The Krafty Librarian wonders why UptoDate is so indispensable. “Why do doctors love UpToDate so much? Is the content that much different than FirstConsult and eMedicine? All three products cover approximately the same medical topics, with a few exceptions: example: UpToDate’s Neurology section is in development and they do not have Urology nor Surgery section however, FirstConsult and eMedicine do.”

As many of you know, I am an avid user of UptoDate, and use eMedicine occasionally. I have not used FirstConsult, so I can’t speak for that product.

One has to note that UptoDate is geared towards the internist, and eMedicine geared towards emergency medicine. One resource simply cannot replace another.

UptoDate has more emphasis on the evidence, with relevant studies peppering its narrative. This fact alone gives UptoDate an advantage in depth.

eMedicine was originally conceived for use in the emergency room, and subsequently their monographs are more bottom-line, with their links to studies buried at the end under a bibliography. eMedicine does hold the advantage of containing more topics, due to its emergency medicine roots.

However, one cannot force internists to use a resource meant for ER docs.

Update:
Dr. RW comments.