Executive summary
The way UK clinicians access knowledge is undergoing a fundamental shift. The choice is no longer just which textbook to open, but which digital tool to trust. Today, the landscape is a dynamic mix of institutional knowledge portals like Eolas Medical and NICE CKS, classic point-of-care references like BMJ Best Practice and UpToDate, and a new generation of AI-native assistants such as the UK-centric iatroX, the US-focused OpenEvidence, and Doximity GPT.
This guide provides a practical, "jobs-to-be-done" framework to help you navigate this new ecosystem. We will explore when each type of tool shines, what to check before you trust them (sources, citations, UK alignment, governance), and how to combine them effectively without adding to your app overload.
Why this guide (and who it’s for)
This guide is for UK clinicians and digital leads who are comparing and choosing between different types of knowledge tools. Our goal is to provide a neutral, non-adversarial map of the landscape, focused on the provenance of guidance and practical access for NHS workflows. The principle is simple: pick the right tool for the job at hand.
The landscape at a glance (traditional → modern)
Traditional & institutional
- Eolas Medical: A mobile-first hub for accessing your own hospital or Trust’s clinical guidelines, protocols, and resources. It's used by over 300,000 healthcare professionals for point-of-care access to local policies.
- NICE CKS: The definitive source for UK-focused, primary-care summaries of common conditions, available to all in the UK.
- NICE guidance: The national source of record for evidence-based recommendations and care pathways.
AI-native assistants
- iatroX: A free, UK-centric platform featuring a Knowledge Centre and the Ask iatroX Q&A tool, providing answers with citations that help you navigate to sources like NICE, CKS, and the BNF.
- OpenEvidence: An AI-powered medical reference tool, free for verified US clinicians, designed for evidence-synthesis at the point of care.
- Doximity GPT: A HIPAA-aligned AI assistant for clinical reference and administrative support, free to verified clinicians in the US, recently strengthened by the acquisition of Pathway.
- Glass Health: An AI-powered clinical decision support tool focused on building differential diagnoses and management plans.
Classic point-of-care references
- BMJ Best Practice: Provides structured, step-by-step topic summaries and is freely accessible to NHS staff via OpenAthens.
- UpToDate: A leading global clinical decision support tool, which is also exploring clinical generative AI in its product labs.
Jobs-to-be-done: pick by task, not brand
“Find our Trust’s latest antimicrobial guideline fast.”
Start with Eolas Medical. It's purpose-built for hosting and providing rapid access to your own organisation's local policies and service-specific packs.
“Summarise UK guidance on managing new-onset AF with citations in seconds.”
Use a UK-centric AI assistant like iatroX. It is designed to provide citation-first answers grounded in UK-accepted guidance, allowing you to click through to the primary sources on NICE or SIGN.
“Do a deep literature review or use a US-only free tool.”
For this, a tool like OpenEvidence (with its US HCP-verified free tier) or Doximity GPT can provide literature-aware assistance and help with administrative outputs like drafting letters or summaries.
“Get an authoritative topic overview for the ward round.”
This is the sweet spot for the classic references. BMJ Best Practice or UpToDate provide comprehensive, editorially maintained summaries that are perfect for a deep dive.
Comparison matrix
| Tool | Primary Use-Case | Source Model | Access Model | Stand-Out Features | UK/NHS Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eolas Medical | Trust/Department Guideline Hub | Local Uploads/Links | App-based | Offline access, centralised protocols | Strong for local SOPs |
| NICE CKS | Primary-Care Summaries | NICE/Agilio Editorial | UK-only site | Concise management guidance | Definitive UK orientation |
| iatroX | AI Search with Citations | UK-gated RAG | Free App | Ask + Quiz + CPD | UK-first design |
| OpenEvidence | AI Evidence Syntheses | Global Literature | U.S. Free Tier | DeepConsult features | U.S. verification needed |
| Doximity GPT | AI Reference + Workflow | Curated Sources (HIPAA) | Free to U.S. Clinicians | Integrated with Doximity suite | U.S. market focus |
| Glass Health | AI CDS (Differentials/Plans) | Curated Medical KB | Subscription | Reasoning scaffolds | Emerging evaluations |
| BMJ Best Practice | Editorial Summaries | BMJ Methodology | Institutional (OpenAthens) | Care pathways, calculators | NHS-funded access |
| UpToDate | Editorial Summaries | Wolters Kluwer | Subscription | Graded recommendations | Widespread NHS use |
Accuracy & safety (what to verify before adopting)
- Provenance: Is the answer clearly cited to a trusted UK source like NICE or the BNF? A tool like iatroX is built around this citation-first retrieval model.
- Scope/Access: Be aware of regional restrictions. CKS is UK-limited, while some popular AI tools like OpenEvidence and Doximity offer their free tiers primarily to verified US clinicians.
- Governance: If integrating a tool into your organisation, check its DTAC and clinical safety status. For personal use, ensure you always record your sources in your notes and verify against a primary source like NICE.
Reduce app overload: a simple, layered workflow
- Local first: Open Eolas Medical for your site-specific SOPs and guidelines.
- National check: Confirm the principles against the national guidance on NICE CKS.
- AI accelerator: Use iatroX to summarise or compare options with clear citations, then click through to the sources.
- Deep dive: For a comprehensive topic review, consult BMJ Best Practice or UpToDate.
Don’t forget CPD: make learning count (Praktiki + iatroX)
- Praktiki: A popular micro-learning app that helps you build a daily CPD habit in just minutes a day, with built-in tracking.
- iatroX CPD: A perfect partner for on-the-go learning. Turn a cited Q&A from your clinical work into a logged reflective entry, then export it for your appraisal.
Buyer’s checklist
- Use-case fit: Does the tool solve your primary problem (local SOPs vs national guidance vs AI synthesis)?
- Citations & transparency: Can you click through to the primary source documents?
- UK access constraints: Is the tool available and relevant for UK clinicians?
- Evidence capture: Does it provide an easy way to log your learning for CPD?
- Governance: If procuring for an organisation, ask about the vendor's DTAC posture.
FAQs
- Is there a single “best” alternative to Eolas?
- No. Eolas excels at hosting local protocols. The best strategy is to pair it with a national source like NICE CKS and an AI-native tool like iatroX for fast, cited answers.
- Are OpenEvidence/Doximity available in the UK?
- Their free tiers are primarily targeted at verified US clinicians. Access for UK users may vary or require a paid subscription.
- Do classic references still matter in the age of AI?
- Yes, absolutely. BMJ Best Practice and UpToDate remain the gold-standard for deep, editorially-maintained topic overviews that complement the speed of AI assistants.