Taking a national approach to supporting clinical decision-making
Health and medical libraries are viewed globally as vital support for clinicians and key contributors toward improving the quality and consistency of clinical decision-making. One study found that 95 percent of healthcare professionals practicing in organizations that had access to a health library believed that support from medical librarians and health resources helped enhance their decision-making. Additionally, 48 percent said health libraries impacted the advice they gave patients, and 33 percent said it affected their choice of medications.
The Norwegian Electronic Health Library (Helsebiblioteket) provides healthcare professionals across the country with access to trusted medical information and decision support resources. Operated by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, it has been praised for its innovative approach of making healthcare resources and decision support readily available to clinicians in all settings at all resource levels – and even sometimes, to patients.
As part of that commitment, the Helsebiblioteket has been providing clinicians nationwide with free access to UpToDate® clinical decision support for over 15 years. Norway’s clinical organizations use UpToDate to inform their decision-making with current, evidence-based medical information and expert-authored recommendations an average of 300,000 times a month.
Recently, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health extended its commitment to healthcare professionals by adopting UpToDate® Enterprise Edition, an advanced solution for modern healthcare systems.
“Providing frontline teams with easy access to the latest medical knowledge is vital in reducing unwarranted variation and improving patient care on a national scale,” says a representative from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. “UpToDate Enterprise Edition enables this, and we are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Wolters Kluwer and provide continued support for clinicians across the country.“
Helping reduce unwarranted clinical variation nationwide
For healthcare leaders in Norway, the selection of UpToDate Enterprise Edition as a nationwide resource reflects a growing recognition that reducing unwarranted variation in care requires clinicians to have fast access to current, evidence-based guidance wherever they practice.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health chose UpToDate Enterprise Edition following a competitive evaluation process in which the solution achieved the highest scores across all quality criteria. The agreement extends the Norwegian Electronic Health Library access through 2029, continuing to support more than 30,000 clinicians atmore than 50 public hospitals and healthcare organizations across the country.
Supporting fast, confident decision-making
Under the renewed agreement, clinicians – including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, students, and allied health professionals – will continue to access trusted, evidence-based UpToDate clinical guidance directly within their workflows. In addition to core UpToDate content, users can now also access advanced enterprise capabilities designed to support increasingly complex patient care decisions, including:
- Mental health medication transition support
- Renal dosing guidance
- Clinical Pathways that bring together recommendations from multiple clinical topics into a single interactive decision framework
- Embedded algorithms and calculators that help standardize clinical decision-making
These capabilities help healthcare organizations deliver more consistent care while supporting clinicians in making timely and informed treatment decisions.
Exploring the future of AI-powered clinical intelligence
Norwegian clinicians will also receive access to UpToDate® Expert AI through a pilot initiative.
Unlike general-purpose AI tools, UpToDate Expert AI combines generative AI technology with the trusted, evidence-based content and clinical expertise behind UpToDate. Developed with medical experts in the loop, the solution is designed to support clinical reasoning by providing validated answers grounded in established medical evidence.
The pilot reflects a broader trend among healthcare organizations seeking to evaluate how AI can enhance clinical workflows while maintaining the transparency, quality, and reliability required in patient care environments.
Building on proven outcomes
Healthcare organizations worldwide continue to seek solutions that not only help improve clinician efficiency but also contribute to measurable patient and operational outcomes. More than 100 independent studies have associated UpToDate use with improvements in hospital performance metrics, including:
- Reduced length of stay
- Fewer medical errors
- Lower rates of unnecessary diagnostic testing
For Norway, the continued investment in enterprise clinical decision support demonstrates how national health systems can leverage technology, evidence, and clinical expertise to support high-quality care at scale.
“As care grows more complex, healthcare teams need more than point solutions. They need integrated clinical intelligence across workflows, team interactions, and patient care,” says Christian Cella, Vice President and General Manager, International Segment, Wolters Kluwer Health. “We are pleased to continue our relationship to help Norway in delivering healthcare across the country.”
Learn more about UpToDate Enterprise Edition for global health systems.