UpToDate Releases Japanese-language Search and Navigation Tool

Waltham, Mass. (Nov. 4, 2011) — UpToDate, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, announced today the release of a new Japanese-language search and navigation feature that allows Japanese users to enter queries and review results in their native language. Streamlining the search and navigation process with this feature ultimately will enhance use of the product by Japanese-speaking clinicians.

"Frequently when I have a patient in front of me, I search UpToDate to get answers, making sure I can give the best care to my patient,” said Naoki Nago, MD, Clinic Director of Musashi Kokubunji Park Clinic and Chief Editor of CMEC Journal Club. “Now, using UpToDate is much easier and faster because I can search in Japanese."

UpToDate is an online clinical decision support system used by more than 450,000 clinicians and thousands of hospitals worldwide. Among the hundreds of hospitals in Japan that utilize UpToDate are Kameda Medical Center, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Kyoto University Hospital, Kobe University Hospital, Jichi Medical School, Keio Univ Shinanomachi Hospital, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital, St. Luke’s International Hospital, Osaka University Hospital and Tohoku University Hospital.

UpToDate improves patient outcomes by helping physicians make the right point-of-care decisions. By researching their clinical questions without first translating them into English, Japanese users will be able to find and review information more efficiently. Removing this translation step in the search process will also result in fewer errors in search results.

“While medical content will still be provided in English, UpToDate users will be able to enter their search terms and view results in their native language,” said Denise S. Basow, MD, President and Editor-in-Chief, UpToDate. “Many physicians are comfortable reading English, but coming up with the right medical term in English can be challenging for those for whom English is not their first language.”

In the development of this feature, UpToDate worked with a highly specialized third-party medical translation system developed by specialists in the medical field. Quality was further insured through peer-review by Japanese physicians working with UpToDate and multiple quality checks to ensure accuracy and consistency.

“UpToDate continually strives to support clinicians in providing quality care to the citizens of Japan --, whether by streamlining search capabilities by enabling queries in the Japanese language or providing free access to UpToDate for users in Japan in the wake of this year’s earthquake and tsunami,” said Basow. “Our mission is to improve care worldwide, and this enhancement is another step in that direction.”

About UpToDate

UpToDate^® is an evidence-based, physician-authored clinical decision support system available online via computer, smartphone, tablet or other web-enabled device. Covering more than 9,000 topics in 18 medical specialties, UpToDate provides current, synthesized clinical information to answer clinicians’ questions quickly, increase clinical knowledge and improve patient care. UpToDate is relied on by more than 450,000 clinicians worldwide and almost 90% of academic medical centers in the US. The UpToDate global community includes more than 4,800 physician authors, editors and peer reviewers. Patients can also access UpToDate’s free patient information or subscribe to UpToDate for the same current in-depth medical content trusted by physicians.

UpToDate is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2010 annual revenues of €3.6 billion ($4.7 billion).