How will neurology checklists unlock excellent practice?

Launching neurochecklists

After 5 years of data gathering and sorting, neurochecklists launches today. This is a web-based application which covers the spectrum of neurological practice. I was prompted by Atul Gawande‘s call to physicians to develop checklist-driven medicine, as I discussed in my previous blog post, What is the value of checklists in medical practice? Conceived in libraries and coffee shops, lay-bys and terminals, neurochecklists is the culmination of a vision to commit the whole of neurology to checklists.

 

 

What exactly is neurochecklists?

Neurochecklists is a comprehensive and easy-to-search database consisting of thousands of checklists. It is conceived as a mobile resource to aid all cadres of medical professionals. It has 18 categories, each consisting of chapters divided into topics. All checklists are brief and divided into sub-checklists as required. Users may explore topics either through the search boxes available on all webpages, or via the Index. Each checklist is fully referenced, and all articles are hyperlinked to their PubMed abstracts, and books to their Amazon.com page.

How can neurochecklists help neurological practice?

1. By quickly checking up a topic in the clinic or on a ward round

2. By helping the preparation of presentations or teachings

3. By making reading for examinations and researching a topic easier

4. By complementing the search for relevant and up-to-date references

5. Facilitating neurology discussions with patients 

What exactly does neurochecklists contain?

Neurochecklists is extensive, covering all the core neurological subspecialties:

• Disorders of Cranial Nerves
• Disorders of Cognition
• Disorders of Consciousness
• Neurological Infections and Toxicity
• Epilepsy
• Parkinsonism
• Non-Parkinsonian Movement Disorders
• Headache Disorders
• Neuroinflammatory Disorders
• Anterior Horn Cell Disorders
• Peripheral Nerve and Radicular Disorders
• Neuromuscular Junction and Muscle Diseases
• Stroke
• Nervous System Tumours
• Spinal Cord Disorders
• Autoimmune and Metabolic Disorders

Neurochecklists also addresses the range of allied neurological specialities such as:

• Neurophysiology
• Neurosurgery
• Neuroradiology
• Neuropsychiatry
• Neuroophthalmology
• Neurootology
• Pain Disorders
• General medicine
• Surgery
• Pregnancy

These diseases are all reviewed from diverse perspectives:

• Epidemiology
• Genetics
• Pathology
• Clinical Features
• Investigations 
• Treatment

 

How reliable are neurochecklists?

In developing neurochecklists, I took into consideration the challenges of such a project as discussed in my previous blog, What are the obstacles to creating reliable neurology checklists? Neurochecklists has also gone through a beta-testing stage, and the feedback has influenced the final version. This is however the beginning of the journey to maintain and improve the database. This on-going challenge will require feedback from users which will be invaluable in advancing the app to higher levels.

What will it cost to access neurochecklists?

Neurochecklists comes with two levels of access. There is a free version which entitles users to 15 free searches a month. There is therefore no excuse not to have a neurochecklists account! To get the maximum benefit of neurochecklists, a premium account is required, and this comes at the equivalent cost of a coffee and cake a month, and even less with an annual subscription.

 

 

The reason for paid subscriptions is to help offset the heavy financial cost of app development and future improvement and enhancement plans. One such plan is to develop android and ios platforms. I am however open to suggestions to make this a completely free resource.

 

Who helped to develop neurochecklists?

Neurochecklists is the result of a collaborative effort in many ways. My wife Zainab has been invaluable in encouraging and supporting me throughout the journey. To Jafaru Dori for invaluable guidance, support and connections. To the bright young men at Studio 14, Stephen, Tobi and Timi for their great imagination and passion for the project. My gratitude to my work colleagues and the hundreds of social media friends who share so much knowledge, much of which has found its way into neurochecklists. And finally my apologies to Aminah, Safiyyah, Ja’far, and Maryam for not having their dad’s full attention for so long. Hopefully it’s been worth the while.

How to get to neurochecklists?

If you have so far resisted the dozen opportunities to click on neurochecklists, go on now and click on the image or text below to check it out! Don’t forget to leave your feedback.

  neurochecklists