> A better version of UpToDate would integrate answers from new studies and guidelines as soon as they were published.
It should take a preponderance of evidence to update treatments. If a new study challenges current treatment protocols, it should be investigated - not added to the repertoire of treatments for physicians operating outside their specialty.
> Most of the time, doctors are looking for specific answers, not full-length articles. A doctor who searches “amoxicillin dose for 6yo with otitis media” is not trying to read a 10-page article on ear infections—she’s looking for a one-line answer like “the recommended amoxicillin dose is 40-45 mg/kg every 12 hours.”
Answers require nuance, and NLP/LLMs models aren't there yet. Physicians should read the whole article - not just look for a single answer - that's not good medicine. Also, there are apps that will spit out dosage for medications based on pt. characteristics / dx - that's not UpToDate's focus.
> Improvement #3: Allow users to add their own references.
Now this is a big one. Not just for clinic/hospital guidelines - but also insurance guidelines.
Good luck with your new product.
