UpToDate Success Story: Nagasaki University Hospital

Dr. Hamada added that Nagasaki University School of Medicine is competing with schools in far larger cities for the best medical students, yet it is a top choice for students. Out of 1,080 universities in the nation, Nagasaki University School of Medicine is the fifth choice for students pursuing a medical education. Dr. Hamada believes that offering cutting-edge tools such as UpToDate is one key factor that helps make the University such a desirable training institution.

Dr. Tomohiro Koga, an associate professor at the hospital, also feels that UpToDate is a vital resource. "We feel the quality of clinical education has been improved through our use of UpToDate at the hospital and university for many years. The medical content available with UpToDate is the most comprehensive of all of the online medical resources that I have used, and cover more specialties. We feel confident in relying on UpToDate to make clinical decisions because multiple studies have shown that UpToDate contributes to improved outcomes."

The standard of evidence-based medical practice

In addition to its role in training, Dr. Hamada notes that the physicians in the Departments of Infection Control and Primary Care use UpToDate often."As a primary care physician myself," said Dr. Hamada, "I use UpToDate every day, not only for teaching purposes, but also to enhance patient diagnoses and treatments, particularly with complicated cases."

Nagasaki University Hospital increasingly receives patients from other parts of Asia, especially Korea and China. Using UpToDate helps the team feel assured that they are working in compliance with international guidelines and standards, thus supporting a high standard of care.

In 2014, clinicians at Nagasaki University Hospital increased their usage of UpToDate by 24% over 2013. Their queries spanned all 22 specialties covered by UpToDate, and the most popular topics accessed were:

• Diagnosis and treatment of adenovirus infection
• Treatment and prevention of pneumocystis pneumonia in non-HIV-infected patients
• Treatment of Langerhans cell histiocytosis
• Management of low-grade glioma
• Approach to the adult with fever of unknown origin
• Causes of thrombocytopenia in children
• Pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of brain abscess
• Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of cytomegalovirus infection in immunocompetent adults
• Causes and diagnosis of membranous nephropathy
• Causes of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-hemolytic uremic syndrome in adults

With the rapid rate of new medical research being published, clinical leaders at Nagasaki University Hospital recognize that it is an ongoing challenge for clinicians to stay current on the latest medical knowledge. Recommendations on the use of antibiotics, for example, is constantly changing. UpToDate provides instant access to the latest best-practice guidelines at the point of care.

"UpToDate helps ensure that we have access to the very latest information reviewed and validated by medical experts. This makes it easier for us to honor our commitment to practice evidence-based medicine. We consider UpToDate to be the 'Bible' of evidence-based medicine, an internationally recognized and authoritative resource," said Dr. Hamada.

Looking ahead

Nagasaki University Hospital readily embraces new technologies to improve quality of care. In addition to implementing an electronic medical record (EMR) system for clinicians to access patient charts at the point of care, they also provide residents with mobile devices for immediate access to evidence-based recommendations.

Dr. Hamada continued, "Our clinicians rely on UpToDate to provide current, evidence-based care. As the landscape of HealthIT continues to evolve, we look forward to providing seamless access to UpToDate in the clinical workflow."