Introduction
In modern medicine, keeping up-to-date is not just a professional ideal; it's a fundamental challenge. With the volume of published medical evidence doubling approximately every five years, the risk of practice becoming outdated is a constant concern for every clinician (Lumanity). For UK doctors, physician associates, and advanced practitioners, the demands of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and patient care require knowledge resources that are not only authoritative but also mobile, accessible offline, and integrated into their daily workflows.
This article provides a comprehensive guide to the top-tier digital CPD and point-of-care tools available to UK clinicians in 2025, from established leaders like NB Medical and Red Whale to the foundational references of NICE CKS and the BNF.
NB Medical – CPD, Hot Topics & KISS Summaries
As the UK’s leading private primary care educator, NB Medical offers a multi-faceted approach to CPD and knowledge updates.
- Live & on-demand webinars: Their interactive CPD courses are a mainstay for many GPs, offering deep dives into relevant clinical areas and fulfilling CPD credit requirements (nbmedical.com).
- Hot Topics blog & podcasts: For more regular, bite-sized learning, the monthly Hot Topics GP updates and the "Hot Topics" podcast with Dr Neal Tucker provide timely insights into the latest research and guideline changes (nbmedical.com).
- Keep It Simple Summaries (KISS): These free, one-page evidence summaries are a popular resource, distilling hot primary-care topics into easily digestible and practical advice (nbmedical.com).
Red Whale – Pearls, Red Whale Knowledge & Primary Care Pod
Red Whale is renowned for its practical, GP-focused content designed to be immediately applicable in the consultation room.
- Pearls weekly updates: These free, highly-regarded emails translate tricky or dense guidelines into actionable advice, helping clinicians stay current week by week (redwhale.co.uk).
- Red Whale Knowledge for FY2: A dedicated resource with over 900 evidence-based articles aligned to the GP curriculum. It is offered free to MDU FY2 members until July 2025, providing essential support for doctors in training (The MDU).
- Primary Care Pod podcast: This monthly podcast brings the Pearls to life, with GP hosts discussing four key topics in depth to reinforce learning (redwhale.co.uk).
GPnotebook – Concise Reference & Video ‘TV’
For rapid, in-consultation lookups, GPnotebook is a go-to resource for many primary care clinicians.
- 30,000+ pages: The platform contains a vast library of brief, GP-authored articles that cover the breadth of primary-care presentations, designed for quick reference (GPnotebook).
- GPnotebook TV: A growing library of over 100 short video updates that provide concise summaries of new drugs, updated guidelines, and important clinical studies (GPnotebook).
NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) & Evidence Search
NICE provides the foundational evidence base for UK practice, and its digital tools are essential for all clinicians.
- CKS Topics: With over 370 evidence-based summaries covering common primary-care conditions, CKS is designed to provide rapid answers. Crucially, these summaries are updated weekly to reflect the latest evidence (NICE, The ME Association).
- NICE Evidence Search: This single, powerful portal allows clinicians to access the full suite of NICE resources, including guidelines, pathways, quality standards, and the aforementioned CKS topics, all in one place (NICE).
British National Formulary (BNF) – Authoritative Drug Reference
The BNF remains the definitive and authoritative reference for prescribing and pharmacology in the UK.
- Comprehensive monographs: Each entry provides essential information on indications, dosing, interactions, and contraindications. The content is meticulously updated bi-annually to ensure it reflects current practice (Wikipedia).
- Multi-platform access: The BNF is accessible in print, online via the NICE website (with OpenAthens access), and through a dedicated mobile app that includes the invaluable feature of offline downloads (Wikipedia).
BMJ Best Practice – Point-of-Care Decision Support
BMJ Best Practice provides daily-refreshed, peer-reviewed clinical decision support, developed by a team of over 1,600 international experts.
- Step-by-step guidance: The platform offers detailed, step-by-step guidance covering diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and the management of comorbidities (BMJ Best Practice).
- NHS EHR Integration: Its value is enhanced through integration directly into clinical workflows. For example, it has been deployed at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust to provide clinicians with one-click access to guidance from within the patient record (BMJ Group).
Emerging Tools – DynaMed Decisions & Others
The landscape of clinical support is constantly evolving with new AI-powered tools.
- DynaMed Decisions: This platform extends beyond traditional reference, offering a RAG-powered Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) that includes shared-decision tools, calculators, and integrated CME/MOC credit tracking via approvals from Royal Colleges (EBSCO).
- Other Platforms to Explore: For specialty-focused evidence retrieval, established global platforms like ClinicalKey, UpToDate, and Dynamedex remain powerful resources for deep-dive research.
Choosing the right resource – key criteria
With so many options, selecting the right toolkit requires a strategic approach. Consider these key criteria:
- Content coverage & update frequency: Does the resource cover the topics relevant to your practice, and is it updated at least weekly or monthly?
- Ease of access: Does it offer a high-quality mobile app with offline functionality? Can it be embedded in your EHR or accessed via single-sign-on?
- Evidence transparency: Does the tool provide clear citations to the primary literature and national guideline sources?
- Cost & procurement: Can you leverage free tiers (like Pearls or NB quizzes), take advantage of MDU/Trust-level subscriptions, or use NHS framework agreements for procurement?
Conclusion & next steps
The digital resources available to UK clinicians in 2025 are more powerful and accessible than ever before. Building a personal toolkit of trusted, high-quality resources is essential for staying current, meeting CPD requirements, and providing the best possible patient care.
To put this into practice, consider these next steps:
- Trial & integrate: Pilot two or three new platforms in your practice over a 3-month period to see which best fits your workflow.
- Track impact: Measure the benefits, whether it's faster time-to-answer for clinical questions, more CPD credits logged, or simply higher satisfaction among your clinical team.
- Iterate: Refine your personal and practice-level toolkit based on real-world usage data and be prepared to adapt as new and improved resources emerge.