GP Notebook brought to iPhone is a commendable app for primary care

If you are a GP in the UK then you will almost certainly have heard of GP Notebook.
GPnotebook is an online encyclopedia of medicine that provides a trusted immediate reference resource for clinicians in the UK and internationally.
Updated continually, the database consists of over 26,000 pages of information. Fast and reliable, many doctors use GPnotebook during the consultation in order to clarify and check certain details of many common conditions.
It has always been possible to access GPnotebook via a mobile web browser however recently an iPhone app was released to offer offline access to all the content in GP Notebook.

Opening the app presents the user with a familiar range of specialty options (see screenshot) whilst other tabs offer a search function, settings and browse function. On an interesting note, each GP can log into the mobile app and synchronize their favorite/recently read articles.


The app displays the most recent six searches and articles can be bookmarked for future reading. From a content perspective, GP Notebook is a fantastic resource and incredibly concise and informative. Content is well laid out and split into relevant sections thus enabling busy healthcare practitioners to quickly find information. These sections include important information such as incidence, risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical features and more.




The content is identical to that displayed on the GPnotebook website and the app can synchronize to ensure each article is up to date. There is an ability to add basic annotations to each article although there was no way to highlight important sections. These annotations are also synced to the central GPnotebook server. The app includes hyperlinks to supporting evidence which open up in Safari. It was disappointing to find one or two links not pointing to the correct site although this was the exception rather than the rule.


All the data is stored locally on the app thereby removing the need for an internet connection. This was very useful as it means there is constant access to a reliable evidence based source of information even when performing home visits. The search function was effective and ensured that articles were easy to find. I was impressed by the user interface although it would have been nice to see an option to export articles for future reading.

Price:

• $28.99 (£19.99)

Likes

• All content stored offline for easy access
• All content and annotations are synced with a central server to remain up to date
• Advanced search function

Dislikes

• No ability to export/share articles with colleagues
• No ability to highlight important text sections
• No specific iPad version

Overall Rating:

• Anyone familiar with the web version of GP Notebook and finds it useful should be encouraged to purchase this app
• The overall feel and use of the app is impressive and the ability to access the wealth of content online/offline is a major plus point
• Whilst this app mainly appeals to general practitioners, the information contained within is widely applicable to anyone involved in community healthcare

iTunes link