Being a GP is a time pressured job which often involves juggling patients, consultations and paperwork. Having key resources at your fingertips makes a huge improvement on your working day.
From organising expenses and tax returns to CPD and medical calculators there are almost limitless options out there. Here are the top 10 most useful websites for GPs that we think you should know about.
1. MyLocumManager
MyLocumManager.com is a popular online tool for locum GPs. Set up by two doctors, it simplifies the process of managing the paperwork that comes with working as a locum GP and also helps locums run their business finances efficiently.
This user friendly platform has locum GPs raving about it. It organises all upcoming locum shifts onto your personal calendar, all invoicing and pension forms A and B are prepared automatically. Sessions, expenses and tax reports are recorded easily. Plus, you get free support, CPD events and webinars.
Benefits:
- Integrated Diary: MyLocumManager organises all your upcoming sessions by connecting directly to your smartphone calendar so you can stay organised.
- Automated Invoices: Dramatically reduce your admin time by automatically creating and sending invoices as you complete jobs.
- Expense Management: Know, at-a-glance, what you can claim in expenses. Record them easily to build accurate accounts which are invaluable at tax time.
- Automated Pension Forms: MyLocumManager automatically calculates your pension forms and allows you to send them directly to practices.
- Tax & Reporting: Easily keep track of all your finances as a locum. MyLocumManager also records everything you need for year-end accounts to make tax and expense claiming as easy as possible.
2. Clinical Knowledge Summaries
Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) are concise, accessible summaries of current evidence for General practitioners. There are over 350 topics to choose from.
The topics focus on the most common and significant presentations in primary care. They give trusted information to support safe decision-making and improve standards of patient care. This resource ensures you can offer evidence based practice over a large number of clinical specialties straight from your surgery.
Benefits:
- Practical Guidance: Clinical Knowledge Summaries provides practical guidance on the best practices for over 330 common and significant primary care presentations.
- Regularly Maintained: As new evidence emerges, articles are updated and new topics are added to provide an up-to-date resource base.
- Educational Slideshows: CKS has a range of "snap-shot" slideshows giving an overview of CKS topics for educational use.
3. The BNF
The BNF (British National Formulary) is the go-to prescribing resource for most GPs. Alongside the book it is also available online.
For quick and easy access you can now download the BNF app. This is especially useful for home visits.
Benefits:
- Regularly Updated: BNF Online is updated every month so you have up-to-date information on drug interaction and prescriptions.
- MedicinesComplete: Using MedicinesComplete, GPs can search by drug or interaction online with ease.
- App Access: Get access to BNF dosage and interaction data on the go, on your smart phone or tablet.
4. MIMS
MIMS is another prescribing resource. It is particularly useful for GPs as a clinical reference and for its prescribing tables on antibiotics, contraception and HRT.
MIMS also offer quick-reference summaries of key national treatment guidance, including clinical guidelines (from NICE, SIGN and other authoritative bodies) and NICE technology appraisals. GPs can use these guidelines summaries to earn CPD credits towards revalidation.
Benefits:
- Drug Reference Tables: Compare drug dosing, monitoring, prices and more at-a-glance.
- Up-to-date News: Keep up with the latest developments in medicine with news from MIMS.
- MIMS "Clinics": MIMS provides news and resources on a wide range of topics to bring together the latest news, reference tables, treatment guidance and much more.
- Events: MIMS and their partners offer regular events (worth CPD credits) which help practitioners improve their clinical knowledge and skills.
5. E-Learning for Healthcare
e-lfh.org.uk is a useful training resource for GP trainees and GPs. It is an online e-learning resource for NHS General Practitioners and doctors undertaking specialty training for UK general practice, jointly developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and HEE e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH).
The e-GP resource provides a programme of e-learning modules covering the RCGP curriculum. Each module is made up of reflective and interactive e-learning sessions that enhance GP training and support preparation for appraisal and revalidation.
Benefits:
- Over 150 programmes: e-LfH is in the process of delivering over 150 e-learning programmes.
- "In partnership with...": e-LfH partners with professional bodies including Royal Colleges and associations to deliver the best content possible.
- Award-winning: e-LfH has won numerous awards including the Gold Award for Best e-learning project, Gold Award for Innovation in Learning Services and more.
6. & 7. Dermnet & BAD
Dermatology cases are common presentations in general practice. Dermnet and the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) are two popular websites that are a great accompaniment for doctors.
Dermnet is an online library for skin. It is a great resource for tricky skin presentations but also for continued learning.
The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) is particularly good for patient information leaflets.
DermNet Benefits:
- Comprehensive: DermNet has information on thousands of skin conditions, treatments, drugs and more.
- All about the skin: By specialising in dermatology, DermNet sets itself apart as the authoritative resource centre for dermatology information and guidance.
- Case history quizes: DermNet hosts over 50 quizes to help improve diagnosis of skin conditions.
BAD Benefits:
- Quality Standards guidance: BAD provides a number of PDF downloads of standards guidelines for dermatology.
8. GPCPD.com
GPCPD.com is part of the Red Whale GP Update courses. It offers an evidence based, unbiased, practical resource for GPs and GP trainees. It helps ensure GPs are informed of up to date guidelines which are relevant to their everyday work.
The site covers a huge range of topics which can be accessed online during consultations or for private study. You can use the site to collect and record CPD points for your appraisal and revalidation.
Benefits:
- CPD Tracker: GPCPD keeps a record of all the CPD credits you've earned through their site and allows you to track other CPD providers too.
- Online Handbooks & Resources: Hundreds of topics, updated throughout the year with free learning resources on every article.
- No Pharma Sponsorship: Red Whale (GPCPD) courses have no pharmaceutical company sponsorship or affiliation and are developed by qualified medical professionals.
9. Patient.info
Patient.info is a comprehensive website for both patient and professional information. It is a valuable resource for patient information leaflets which clearly explain a condition without any confusing medical jargon. Described as a “leading independent health platformâ€, the site was established 20 years ago.
With more than 18 million visits a month, it is a trusted source of information for both patients and health professionals across the globe. The site contains over 4000 health information leaflets and thousands of discussion forums. It is accredited by The Information Standard, NHS England’s quality mark.
Benefits:
- Trusted: Patient.info is accredited by The Information Standard and their clinical editorial articles are certified to meet the Standard.
- Comprehensive: Patient houses over 4,000 articles which can be printed as leaflets on a truly enormous range of subjects.
- For patients & GPs: The clinical editorial pages on Patient have been written to be easily understandable for patients as well as doctors to make communication regarding treatment easier and more effective.
10. Univadis
Univadis has a variety of different sites that are useful for GPs, these include medical calculators for decision support, medical quizzes for learning, image library for diseases and procedures. Select articles from JAMA and the Lancet are also accessible on the site.
Benefits:
- Medical Calculators: From the CAGE Questionnaire for alcohol dependence to Red Cell Distribution Width calculators, Univadis has dozens over 300 different calculators available.
- Selected Lancet Articles: Univadis offers free access to selected articles from The Lancet to help you keep up with the latest developments in medicine.
- Image & Media Library: Compare your patients with over 1,300 images of confirmed diagoses.