BMJ is a global healthcare knowledge provider that offers a range of services, including the British Medical Journal (The BMJ), BMJ Learning, and BMJ Best Practice. Since its inception in 1840, The BMJ has been a reliable source of medical knowledge and innovation, renowned for its excellence in medical research and education worldwide. Its mission is to create a healthier world.

Straight to the point of care

BMJ Best Practice is an evidence-based clinical decision support tool. Its step-by-step guidance on diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention is updated daily using robust evidence based methodology and expert opinion.

BMJ Best Practice is the only Point of Care tool to support the management of single conditions and patients with more complex comorbidities. Since one in three patients has comorbidities, BMJ Best Practice supports healthcare providers in treating the whole patient.

A single, trusted, evidence-based source of actionable information

BMJ Best Practice was developed to provide healthcare professionals with a comprehensive and reliable clinical decision support tool at the point of care, addressing the challenge of staying current with the vast amount of medical literature available.

Since its launch in 2009, BMJ Best Practice has continuously evolved to meet the needs of healthcare professionals globally. With users across more than 100 countries, it has been widely used and evaluated in numerous studies, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing clinical decision-making, reducing errors, and improving patient outcomes.

Some of the key milestones in our development history are listed below.

   Launch of BMJ Best Practice in 2009

BMJ Best Practice was launched as an evidence-based clinical decision support tool to provide healthcare professionals with quick and easy access to the latest medical information.

   Adoption of evidence-based practice (2000s-2010s)

Over the years, there has been a growing emphasis on evidence-based practice in healthcare. BMJ Best Practice has been instrumental in supporting this shift by providing healthcare professionals with access to the latest evidence-based guidelines and recommendations.

   Launch of the BMJ Best Practice app (2010-2017)

In 2010, BMJ Best Practice launched its mobile app, allowing healthcare professionals to access the tool on-the-go from their mobile devices. Following user feedback a new app was designed and launched in 2017. It has remained the most highly rated clinical decision support app since its launch.

   Product redesign in 2018

In 2018, BMJ Best Practice underwent a significant product redesign that included a redesign of the navigation, the addition of procedural videos, practice-changing updates, and calculators. This redesign aimed to improve the user experience and make it easier for healthcare professionals to access and apply the latest medical information in their practice.

   Launch of the Comorbidities Manager in 2020

In 2020, BMJ Best Practice launched the Comorbidities Manager, which allows healthcare professionals to manage complex patients with multiple comorbidities more effectively. This tool enables healthcare professionals to make more informed treatment decisions by providing them with access to the latest evidence-based recommendations for managing patients with multiple comorbidities in an acute setting.

   Relaunch of the Local Guidance Tool in 2020

In 2020, BMJ Best Practice relaunched the Local Guidance Tool, which enables healthcare organisations to easily add links to local clinical information to BMJ Best Practice topics. This tool allows healthcare professionals to access local clinical information alongside the latest evidence-based recommendations, thereby facilitating more informed treatment decisions.

   Increased use of technology in healthcare (2010s-2020s)

With the widespread adoption of technology in healthcare, BMJ Best Practice has evolved to become a mobile-friendly and interactive tool that can be accessed anywhere, anytime.

   Emphasis on patient-centered care (2010s-2020s)

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on patient-centered care. This means involving patients in their own care and treatment decisions. BMJ Best Practice has played a role in supporting this shift by providing healthcare professionals with tools and resources to help them engage patients in their own care.

   Emphasis on value-based care (2010s-2020s)

In addition to patient-centered care, there has been a growing emphasis on value-based care, which involves delivering high-quality care that is cost-effective and efficient. BMJ Best Practice has played a role in supporting this shift by providing healthcare professionals with access to the latest evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for delivering value-based care.

   Redesign of the treatment algorithm and new Comorbidities Manager features in 2022

In 2022, BMJ Best Practice underwent a redesign of the treatment algorithm to facilitate fast and easy access to the clinical decision support information. Additionally, new features were added to the Comorbidities Manager to incorporate ‘frailty’ and ‘smoking’. These updates aimed to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the clinical decision support provided by BMJ Best Practice.