a synthesis of literature, the latest evidence, and specific recommendations for patient care.

I have used this software on my Windows Mobile PDA and it has helped me to get peer-reviewed answers to important questions in a crunch. For instance, when I was on the OB wards, we had a patient who had extensive uterine fibroids and the attending asked me about her various treatment options . Well, the first thing that popped into my head was a hysterectomy, but I kept my mouth shut and looked it up on my UpTotoDate program. I whipped out my AT&T Fuze and typed “fibroids” into the search field. About 23 topics related to “uterine leiomyomas” popped up for me to choose. I clicked on the topic that said “Overview of treatment of uterine leiomyomas” and the program listed a peer- reviewed article with about 17 different treatment options and when each type of treatment was primarily indicated. I had my answer within 1 minute, and when I responded to my attending with the answer (with my full differential of treatment options) I got a surprised look and a good job nod.

You can view a Flash-based demo of the program at: https://www.uptodate.com/home/help/demo/individual/pda/flash.html

There is just about no piece of medical information that you can’t find on UpToDate, and since the information is updated daily you will always be…up to date. So what are the downsides to the program? It is very expensive, especially to a poor medical student. The cost to a medical student or resident for a 1-year subscription is $195.00 and $390.00 for a 2-year subscription, but you will really only need it for your last 2 years of medical school and it will be so valuable that the cost will seem well worth it.