How to stay up to date with medical innovation: 4 tips for doctors
Every clinician wants to give their patients the best possible care. One way to do it is to stay up to date with current medical innovations. This however is a struggle, it’s work on top of work, and it’s also hard to know where to start.
Here are four tips for healthcare practitioners to make it easier for you to keep up to date with research and medical trends without having to spend so much time looking for them:
1. Join a group of fellow healthcare workers and promote cross-share
One of the best ways to stay updated with medical innovation is to simply talk to your colleagues and to exchange information with each other. This can be done in person in the clinic or hospital where you work or with social circles around your field of work. Another easy way to do this is to join groups online such as through Facebook groups, or online networks where you can connect with nurses, PAs, pharmacists, and doctors across the country and perhaps internationally.
2. Read journals connected to your field of work
Reading journals is probably one of the best ways to keep up with new and upcoming research. This, however, is not only time-consuming but also confusing as it’s hard to find the right sources and know where to access such publications.
Instead, one of the things you can do is let others curate resources for you. Two options include NEJM Journal Watch and the American College of Physicians’ Journal Club. These editorials review leading journals and summarize relevant information for you.
3. Attend online webinars and conferences
As we move more toward remote learning, so will the number of online conferences also increase. This makes learning and part-taking in such events cheaper and easier. For example, here’s a list of free online medical conferences that you can scroll through: Medical Conferences 2021
4. Keep a digital database to help you organize and collect important sources of information
Finally, one of the things we have started seeing at Citationsy, is that many doctors, nurses, and healthcare practitioners, use our tool not only to create references and bibliographies but also use it as a database to keep and organize their information resources. Through Citationsy, it is possible to collect research journals, websites, webinars, etc., and to annotate and filter them into different projects. Think of it as a digital archive, where you can store all the important information you need.
Creating the habit starts with something small
Whatever approach you take to staying current with medical innovation, make sure it works for you. Commit now to a small step and then continue exploring what tools, platforms, and communities help you stay up to date. The power lies in the habit of how you keep up to date with information.
