One of our biggest gripes when we reviewed the UpToDate app was the lack of support for institutional access. In order to use the app, you had to have an individual subscription — expensive. UpToDate told iMedicalApps almost two years ago when we did the app review that institutional access would eventually get figured out — no time table was set then.

So I was obviously excited when I was told by UpToDate that institutional access had finally been enabled.

Institutional access is in the form of “UpToDate Anywhere”, launched a few months ago.  Your academic institution has to sign up for this enterprise subscription in order to give individuals access to the UpToDate app.  Obviously, with this being a new offering, not all institutions have converted to UpToDate anywhere yet.

The following video shows how to set up UpToDate on your iPhone: (you need to be logged into iMedicalApps to view the video — registration is free for our site)

Luckily, my academic institution has signed up for UpToDate anywhere — Now that I can finally access UpToDate via the native app on the iPhone, it has definitely increased my usage of UpToDate more than 10 fold.

The app can also be downloaded to an Android Phone and Windows 8 tablets.

You can install the app on up to two separate devices, such as your iPhone and iPad, and still use the web version.  You can’t install the app on a third device and still have access to the web portal off campus. Other than these limitations, UpToDate had the following to tell iMedicalApps:

At an individual user level, it is identical in experience to what an individual would enjoy with access through their institution’s subscription (which previously, was limited to web-based access).

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Editor’s note: UpToDate requested that we add the following from their PR department to clarify their service further

Thank you for featuring this article and helpful, hands-on video of UpToDate Anywhere. As you said, clinicians can use the UpToDate app on their mobile device via their healthcare institution’s UpToDate Anywhere subscription. As organizations have begun to adopt UpToDate Anywhere, the response from users who can now access the app on-site, at home, or on the go, has been very positive.

The headline to the story however may lead to some confusion over “free” access. Previously, the UpToDate mobile app was available to users with an individual subscription. We listened to feedback from users and healthcare organizations about also making the app available through one’s organization. Now, subscribing to UpToDate Anywhere allows the institution to expand access for its users to include the UpToDate mobile app.

Keep in mind, not all organizations that offer UpToDate currently subscribe to this newer capability. Users should consult with their institution to determine if they have, or plan to have, UpToDate Anywhere.

More info: http://tinyurl.com/utd-anywhere