App Review: BMJ Best Practice

Name: BMJ Best Practice

Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group

Devices: Smartphones and tablets with Android OS 4.2 or later and iPhones and iPads with iOS version 7.0 or later. We tested this app on an iPad.

Available from: iTunes App Store or Google Play.

Price: Free.

Available to SGUL students and staff only. Details on how to access the full content are included at the end of the post.

Type of information: Point of care, clinical decision making support tool.

For: UK healthcare professionals and healthcare students.

Main Pros: This new version of the app (released in 2017) requires substantially less storage on your device. Content is available offline after the initial download so it can be accessed at any time. Condition summaries contain links to relevant guidelines and papers. Daily content updates and the CME/CPD tracker can help keep you up-to-date in your chosen specialty.

Main Cons: A personal subscription is necessary for those without institutional access. Savings in storage capacity have been made by not including images in the downloaded data – they are now only available when using the app online. Initial search function was quite basic, but this has been addressed in a recent update.

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BMJ Best Practice provides access to reliable information and guidance on hundreds of medical conditions that can be used to support you in clinical decision-making. This companion app to the web version of BMJ Best Practice is designed to be used on the move and after an initial download, content can be accessed when offline, which is particularly convenient if you are unable to connect to Wi-Fi.

This new version of the app will be familiar to anyone who has used it before, with the majority of changes being cosmetic and offering a cleaner, more responsive experience. New users should find the app intuitive and easy to navigate. The home screen offers a simple layout with a central search bar, and the icons at the bottom of the screen allow you to browse by speciality; browse the available calculators or quickly locate information you have recently or commonly referred to.

Condition summaries are broken down into sections and subsections, such as ‘Diagnosis’, ‘Treatment’ and ‘Management’ or you can use the ‘Highlights’ section for a quick summary and overview. This highlights section will also link to related conditions, or to clinical guidelines where appropriate. Each topic has a ‘Last Updated’ date underneath the heading so you can be sure the information is current and you can browse through all of the sections by swiping from right to left, or by using the back button to choose a different section. This is especially helpful in longer, more complex entries.

Where necessary, summaries will contain links to relevant guidelines, resources and articles which will then open in your device’s browser when connected to the internet. You can explore these as you read, or refer to the ‘Resources’ section for the full reference list. Links to the full-text of an article will also appear if the article or study features in a journal that the Library subscribes to.

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Download Instructions (for SGUL staff and students)

[PDF instructions available here]

1. Create a ‘My Best Practice’ personal account on the BMJ Best Practice website (http://bestpractice.bmj.com/) whilst onsite at SGUL, using a computer in the Library Computer Rooms, a Library laptop or a device connected to the St. George’s eduroam WiFi network; or offsite, after logging in via Shibboleth.
   Remember the email address and password used to create the account.
2. Download the app from the iTunes app store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
3. Launch the app. When asked to log in, use the same email address and password you used to create your My Best Practice account.
   
4. The app content will automatically begin to download. It will take about 5 minutes on a good WiFi connection.

Remember!!
Your subscription must be renewed every six months by logging into your My Best Practice personal account on the BMJ Best Practice website http://bestpractice.bmj.com/ while onsite using a computer in the Library Computer Rooms, a Library laptop or a device connected to the St George’s eduroam WiFi network; or offsite, after logging in via Shibboleth.

If you experience any difficulties in downloading the app, or need any assistance in using it, email us at liaison@sgul.ac.uk

All review of mobile resources are subject to the St George’s Library Disclaimer, please take the time to read it carefully.

BMJ Best Practice app – new version released (available to SGUL staff and students)

A new version of the BMJ Best Practice app is now available to download for free from the Google Play and Apple stores. If you’ve been using this popular app, you’ll need to download the new version soon to continue using it, as the older version will shortly stop being updated.

Instructions

1) Activating your account

To keep using the app, you’ll need to re-confirm your SGUL credentials with Best Practice at least once every six months.

You can do this by visiting the BMJ Best Practice website in one of four ways:

• using a desktop computer in the SGUL computer room
• using a Library laptop
• using your own device while onsite at St George’s, University of London (making sure it is connected to the Eduroam WiFi network)
• from offsite, using your SGUL username and password to log in via Shibboleth

Log in to your Best Practice personal account, and you’re done!

New user?

Register for a personal account for free if you haven’t done so before. Make sure to remember the email and password you choose – you’ll need them at the next stage.

2) Setting up the app

Download the app from the Google Play or Apple Store. Be sure to pick the 2017 version.

The first time you open the app, you’ll be asked to log in with your Best Practice personal account username and password. As a logged in subscriber, the full content will now start downloading to your device.

The new app

Changes in the new version have slightly altered the overall feel and navigation of the app, but if you’ve been using the old version it should quickly feel familiar. Just as before, it’s essentially a mobile version of the BMJ Best Practice website, and the content and organisation are unchanged.

Key changes:

• The new app and data will take up less storage space on your device – 226 MB, compared with 610 MB for the old version. It took us less than five minutes to download all the data on a strong internet connection.
• Some of this space has been saved by not including images in the downloaded data. You can still view images in the app, but you must be using it online.
• Navigating the content should be a little easier with longer entries now managed through submenus, giving a quick overview of the section and allowing you to click straight through to the part that interests you.

Screenshots of new app layout – differential diagonosis

Screenshot of old app layout – differential diagonosis

You can read our review of the original app on our mobile resources blog.

 

*Resolved* BMJ Best Practice and Clinical Evidence offsite access issues

Good news, offsite access to BMJ Best Practice and Clinical Evidence is now available again!

We are aware that there is a separate issue with the BMJ Best Practice app, and this is still being looked into.

NEW:  Library Services Alert page

St George’s Library is changing the way it alerts users to issues with physical and electronic resources provided by the Library.  We have created a dedicated Library Services Alert page, which you can access through the St George’s Blog homepage, and the St George’s Library Help page on our website.