AppraisalAid | Using cloud-based storage

Uploading a whole year's worth of evidence into your appraisal toolkit is depressing enough, so having to do it in a consulting room just adds insult to injury. Whilst practices are usually the best places to collect the evidence, your home is usually the most comfortable to work up ideas and reflect. Think warm fire, fresh coffee, chocolate hobnob. But your learning isn’t just to be locked away for your appraisal. How would it be if next time you see a patient with Bell’s palsy, you don’t have to spend 30 minutes researching the prednisolone dosing regime, but you could look up your case review from 18 months ago to remind yourself? A portable, easy-to-search record of your learning can be a powerful tool during consultations. Don't even think of using a USB stick between home and work. Too easy too loose, fragile and a great way to transfer viruses. The only way nowadays is through secure online storage accessible from any device. Enter cloud storage, the peripatetic GP's best friend. The main players are Microsoft's OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox, with plenty of websites giving a rundown of these and more . But our favourite here at NASGP is Google Drive ; not only do we run all our email and calendars using Google, but all our documents, including every downloadable Microsoft Word document - were originally created in Google Drive (we simply 'save as' Microsoft Word). Best of all, its enormous sweet suite of products is free, or for £30 a year you can go for the Google for Business package – no adverts, customise your email address, and has the same ISO 27001 security standards that Clarity adheres too. In a nutshell, so long as you have a modern secure browser in the surgery (sadly not IE8) anything and everything you create in the surgery is instantly saved and available later at home. Security wise, whatever option you plump for, make sure is supports ISO 27001 security standard. Even though you'll be using a system that is more secure than the "little black book approach", it is still important to remember not to use patient identifiable data .

Record and reflect templates

Download and adapt any of our four appraisal templates to quickly guide you through the process of recording and reflecting on your CPD From an interesting encounter with a patient From a meeting you've attended On having read and article, book or clinical blog. We also include a structured clinical reflection template. All are in both Word and Google docs, which can be synced to your hard drive, smartphone and cloud storage, allowing you to record evidence, and later access your learning , on-the-go (both online and offline). NEW! Online structured learning template to record learning and reflections, and have a searchable PDF emailed to you immediately for you to upload to your favourite (!) online learning toolkit. View templates

Diabetes

Dapagliflozin with insulin for patients with Type 1 Diabetes

This is a new guideline from NICE on using dapagliflozin in patients with Type 1 diabetes. It was published in Aug 19. Key learning points for me: There is a rise in the risk of ketoacidosis. It need...

This is a new guideline from NICE giving advice on ertugliflozin, published in April 2019. I am also doing a quick reminder about the other SGLT-2 inhibitors. What is ertugliflozin? It is another sodi...

This is a new guideline from NICE that advises that two new diabetes pumps can be used. These both have integrated interstitial glucose sensors. This means that the pump can measure glucose levels. Th...

This is an update of the last Nice guideline on type 2 diabetes in adults, which was published in 2009. I am just summarising things that have changed since the last update. If you don't want to read ...

This is the other half of the guideline on diabetes in children and young people, recently published by NICE. I would suggest reading my blog on type 1 diabetes in children first. Again, I haven't co...

This is an updated guideline from NICE on Type 1 diabetes in adults. It is a huge guideline. Most patients will be managed in secondary care, so I've tried to pull out the bits that are most relevant ...

This is an updated guideline from Nice on diagnosing and managing diabetes (DM) in children and young people. I have separated out type 1 DM and type 2 DM for ease. It is a long and pretty comprehensi...

This is a new guideline from NICE on assessing and managing people with diabetic foot problems. Foot problems are very common in people with diabetes and come with huge morbidity. The following are so...

Diabetes

Dapagliflozin with insulin for patients with Type 1 Diabetes

e-learning | Ertugliflozin in type 2 diabetes and the other SGLT-2 inhibitors

Nice | Pumps for diabetes that have integrated blood glucose sensors

Nice | Type 2 diabetes in adults

Nice | Type 2 diabetes in children and young people

Nice | Type 1 diabetes in adults

Nice | Type 1 diabetes in children and young people

Diabetic foot problems

RCOG | Polycystic ovarian syndrome

Preventing Type 2 diabetes

Exenetide prolonged release

Preventing type 2 diabetes

Thriving as a GP locum

Facebook

Subscribe to Podcast

Latest blogs

NASGP

Popular