BUKU neurology: a smartphone app to improve non-specialist doctors knowledge and referrals for neurological conditions

<h3></h3> Neurology is often cited as the area of medicine which medical students, junior doctors and GPs feel least comfortable assessing. This lack of confidence in managing neurological disorders and patients was termed ‘neurophobia’ in 1994 by Jozefowicz and is a global issue. The BUKU Medicine Smartphone App was founded in 2017 to provide a free and instantly accessible resource for non-specialists when considering referrals to specialist teams. It aimed to answer questions that would normally be posed to medical specialities to improve referral quality and reduce unnecessary referrals. BUKU was initially focused on haematology and has since expanded to include nephrology, endocrinology, hepatology, rheumatology, immunology and palliative care. It has over 45,000 downloads, is endorsed by the British Society of Haematology and has been highly commended in the Royal College of Pathologists Achievement awards. Evidence from users and CCG data from Newcastle Gateshead suggests it reduces referrals by up to 21% and improved referral quality in 60% of cases. We present a new neurology section of this App which covers all elements of clinical neurology. By raising awareness of this resource, we hope to improve the quality of referrals, build confidence in non-specialist doctors and help address neurophobia.