LibGuides: Physician Associates: Websites

Key websites

Most of these resources are freely available. Those only available to University members have red icons next to the name.

NHS Physician Associate
Information about the role of a PA and some case studies.

Clinical practice guidelines

NICE guidelines
Evidence-based recommendations on health and social care.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develops evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland, which can be accessed on this website.

Clinical skills & knowledge practice

Geeky Medics
Free resources for supporting OSCEs.
OSCEstop
Free comprehensive notes supporting OSCE exams.

Drug information

BNF (on the NICE website) see also MedicinesComplete
Browsing access to substances covered in the BNF

MedicinesComplete [full-text] This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the British National Formulary, British National Formulary for Children and Stockley’s Drug Interactions.
It is also possible to access the BNF and BNFC free via the NICE website and download an app for Android and Apple devices. Note that Pharmacy students still need to use the print version of the BNF for workshops and assessments.

You can find a print copy of Martindale: the complete drug reference on the 3rd Floor of the main Library at LARGE --F 615.11-MAR.

Electronic Medicines Compendium
This database contains the latest approved prescribing information (SPCs) and patient information leaflets for licensed medicines. You can also find information about interactions, side effects and dosages.
RxList: the Internet Drug Index
Founded by pharmacists in 1995, this is the premier online drug index resource. It offers detailed and current pharmaceutical information (such as articles and data) on brand and generic drugs.

Other useful sites

NHS Knowledge and Library Hub
If you are able to register for an NHS Athens account whilst on placement you will be able to make full use of this resource for literature searching. It will give you greater access to medical journals too.
Glossary of pharmacology
Produced by the Canadian Society of Pharmacology & Therapeutics this glossary of pharmacological terms is endorsed by the British Pharmacological Society. It contains peer-reviewed definitions of commonly used terms in pharmacology that include clinical relevance, examples, illustrations, teaching tips, and more.
OpenMD Medical Dictionary
Definitions for 11,000 terms and 5,000 acronyms aggregated from leading medical institutions. Includes illustrations, phonetic pronunciations, and related terms.

Physician Associates

Faculty of Physician Associates
The Faculty of Physician Associates at the Royal College of Physicians is the national body representing Physician Associates in the UK.
General Medical Council PA and AA regulation hub
The GMC is a regulatory body which sets standards for health care in the UK, and is developing a statutory framework for regulation of medical associate professions.

General medical bodies

British Medical Association briefing on medical associate professions
The BMA is the Trade Union and professional body for doctors in the UK. This briefing gives their view on medical associate professions including PAs.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
The MHRA, an executive agency of the Department of Health, is responsible for the regulation of medicines and medical devices and equipment used in healthcare and the investigation of harmful incidents.
NHS
Website of the National Health Service. Provides information for the public on conditions and treatments.
UK Medicines Information
This website hosts the UKMi strategy, policies, clinical governance standards and training materials, together with minutes of meetings of the UKMi Executive and its working groups.

Quality assurance frameworks

Quality Improvement Project (QIP)
Information from the Royal College of General Practioners (RCGP) about conducting a Quality Improvement Project.
Quality Outcomes Framework 2021/22
Guidance on the interpretation and verification of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators for 2021/22 in England.

Cochrane Library [full-text] This link opens in a new window
Systematic reviews, protocols and trials on the effects of interventions in health care.

Free to UK residents
Includes:

-The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Reviews)
-The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
-The Cochrane Database of Methodology Reviews (Methodology Reviews)

Help and guidance
You can find training materials and videos by registering with the Cochrane Library Training Hub (requires an e-mail address).

Clinical trials
An international database containing details of completed and ongoing clinical trials on human participants, maintained by the US National Institutes of Health.
World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform
World Health Organization database which allows you to search clinical trials registered in the US, EU states, China and many other countries.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
The British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides summaries of the best available evidence on new medicines and selected unlicensed and off-label medicines.
NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries
The NICE summaries provide evidence on current best practice and guidance on managing many common diseases and ailments.
The Knowledge Network Scotland
An online library providing access to evidence, journals and e-books. The website also offers e-learning and community tools.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develops evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland, which can be accessed on this website.
Trip Medical Database
A medical search engine with emphasis on evidence based medicine & clinical guidelines and queries.

NHS Statistics
Statistics on a range of health and care subjects from NHS England.
Public Health England Statistics
Statistics on public health topics including health protection and health improvement.

Most of these resources are freely available. Those only available to University members have red icons next to the name.

General sources

Britannica ImageQuest [images] This link opens in a new window
ImageQuest is a high resolution image library of over 2.7 million images which are rights-cleared for academic use from various collections including National Geographic, Getty Images, National History Museum and more.
How you may use the content
Images are for Educational use only and must be displayed with the copyright owner details shown under the image.

Permitted:
- lecture presentations
- printed course materials
- Blackboard
- student work
Tip! Use the citing tool with each image to create a citation in your chosen style

Not permitted:
- on a publicly accessible website
- on public display in the University

Help and guidance
The quick product tour shows how to search for images, download them and create personalised albums.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Image Galleries
Includes albums of scientific images, illustrations and infographics.
Pixabay
Pixabay provide stock photo-style images and photographs which are free to re-use and do not require attribution (although it's always good practice to do so).
PubMed Central Advanced Search to find images
Use the 'All Fields' picklist to select 'Figure/Table caption' to find images of a specific subject in the articles included in PubMed Central.

Anatomy

Bassett Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy
Creative Commons-licensed photographs and matching diagrams of human anatomy.
Gray's Anatomy Online
An online version of the 1918 edition, including over 1,200 illustrations.
Injurymap Anatomical Images
Free images of anatomical injuries.

Diseases & conditions

Hardin MD medical picture gallery
Gives links to images of medical conditions and diseases.
Interactive Dermatology Atlas
Contains more than 1000 photographs. Search by diagnosis, lesion characteristics, patient demographics, and treatments.
The Internet Pathology Laboratory for Medical Education
Over 2700 images with text that illustrate gross and microscopic pathologic findings along with radiologic imaging associated with human disease conditions.
Radiopaedia
Source of free radiology articles and cases, and a good source of free images.
Skin Deep
An extensive range of skin pictures. Search by description, diagnosis or body part.

Tips on evaluating websites

Before believing the information given on a web site, or quoting it in your essay or project, think about the following:

Authority

Who is responsible for the page/site?
Is it a reliable organisation (eg a well known university) or a subject expert?
Can you trust them?

Accuracy and reliability

Is the information correct?
Is the grammar and spelling correct?
Is it complete, or are they just giving one point of view?
Do they have their own agenda eg political organisations?
Is the information fact or opinion?

Currency

Can you tell how up-to-date it is?
Is it regularly updated?
You don't want to quote out-of-date information

Audience / relevance

Is the information of the right level to be quoted in your project? If it is aimed at the general public or school children it might not be!

Feel!

Is the site well structured and easy to navigate?
Are the links from the page up-to-date and valid?
If it is well designed and maintained then you can feel more confident about the information it provides

Guide to finding free resources

We've put together this guide to finding free research resources to help you discover Open Access books and articles:

Guide to free research resources
A guide to free and Open Access resources available to students, alumni and the public.

Physician Associates: Websites