Here you can find some answers to questions asked sometimes. You can ask other questions at support@dr-toolbox.com.
General questions
What is Toolbox?
Toolbox is a secure online information resource set up by trainee doctors to help to better orientate themselves with their hospital and department. Including bleep numbers, referral methods & guides.
Easily accessible information at local level ensures that staff can be as efficient and effective as possible in carrying out their role. This in turn has positive impacts on patient safety as well as education and training.
Toolbox is estimated to save 40 minutes per doctor per day. At a typical NHS Trust with 60 doctors in training, this could save £200,000 per hospital every year.
Permitted content
The site is not for patient information.
Uploading content to the site is restricted to nominated healthcare professionals at each hospital after they have reviewed content.
The site strongly suggests following GMC advice on online professionalism.
Critical information such as clinical information that could go out of date or lead to clinical errors is reserved for uploading to our clinical guidelines module only.
Finding the editor. This is often done by the F1/ F2 year reps as they tend to be highly motivated and organised although doesn't have to be. The best thing is to find a couple of enthusiastic F1s and a couple of enthusiastic SHOs and make them all editors.
Time commitments. All we ask for is for them to do the survey at the start and at the end. We already have the proforma and so this is quick to do and analyse. This takes probably an hour or two for a normal sized hospital. To add content to the site, this is usually about 1-2 hours to week, either at work or at home. Usually when you find out some useful information you wish you'd known before you add it to the site so it can be shared and retained, and it actually makes you more efficient so it will also save the editors some time themselves too.
The website / app is not intended to diagnose, support diagnosis or clinical decisions, make calculations to determine diagnosis or treatment. It is therefore not classified as a medical device and clinicians should use their own judgement when using the information shared by other doctors.
What are the benefits of using a Toolbox for a hospital?
Using a Toolbox for a hospital can provide several benefits, including:
Centralised information: A Toolbox can serve as a central location for hospital staff to access information about procedures, policies, and protocols. This can help ensure that everyone has access to the same information, reducing the potential for confusion and errors.
Collaboration: A Toolbox can facilitate collaboration among hospital staff by allowing multiple users to contribute and edit information. This can help improve communication and teamwork.
Knowledge management: A Toolbox can serve as a repository for knowledge and expertise within the hospital. By documenting procedures, best practices, and lessons learned, a Toolbox can help ensure that valuable knowledge is retained even as staff turnover occurs.
Time and cost savings: By making information easily accessible, a Toolbox can save hospital staff time and effort in searching for information. This can translate into cost savings as well, as staff can focus on providing care rather than searching for information.
Improved patient care: By providing staff with easy access to information, a Toolbox can help ensure that patients receive the best possible care. This can include information on medication protocols, treatment plans, and discharge procedures.
We can improve communication, collaboration, and knowledge management within a hospital, leading to better patient care and cost savings.
How to increase engagement for a Toolbox?
Here are some suggestions on how to increase engagement for a hospital Toolbox:
Create a culture of collaboration: Encourage hospital staff to contribute to the Toolbox by highlighting its importance and promoting a culture of collaboration. Make sure staff members know that their contributions are valued and appreciated.
Make it user-friendly: Ensure that the Toolbox is easy to navigate and use. Provide clear instructions on how to contribute, edit, and search for information.
Regularly update content: Keep the Toolbox up-to-date with relevant and timely information. This can help keep staff members engaged and encourage them to check the Toolbox regularly.
"Find it on the Toolbox": Instead of giving people information that can be found on the toolbox, direct them to the toolbox to find it themselves. If the information is not already available on the toolbox, add it and then instruct them to locate it there.
Offer training and support: Provide training and support to staff members on how to use the Toolbox effectively. This can include tutorials, webinars, and one-on-one coaching.
Share success stories: Highlight success stories of how the Toolbox has helped improve patient care or streamline processes within the hospital. This can help demonstrate the value of the Toolbox and encourage staff members to contribute.
Engage with users: Respond to feedback and suggestions from users to show that their contributions and input are valued. This can help foster a sense of community and encourage continued engagement with the Toolbox.
By having trainee lead editors you can increase engagement and help ensure its success as a valuable tool for improving patient care and communication among all staff members.
How to reduce the risk of information in the Toolbox becoming obsolete?
The concern about the accuracy and currency of information in a Toolbox is a valid one. We have implemented a number of ways to reduce the risks of wrong or obsolete information in the hospital Toolbox:
Assign dedicated moderators: Assign a team of dedicated moderators who are responsible for reviewing and editing content to ensure accuracy and currency. These moderators should have subject matter expertise and be familiar with the hospital's policies and procedures.
There are clear guidelines and standards for content creation and editing. Make sure that all contributors are aware of these guidelines and standards.
Use the tools to set page and section maintainers, and review dates. Regularly look at the page listings with all review dates.
Our version control system tracks changes to the Toolbox, allowing moderators to revert to previous versions if necessary. This can help correct outdated or wrong information.
We encourage peer review. Pages can be flagged or commented on by readers.
Regularly update content: We encourage annual review of content to ensure it is still relevant and accurate. You can consider setting up a local review process for all content to ensure it is reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
Monitor activity: We have tools that can alert moderators when changes are made to pages.
Even traditional systems of printing guides or sending emails would carry risk of information being shared that becomes wrong obsolete. By implementing these strategies you can help to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date for all staff members.
How to promote the Toolbox to staff?
Promoting the hospital Toolbox to staff members is essential to ensure its adoption and continued use. Here are some ways to best promote the hospital Toolbox to staff:
Launch event: Organise a launch event to introduce the Toolbox to staff members. This can include a presentation on the Toolbox's features and benefits, as well as a demonstration of how to use it.
Use multiple channels: Use multiple channels to promote the Toolbox, such as emails, newsletters, posters, QR codes, and intranet announcements. Ensure that the message is consistent across all channels. A desktop link on all computers is a very effective tool.
Incentives: Offer incentives or rewards for staff members who contribute to the Toolbox. This can include certificates, awards or recognition for the most active contributors.
Demonstrate value: Demonstrate the value of the Toolbox to staff members by highlighting how it can help them in their work. For example, by reducing the time spent searching for information or improving patient care.
Training sessions: Offer training sessions on how to use the Toolbox effectively. This can be done through in-person sessions, online tutorials, or webinars.
Leadership endorsement: Obtain leadership endorsement and support for the Toolbox. This can be done through messages from senior leaders, inclusion in staff meetings or newsletters, or by making the use of the Toolbox part of performance objectives.
Follow-up: Follow up with staff members to assess their use of the Toolbox, address any issues or concerns, and provide additional support if necessary.
By implementing these strategies, you can promote the Toolbox to staff members effectively, helping to ensure its adoption and continued use as a valuable tool for improving patient care and communication among staff members.
How to nurture a culture of collaboration for the Toolbox?
Creating and nurturing a culture of collaboration in a hospital environment is essential to encourage staff members to contribute to the hospital Toolbox. Here are some ways to achieve this:
Emphasise the importance of teamwork: Reinforce the importance of teamwork in achieving hospital goals. This can be done through training sessions or through messaging from hospital leadership.
Encourage open communication: Encourage open communication among staff members, emphasising the importance of sharing knowledge and ideas to improve patient care and hospital operations.
Foster a sense of community: Create a sense of community among staff members by organising social events or team-building activities.
Highlight the value of collaboration: Highlight the value of collaboration in achieving better outcomes for patients and improving the hospital's overall performance.
Celebrate success: Celebrate successes that result from collaboration, such as improvements in patient outcomes or streamlined processes.
Foster cross-functional collaboration: Encourage collaboration between different departments and teams within the hospital to promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
Offer support and training: Offer support and training to staff members on how to work effectively in teams and collaborate with others.
Creating a culture of collaboration that encourages staff members to contribute to the hospital Toolbox and QI in general can foster a sense of teamwork and community while improving patient care and hospital operations.
How to evaluate the benefits of introducing Toolbox?
Evaluating the benefits of introducing a Toolbox in a hospital environment can be done through several methods. Here are some ways to evaluate the benefits of a hospital Toolbox:
Usage metrics: Evaluate the usage metrics of the Toolbox, such as the number of visits, unique visitors, and the frequency of updates. This can be done by visiting the Analytics tools from the administrative interface.
Staff feedback: Gather feedback from staff members on the effectiveness of the Toolbox. This can be done through surveys or focus groups to understand their perception of the Toolbox's usefulness and ease of use.
Impact on patient care: Evaluate the impact of the Toolbox on patient care, such as improvements in patient outcomes or reduced errors in treatment.
Time and cost savings: Evaluate the time and cost savings achieved through the use of the Toolbox, such as reductions in the time spent searching for information or in printing, distributing, and updating paper-based documents.
Improved collaboration: Evaluate the impact of the Toolbox on collaboration among staff members, such as improved communication and knowledge-sharing.
Improved processes: Evaluate the impact of the Toolbox on hospital processes, such as improved efficiency or the streamlining of procedures.
Benchmarking: Benchmark the Toolbox against other distribution channels (printed guides, intranet, shared network folders, online library, induction packs) to identify areas for improvement and best practices.
By evaluating the benefits of introducing a Toolbox in a hospital environment using these methods, you can make informed decisions about the usefulness of the Toolbox, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that the Toolbox continues to provide value to the hospital and its staff members.
Can Toolbox improve working conditions and stress levels?
A hospital Toolbox can improve working conditions and reduce stress levels in several ways:
Easy access to information: The Toolbox can provide staff members with easy access to information related to patient care, hospital policies, and procedures. This can reduce the time and effort required to search for information, reducing stress levels and improving work efficiency.
Improved collaboration: The Toolbox can facilitate collaboration among staff members by providing a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas. This can improve teamwork and reduce the sense of isolation that can contribute to stress levels.
Streamlined processes: The Toolbox can help to streamline processes by providing a central location for storing and accessing information. This can reduce the time and effort required to complete tasks, reducing stress levels and improving work efficiency.
Standardisation of information: The Toolbox can ensure that information is standardised across departments, reducing confusion and stress caused by conflicting information.
Reduced errors: The Toolbox can reduce errors by providing staff members with access to up-to-date information, reducing the risk of mistakes and improving patient outcomes. This can reduce stress levels by providing staff members with greater confidence in their work.
Support for remote access to information: The Toolbox can support remote work by providing staff members with access to information from anywhere with an internet connection, or even offline. This can improve work-life balance and reduce stress levels associated with commuting and being tied to a physical location.
By improving working conditions and reducing stress levels, a hospital Toolbox can contribute to the well-being of staff members, improving their job satisfaction and retention rates while improving the overall quality of patient care.
Can trainees and IMGs benefit from Toolbox?
A hospital Toolbox can offer several benefits for junior doctors, core trainees and international medical graduates (IMGs):
Early access to local information: You can grant access to the Toolbox to future trainees and IMGs in the days and weeks before they arrive in the hospital. This can help them learn what to expect and prepare.
Access to standardised information: A Toolbox can provide a central location for storing and accessing standardised information related to specialty jobs, patient care, hospital policies, and procedures. This can be particularly helpful for trainees and IMGs who may not be familiar with local practices.
Support for learning and training: The Toolbox can support learning and training by providing access to educational materials, tutorials, and case studies. This can be particularly helpful for trainees and IMGs who are in the process of acquiring new skills and knowledge.
Improved communication: The Toolbox can facilitate communication among staff members, providing a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas. This can be particularly helpful for trainees and IMGs who may be hesitant to ask questions or seek clarification in a busy clinical environment.
Reduced errors: The Toolbox can reduce errors by providing up-to-date information, reducing the risk of mistakes and improving patient outcomes. This can be particularly helpful for trainees and IMGs who may be less familiar with local practices and procedures.
Improved efficiency: The Toolbox can improve work efficiency by reducing the time and effort required to search for information and complete tasks. This can be particularly helpful for trainees and IMGs who may have limited time and resources.
A Toolbox can offer several benefits for junior doctors, trainees, and IMGs, providing them with early access to standardised information, support for learning and training, improved communication, reduced errors, and improved work efficiency. This can help to improve their confidence, job satisfaction, and overall performance, while contributing to the overall quality of patient care.
Can we delegate the maintenance of Toolbox sections to trainees?
There can be several benefits in delegating the maintenance of hospital Toolbox sections to junior doctors and trainees:
Encourages ownership and responsibility: Delegating the maintenance of Toolbox sections to junior doctors and trainees can encourage a sense of ownership and responsibility, as they are given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the Toolbox.
Encourages active learning: Delegating the maintenance of Toolbox sections to junior doctors and trainees can encourage active learning as they are required to research and update information related to their areas of expertise. This can enhance their learning and contribute to their professional development.
Provides exposure to digital tools: Delegating the maintenance of Toolbox sections to junior doctors and trainees can provide exposure to digital tools, such as Toolbox software and content management systems. This can enhance their digital literacy and prepare them for the use of similar tools in the future.
Improves collaboration and teamwork: Delegating the maintenance of Toolbox sections to junior doctors and trainees can improve collaboration and teamwork as they work together to maintain and update the Toolbox. This can enhance their communication and collaboration skills, which are important for effective clinical practice.
Enhances quality of information: Delegating the maintenance of Toolbox sections to junior doctors and trainees can enhance the quality of information, as they are required to research and update information related to their areas of expertise. This can contribute to the overall quality of patient care by ensuring that information is accurate, up-to-date, and relevant.
Delegating the maintenance of hospital Toolbox sections to junior doctors and trainees can have several benefits, including encouraging ownership and responsibility, active learning, exposure to digital tools, improving collaboration and teamwork, and enhancing the quality of information.
Can Toolbox be beneficial for Quality improvement projects?
Yes, hospital Toolboxes have been very beneficial for Quality Improvement (QI) projects. Here are some ways in which a Toolbox can support QI efforts in a hospital:
Centralised documentation: A Toolbox can provide a centralised location for documenting and sharing information related to QI projects, including goals, objectives, progress, and outcomes. This can make it easier for staff members to access and collaborate on this information, and can help to ensure that all relevant information is in one place.
Collaboration and communication: A Toolbox can support collaboration and communication among staff members who are working on QI projects. It can provide a platform for sharing ideas, feedback, and best practices, and can help to ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the goals and objectives of the project.
Standardisation of processes: A Toolbox can support standardisation of processes related to QI projects, ensuring that everyone is following the same procedures and protocols. This can help to reduce errors and inconsistencies, and can improve the overall quality of the project.
Transparency and accountability: A Toolbox can provide transparency and accountability for QI projects by documenting progress, outcomes, and challenges. This can help to ensure that everyone is aware of the status of the project, and can help to hold team members accountable for their contributions.
Continuous improvement: A Toolbox can support continuous improvement by providing a platform for ongoing feedback, evaluation, and refinement of QI projects. This can help to ensure that the project is always moving forward and that improvements are being made over time.
Toolbox can be a valuable tool for supporting QI projects, providing a centralised location for documentation, collaboration, communication, standardisation, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
How is Toolbox different from a hospital intranet?
While both a Toolbox and a hospital intranet can be useful tools for sharing information and facilitating communication among staff members, there are some key differences between the two that may make a Toolbox a better choice for certain use cases:
Ease of use: A Toolbox is often easier to use than an intranet, as it typically has a simpler interface and requires less training to use effectively. This can be particularly useful for busy healthcare professionals. As the Toolbox is updated by medical education department, consultants, and trainees, it can be more focused on the needs of staff and may be easier to navigate and search than a hospital intranet managed by the IT department. This can save time and frustration for staff who need quick access to relevant information.
Agility and flexibility: A Toolbox is typically more flexible and adaptable than an intranet, as it can be easily modified and updated as needed. This can be particularly useful for clinical workflows, day-to-day information, and other processes that may change frequently. As updating the Toolbox can be delegated to trainees and junior doctors, the information can be kept up-to-date more easily than on a hospital intranet. This is because the process of updating the Toolbox is more streamlined and requires less administrative overhead than requesting changes through the IT department.
Focused information: The Toolbox may contain information that is not available on the intranet, such as specialty handbooks, clinical guidelines, and useful external links. This can be particularly useful for trainees and junior doctors who may be less familiar with the organisation and need a more targeted source of information.
User-generated content: As the Toolbox allows for user-generated content, it can facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among staff members, which may not be possible on a hospital intranet managed solely by the IT department.
Collaboration: A Toolbox is designed to support collaboration and knowledge sharing among staff members, whereas an intranet is typically focused on disseminating information from management to staff members. A Toolbox allows to delegate the creation and editing of content by different contributors, which can help to ensure that information is accurate, up-to-date, and relevant.
Accessibility: A Toolbox can be more accessible than an intranet, as it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, and on personal mobile devices. This can be particularly useful for staff members who are on the go, at home, or commuting.
Crowdsourcing: A Toolbox allows for user-contributed content and feedback, which can be particularly useful for sharing best practices and tips among staff members. An intranet, on the other hand, typically relies on top-down communication from management to staff members.
A Toolbox can be a useful complement for a hospital intranet in certain situations, particularly when collaboration, flexibility, ease of use, accessibility, and user-generated content are important considerations.
What technical support is available?
Our dedicated, available, responsive, and competent technical support team can provide several benefits to your Toolbox. Here are some of the key advantages:
User support and assistance: We strive to provide timely assistance and support to users who encounter difficulties while using the Toolbox. Whether it's a question about signing in, navigating the content, accessing specific features, or troubleshooting an error, having a responsive team available can enhance user satisfaction and productivity.
Training and onboarding: We can provide training and onboarding sessions to hospital staff, ensuring they are well-equipped to navigate and utilise the Toolbox effectively. This helps in maximising the adoption of the Toolbox among healthcare professionals and encourages its consistent use for sharing knowledge and collaborating on important medical information.
Customisation and enhancements: We work closely with the Toolbox administrators and editors from your Trust to implement customisations and enhancements based on user feedback and evolving needs. We can assist in adding new features, improving the user interface, and integrating additional functionalities to make the Toolbox more user-friendly and effective.
Maintenance and updates: We take care of routine maintenance tasks, such as software updates, security patches, and server maintenance. We ensure that the software is running on the latest version, optimise performance, and address any vulnerabilities, thereby safeguarding the integrity and security of the platform.
Prompt issue resolution: We ensure that any technical difficulties with the software are promptly addressed and resolved. This minimises downtime and ensures uninterrupted access to the Toolbox, allowing healthcare professionals and staff to quickly retrieve critical information.
Our technical support team ensures the smooth operation, usability, and reliability of your Toolbox, empowering healthcare professionals in your Trust to access and contribute to critical medical knowledge effectively.
Reading / App
How often does the app update the content?
If the device is online, the app checks for updates about every 3 minutes, only when you interact with it (scroll, tap, swipe).
When there is a more recent version, it is placed in the app storage and a message appears "Update ready, tap to reload". You should then easily finish what you are reading then tap to load the new version.
Unlike other apps, we can update both the content and the program logic, without releasing a new version on the app store.
I tried to sign up, but never received the access details email
Please check if by any chance the confirmation message didn't land in your Spam or Junk folder. Occasionally, we have seen users mistype their email address, for example jane.doe@nhs.net instead of jane.doe12@nhs.net or jane.doe@trust.nhs.net.
If the confirmation hasn't arrived within 15 minutes, please contact us from the same NHS email address at support@dr-toolbox.com and mention your Trust. Inbox-Junk.png29 KB
I signed up and got the login details, but cannot sign in
Note that the passwords are case-sensitive. Use the same password both in the app and on the website. If you change your password on the website, you'll need to use the new password in the app too.
If you recently changed your email on the website, you need to use the same email in the app. In such case the app normally should invite you to logout then login again, or you can logout from the Sidebar link "Help - settings - logout" then click on "Logout - reload app."
If your toolbox has "(restricted)" after the name, your trust has chosen to restrict registrations and a local administrator needs to review and approve your access. Your local administrators have been notified, and someone should review your request as soon as practical.
In the meantime, you can browse the Demo toolbox and the Shared content (Services) toolbox.
Please allow 1-2 business days for the administrators to review your request. If you're tired of waiting, try contacting the administrators directly -- their emails should be at the bottom of the initial sign-up message you received -- or contact us at support@dr-toolbox.com.
Some trusts prefer to restrict their toolbox while it is being organised and updated.
If your toolbox has "(closed)" or "(planned)" after the name, you cannot self-register, only a local administrator can invite you.
How to change the page that opens after I sign in?
On the website: If you're signing in via the page Sign in, then the "default domain after login" will be opened, and you can change it in a dropdown list in My settings (signed-in users). You can select your primary domain, or clear it if you want to see the list of domains you can access.
If you're directly opening any password-protected page, like health-toolbox.com/Demo or health-toolbox.com/Demo/Contacts, for example from a bookmark, or an external link, or a QR code, then after you sign in and if you have access to it, that page will open, regardless of your default domain.
On the app: You can personalise the homepage which opens after you load the toolbox. Tap on the "star" icon next to the page title and from the dialogue box select "Set as homepage". The page will be set as the homepage for that device, and the cover photo, your bookmark buttons, and the search box will be moved to this page.
Note that when the app updates and you tap the reload invitation, it will usually reopen the same page you were reading. The custom homepage will open if you access another toolbox and then reopen this one.
How to know when a page was last modified or reviewed?
Editors can mark a page as reviewed and the information is accurate, and the software stores both this date, and the last modification date, if it is different (later).
The dates appear between the page title and the page text (both app and website), and look like:
The page was marked as reviewed August 1st, approx. 8 months ago, and subsequently last modified March 9.
Reviewed 08/01 ~ 3m
The page was last modified and was last marked as reviewed on the same day, January 8, approx. 3 months ago.
Marking the page as "reviewed" also resets the last modification date.
Modified 25/02
The page was last modified February 25, and has not yet been marked as reviewed by an editor.
If a page was last marked as reviewed more than 6 months ago, or never, the dates are in an orange colour (on the website).
If you're an editor, you can see all pages with their dates in the Analytics page, from Wrench menu -> Domain -> Analytics. And to mark the page as reviewed, click on the link "Review now" after the date, or via Wrench menu -> Page -> Review.
This shared content is accessible to all Toolbox users, and is reachable from links in a submenu of the app sidebar, and its pages can be found from the search. We have Covid and Well-being resources, and links to NICE guidelines, BMF, BMJ Best Practice, MHRA patient safety alerts, and selected feeds and podcasts. To contribute to this national project please email support@dr-toolbox.com.
I am not used to the font in the app, can I change it?
Yes, you can change the font family, the font size and the colour theme. From the Sidebar, near the bottom select "Help - Settings - Logout" then tap on "Fonts and colours". Note that some of the fonts may be unavailable on all devices.
To add or remove a page to your personal bookmarks, tap on the page title. Personal bookmarks appear in the app homepage, above the top level pages. You can bookmark any page or subpage.
To change pages, use the arrows middle left and right, or the drop-down "Page X/Y" bottom left.
Pinch to zoom in/out, drag the page to pan around.
Double-tap to reset zoom and fit the page to the screen width.
Rotate the device horizontally to read comfortably.
I spotted missing or outdated information, how to report it?
If you have edit permissions, just edit the page and add or correct the information.
You can leave a message to the page by clicking in the app on the icon "Hand holding a pen" or on the website, on the link "Send feedback to this page..." Your message will appear at the bottom of the page, along with your e-mail and the date. It will be visible to other users until an editor has had the chance to review it and incorporate it into the page. After that, the comment should be deleted.
To contact the editors directly and privately, you'll find their details on the "About / Welcome" page of your toolbox.
I wish to contribute more regularly, how to request edit permissions?
You need to reach out to the local Toolbox administrators from your hospital. Their contact details should be on the About/Welcome page of your Toolbox. If you can't seem to find them, please contact us at support@dr-toolbox.com.
Editing / features
See also the pages Editors and Lead Editors. Some of the answers below are pending updates after the addition to the Administration panel and the redesign of the Wrench menu. Most often used functions are still in the Wrench menu, but rarely used functions have been moved to the Admin panel.
How to add a new page?
From the Wrench menu, in the "Add a new page" box, type the name of the new page and press "Add" wrench-menu-add-page.png29 KB After the page opens, from the drop-down list, select the parent page. For a top level page, select the homepage (trust name) as parent. Top level pages appear in the sidebar, and on the homepage (website and app).
Is there anyway that you can hide pages on the toolbox?
Yes, you can check a checkbox "Draft page" in the edit form when saving the page: DraftPage.gif239 KB Draft pages are only visible to editors and administrators, and only on the website. The page is still searchable and may be found by readers, but when they open the page, it will only show "This is a draft page. Only editors can view it. Please check back later."
Note that files attached to draft pages can still be found by the search function.
To find all draft pages in your toolbox, search for "isdraft".
How to make a line break within a list item?
Use "Shift+Enter": on your keyboard, press and hold down the "Shift" key, then press and release "Enter", then release "Shift".
How to reorder the sidebar and the homepage buttons?
From the Wrench menu, select "Sidebar and app settings". Drag the links in the boxes and press "Save settings".
The same order will be used in for the buttons to the top-level pages on the homepage.
Alternatively, you can move the top-level pages on the homepage, see the next question.
How to reorder the subpage listings?
By default, the subpage listings are in a natural alpha-numerical order. You can drag the buttons to set a manual order, then push the "Save order" button. To restore the default order, push the "Restore alphabetical order" button.
Note that the list may appear to different users in 1, 2, or 3 columns, depending on the screen width of their device, and its orientation (portrait or landscape).
Also note that after manually ordering existing subpages, any newly added subpages will be placed at the end of the listing (but you can reorder them again).
How to configure the footer shortcut buttons on the app?
The app can have an optional footer bar that shows on most pages of your toolbox. Adding buttons there allows quick access to specific pages. Not having a footer bar makes the available screen size larger.
From the Wrench menu, select "Sidebar and app settings". Drag links from the left column to the right one. Drag the buttons within the box to reorder them. Click on the "x" to remove a button.
Press the "Save settings" button at the bottom. See the short explanations in the page, or the videos at Toolbox videos.
How to make an email link with the Subject: line prefilled?
Select the text that is to become a link, press the "link" button (the chain icon), and in the input field type the e-mail address followed by "?subject=This is my subject". Then press the button "E-mail". (Note that you cannot have the "&" character in the subject.) link-email-subject.png12 KB
While this is a standard feature, some devices do not implement it. In this case, the person may have an empty subject field.
How to make a link to another page in my toolbox?
Place your cursor where you want the link to appear. Click on the "link" button (chain icon). In the new box, click on "Link to page..." and from the page tree select the page you want to link to. The link to that page will be inserted. If you have some text selected, the selected text will become a link (rather than inserting the page title).
On a mobile device, telephone links can be clicked to dial the number -- it can be either a full number, or if the toolbox has configured it, a short extension number can dial the full number.
Bleep numbers are not actually "links" and cannot be clicked but are marked with a different orange colour, in bold font and an icon. Marking bleep numbers will help people easily and quickly scan the page to find the numbers.
Can you help with importing our contacts directory?
Yes. Please send us the contacts, preferably in the original format where you keep them (spreadsheet, text document).
Can we configure different prefixes to dial extensions?
The app can be configured so that when a user taps on a short extension number, the full number will be dialled.
We can configure different and complex prefixes, as long as there is a stable logical pattern. For example, if all 4-digit extensions starting with 2 or 3 like 2789 and 3115 have a specific prefix, and the others have another prefix, and the 6-digit extensions a third prefix, yes, all these can be configured. Ask (kindly) your switchboard for the rules and patterns.
If there are conflicting patterns, for example different people have the same 4-digit extension but with different external prefixes, then the solution is to write and tag the full numbers. In this case people click on the full number in the app to dial it.
See also the page How to set a telephone prefix, but don't let the complexity discourage you -- we can make the configuration for you.
Is it possible to link to resources on the trust intranet?
Links to intranet resources are reachable when you use the Toolbox website with a browser on a desktop computer in your hospital, but many users may be unable to access them on a mobile device.
In fact, most intranets are behind firewalls or unlisted in the global Domain name system, and only reachable from the internal network. For this reason, in the toolbox intranet links are usually styled differently from regular links, for example http://intranet/, http://10.150.2.88/chest/ to hint to the user that the resource may be unreachable.
If there is any way the resource can be accessed from outside the trust, i.e. via a publicly-accessible URL, we can link to it. Talk to your IT department. We could even configure the toolbox to automatically rewrite the intranet links to the outside URLs.
Alternatively, if these are files like PDF, if you have the permissions, you can upload them to your toolbox.
Finally, it may be possible to automate a shared resource, see the next question.
Can we add to the toolbox a number of guidelines from our internal drive?
We have developed a solution where we can automatically, on a daily basis; mirror/sync a number of directories with hundreds of PDF guidelines from a trust intranet to their Toolbox. The specialty teams produce and update their documents and export them to PDF, and we have a program that pushes the new and modified files onto our server. The app link to those files (only for signed-in users, like an extranet).
See the page ToolboxSync. If your trust has a similar need, we can talk about it -- please get in touch.
Can we have the Guidelines module in more than one page?
Yes -- contact us and we'll set it up. Note that the in-page search box only finds the documents in the current page. (The homepage search form finds all documents in all pages.)
To insert a file at the cursor position, press the "Embed" button, then in the menu on "Documents or pictures (upload)", then select a file from your computer.
Alternatively, you can grab the file from your file manager and drop it into the visual editor. If you attach a picture (JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF) it will be embedded into the page, otherwise a link will be inserted.
To edit the caption of a file, double-click on it.
To add a caption to a picture, click on the picture to select it, and a line "Add a caption" will appear where you can type the caption: Edit picture caption.gif312 KB By default, embedded pictures do not have captions, unless you add one.
If you have many files to attach, instead of dropping the files in the free-layout page, you may consider using our Guidelines module. Contact support if you want this configured.
What file types can be attached to the pages?
If you have a document that may change frequently, or likely to be updated by different people, like a teaching schedule, or a specialty survival guide, consider adding a page and typing or copying the document into the visual editor of the toolbox.
Documents that change infrequently, such as clinical guidelines, should be uploaded as PDF files.
You can attach many types of files (unprotected by passwords). Here are the most common ones:
Accepted documents:
PDF: this file format has the widest compatibility with various devices and operating systems.
PDF files can be downloaded to the device for offline access, and the app has an embedded PDF viewer.
Office documents, including text (DOC, DOCX, ODT), spreadsheet (XLS, XLSX, ODS) and presentation (PPT, PPTX, ODP). Note that some devices are unable to display such documents; if a user clicks on a link, the browser may offer to download the file or (if there is an installed viewer) to open it.
Office documents are not stored to offline storage, the link opens the web browser, and the device needs to be online.
If you can export the document to PDF and attach the PDF instead, it will be readable for more people.
If the document is intended to be filled by the user (e.g. a form, or a proforma), then do attach the original format.
Accepted pictures:
JPG/JPEG - best adapted for photos.
PNG - best adapted for bitmap graphics like charts, maps or screenshots.
GIF - only recommended for short animations.
Embedded pictures are downloaded to the device for offline access.
Accepted video/audio files:
Video: currently the MP4 format has the widest compatibility with various devices and operating systems.
If you upload the video to YouTube or Vimeo, you can embed it into your toolbox. The external service will present the best format for the user's device, screen size and bandwidth. See How to embed videos.
Audio: currently the MP3 format has the widest compatibility with various devices and operating systems.
Video and audio files are not downloaded to the device. To play such a file, the device needs to be online.
Note that the search function does not index the text content of the uploaded files, only the file names and the captions.
Yes, it is possible to add external links to the bottom of the sidebar, but not practical to maintain -- every time you need to change these, you need to contact us. Nevertheless, please do.
Alternatively, you may prefer adding a top-level page; say "External links", and place any external links in it. The top level page will have a link in the sidebar and will be entirely under your control..
What are "orphan" pages?
These are pages that are not a subpage of another page. This may happen if a "parent" page was not selected when the page was created, or if their "parent" page was deleted. These pages can only be reached from the (collapsed) section under the "page tree" in the home page, or from a search. wrench-orphan.png22 KB
If your toolbox has any orphan pages, a link to list them will appear in the Domain section of the Wrench menu. You should either delete such pages, or open them for editing and select an existing page as a parent.
What are "comments pending review"?
Reader comments are a way to improve the toolbox via crowdsourcing. They are visible to all users of the toolbox until an editor has had the chance to review them:
Editors should review the comments, update the page content if necessary (verify and integrate the information posted by the user, or make the requested changes) and then delete the comments (click on the "[x]" link).
Help... Deleted Page. Is there any way we can get it back?
Yes, we can restore a page or an uploaded file deleted in the last 31 days. Contact us with more information about the page title, when the page was deleted, or some keywords from the page text, or who last edited or deleted it.
Can we embed a PowerPoint with voice-over comments from a lecturer?
We can attach the PowerPoint file, but many users may be unable to hear the speech, or even open the file. Such a file will be offered as a link to download in the device's internet browser, and if the device has apps that can open such files, it may work.
It may be a good idea to export the talk to a video file. Then if your trust has a YouTube account you can upload it there and embed it in the toolbox. Or, you can send the video file to us and we'll optimise it for the website and upload it.
Here is some documentation about export a PowerPoint to video:
Finally, if you cannot export it to video yourself, we may be able to do it for you.
In fact, it may be best to attach both the PowerPoint and the video, and explain in the page that the former has audio commentary. People who can access it may be satisfied with it, otherwise they can watch the video.
In all cases, the document should not be password-protected.
Can we have a page with icons on that will lead to other pages?
Yes. First create the other pages, possibly as subpages to the current one.
Prepare the icon pictures (all pictures with the same width and same height). Embed them all in the page, one next to the other. The visual editor will arrange them into a gallery, see next section "How to create a photo gallery?"
For every page to be linked, copy the page URL address, then double-click on the icon and in the dialogue box, place the copied address into the "New URL" field and press "OK". See below the section "How to make a picture linking to a page or to an external resource?"
How to create a photo gallery?
When you attach picture files, they are embedded into the page. If you attach them all on the same line (without line breaks between them) then the visual editor will arrange them into a "gallery" with 2x1, 2x2 or 3x columns/rows. picture-gallery.png126 KB The gallery looks well even on a mobile device, and the user can click on a small picture to display the large one. This arrangement also makes the page shorter and easier to scan/review, compared to a page with the full pictures embedded.
Note that the gallery looks best with pictures of the same proportion/orientation, or with batches of 2 or 3 grouped together (say, 3 vertical then 3 horizontal).
How to make a picture linking to a page or to an external resource?
By default, embedded pictures appear smaller in the page, and a link opens the full picture. Sometimes it is desirable to have a "picture button", linking to an external resource. To edit the link URL, double-click on the picture. image-edit-url.gif159 KB
How to collect feedback from our users?
Users can post comments to the toolbox pages to suggest improvements to the page, see above.
You can create a page dedicated to user submissions asking users to suggest improvements about the toolbox in general.
You can place on your "About / Welcome" page a link to an e-mail address where your users can contact you.
From your toolbox, you can link to Google Forms (or other providers) to collect comments or ideas from your users, or to get and grade teaching feedback. Please review the page Forms.
Attachments can be "active", "orphan" or "deleted".
"Active" attachments are those where at least one page has a link to the file.
"Orphan" are attachments that were once active but were recently detached from a page and there are no links to them in any page of your toolbox. They can still be seen and downloaded from the "Wrench menu -> Domain -> Files" page. Orphan files are pending deletion which happens within a week.
"Deleted" are files that have been orphan for more than a week; or files that have been replaced with a more recent file with the same name; or uploaded files that were optimized, so a copy with smaller size/weight has replaced the initial file. Only editors can download deleted files. Such files are kept for about a month on the website in case some of them should to be restored (talk to us) and then they are removed from the disk.
To delete a file, simply remove the links from any pages that link to it. You can see which pages link to a file in the "Wrench menu -> Domain -> Files" page. About a week later, the file can no longer be downloaded, and about a month later it is removed.
If a file needs to be removed immediately (for example: containing sensitive or personal information, or uploaded without permissions), please contact us at support@dr-toolbox.com and we'll remove it.
Can we insert in individual pages contact entries from the address book?
This is a new feature that allows to "reference" in pages contact entries from the address book, and if in the future they are modified in the address book, they will be automatically updated in all pages that include them.
In the visual editor, click on "Embed", then on "Contacts from the address book":
From the dropdown, select either an individual contact or a full category. It will then be inserted in the page. After saving the page, the contact entry or the category it will be nicely formatted and the numbers can be dialled on a mobile device. A contact category with many entries will have a search box to allow filtering.
Can we have a shared calendar available to trainees?
Yes, you can embed public calendars from Google or Outlook, please see How to embed a calendar.
How to embed a map?
You can easily embed interactive online maps from OpenStreetMap, please review the page How to embed maps.
If you want to embed internal hospital maps, for example floor plan, you can attach them as PDF files. Your users will be able to see them with the built-in PDF viewer which can zoom and pan.
How to embed a podcast feed or a news/blog feed of interest to our users?
Some of the answers below are pending updates after the addition to the Administration panel and the redesign of the Wrench menu. Most often used functions are still in the Wrench menu, but rarely used functions have been moved to the Admin panel.
Is there a cap on how many contributors we can allocate at one time?
No, you can add and remove edit access as needed, from the page "Wrench menu->Manage users". Some domains have a couple of editors, others 80+.
You can monitor the editors' activity in the page "Wrench menu -> Domain Hx" with the dates and people who recently edited pages, and in "Wrench menu -> Analytics" where you can see the maintainers, reviewers, and dates of last review for the pages, and a table with the editor activity from the last 13 months.
Sign up is restricted to NHS email addresses. Can we have exceptions?
Yes, an administrator of the domain can create accounts for any e-mail address. From the Wrench menu, open the "Manage users" page and near the top click on the large "Add a new user" button.
If your organisation has a specific e-mail address pattern that you'd like us to enable, please contact us.
You can also restrict access and account creation to a specific email address pattern or subset, or to specific people, and not to all NHS emails. If your organisation needs this, please contact us.
Can administrators create user or editor accounts?
Yes, an administrator of the domain can create new accounts for the domain and select the user permissions. From the Wrench menu, open the "Manage users" page and near the top click on the large "Add a new user" button. The account will be created and the user will receive a notification.
Can we import (bulk-upload) multiple user accounts?
Yes, please put them in a spreadsheet, one user per line, with the columns email, full name, job role (e.g. FY2) and send it to us at support@dr-toolbox.com. Our developers will create the accounts and will notify the users.
What is a restricted toolbox and how to unrestrict it?
A toolbox is restricted when the trust name ends with "(restricted)". Some trusts prefer to restrict their toolbox while it is being organized and updated.
Users can sign up for a restricted toolbox but are not automatically granted read access. Instead, the toolbox administrators receive a notification and need to manually approve the requests in the "Wrench menu -> Manage users" page.
To (re)enable automatic user approval, you need to open the Administration panel, then from the Domain status card select the new status then save. You still need to manually approve all earlier pending requests from the "Manage users" page.
The notification feature is on our roadmap and will be implemented eventually.
Some trusts have placed a section "Latest news" near the top of their "About / News / Welcome" page, or a separate "News" page with a quick access button near the top of the homepage, or in the footer shortcuts. This way the users can easily see and access the News section.
How can I email all editors in my domain?
You can do it if you are administrator. In the "Wrench menu -> Manage users" page, to only list the editors type "editor" in the "Filter table" search box. Then select all and after the table, click on the link "Click to email (number) users". email-all-editors.gif277 KB Remember that "admins" are also editors, you may want to email them too.
Note that some email software expect the recipients to be separated by semicolons instead of the standard comma. If your e-mail software expects a semicolon separator, click on the second link.
The "perms" column lists the user permissions (access rights) to the domain:
admin: Administrator: can change permissions of other users
editor: Editor: can create/edit/delete pages, upload files
reader: Can read pages, post comments
reader+: Reader, requesting Edit permissions
none+: No access, requested read access (restricted domain, or user requested access to too many domains).
The "created" and "signed in" columns show when the account was created and when last a user has used the website or the app. If the dates are in red, the user only signed in the day the account was created, or never (see below).
The "engaged" column shows "req. eng." (requiring engagement) for users who may need to be reminded / nudged about the toolbox or asked whether they have difficulties -- you can select them, then under the table click on the link to email them. This metric is currently defined as either one among:
The person has never signed in; those cases can be:
account created by the administrator, user not yet signed in,
user signed up while the domain was restricted, and the person could not sign in immediately,
user mistyped their email so never received the login details (sadly, can happen).
The person last signed in 3+ months ago.
The person signed in only the day the account was created.
Can we delete user accounts?
As administrator, you can disable access of a user to your domain, then the user can no longer sign in and the app can no longer update the content of your domain (Wrench menu->Domain->Manage users, select the user, from the dropdown select "Disable access to [Trust]").
If an account was created by mistake, for example with a typo in the e-mail address, please create a new account and contact us at support@dr-toolbox.com to remove the wrong one.
If there is a mistake in the user's grade, specialty or name, the user can correct it themselves in their Settings page.
If a person has a new email address, there is no need to create a new account. The user can change their e-mail address from the Settings page, while their preferences and contributions are kept attached to their account.
How to find the "Welcome page" and our QR code?
"Welcome pages" are pages with less distractions, simplifying the user sign-up for a specific trust. To access the welcome page from the sidebar, click on the icon near the top right corner.
A welcome page has only the domain cover picture and buttons to get the mobile apps or to create an account on the website. At the bottom of the page there is a high definition "QR code" picture which can be downloaded, printed, and shared with your users.
All signed-in users can find the QR code to their toolbox welcome page at the bottom of the homepage (on the website).
How to generate summary reports and posters?
In the Wrench menu, administrators can select to generate reports and posters. wrench-generate-poster.gif47 KB These are custom pages with screenshots from your app and your website, with short summaries about the content, work done and usage of your toolbox, how to contact the editors, and a QR code to your welcome page. The texts in the generated templates can be manually edited if needed, then the page can be exported to PDF. Follow the instructions on top of that page on how to configure the "export to PDF" dialogue box.
After you save the PDF, you may want to print it in colour, on a larger format glossy paper (say, A3 or A2, maybe with the help of a printing house), and fix it on the wall where your trainees and other staff can see it.
This function generates a single page "summary" report or poster. Additionally, you can use the Analytics function. It generates detailed monthly reports about your users and activity, with charts and tables, and the popularity and review status of your pages. Similarly, you can export it to a PDF file (very likely multi-page).
How to access the toolbox analytics?
From the Wrench menu, in the Domain section, click on "Analytics".
Why some job roles are not included? Can they be added?
The job roles we have are the ones that have been most often selected by users. Otherwise a person can select "Other staff not specified" then they can type their job role in the text field.
If you want us to add new job roles, let us know.
Is there a way to see how the toolbox looks from readers' point of view?
Yes. The mobile app looks and behaves mostly the same to editors and readers, except for the icon "hand holding a pen" which brings directly the comment form without asking if you want to edit the page instead.
On the website, you can enable "Read mode" from Wrench menu → Domain → "Preview website as a reader". To restore your original access, select Wrench menu → "Read mode: Restore full access".
"Read mode" will hide the "Page" and "Domain" sections from the Wrench menu, and links to review pages or add documents. It applies to all domains where you have edit/admin access, and you cannot access special pages like analytics, user management or reports and posters, until you restore your original access or logout and login again.
Can we restrict access to a page of the toolbox to specific people?
It is possible to create a new, separate section only for your smaller team, and restrict this access. The new section and access can be totally independent from your main domain, or you may have some common users. The new section will have its own tree of pages, its own contacts directory and guidelines, posters, QR-codes and analytics, separate from the main domain.
Depending on your current subscription contract with us, adding a new domain for the same trust may be included in the price or may need some additional payment, generally much smaller than a new standalone toolbox.
Layout / user interface / customisation
Our software platform has a modular architecture, it is very flexible and can be adapted for various needs. The support and development team is competent and responsive. If you have any question or idea for improvement, do not hesitate to contact us at support@dr-toolbox.com.
Is there a standard set up/layout for each page, or is there room for customisation?
When you create a new Toolbox domain, it will have a set of standard mostly empty pages ready to be edited. You can add, rename, or delete pages as needed.
Per page, almost everything can be customised -- the system is very flexible -- talk to us.
All pages have a text block where you can write your texts, links, various formats (bold, heading...), embed file attachments, pictures, and videos.
In some pages, you may have an additional "module" like a contacts directory, or a versioned guidelines table, or a shared calendar, or a feedback form. Editors can add some of these themselves, or you can tell us and we'll add them for you. It is up to you, talk to us when you need something.
Can we split the Guidelines listings into subpages rather than one large listing?
Yes, but then the in-page search form before the listing will find only documents in the listing below it (not in all subpages; the global search form will find documents in all pages).
What technical support is available, is there a helpline support email?
We are using the website and app ourselves, and are monitoring them daily to make sure there are no bugs or interruptions in service. If people have any issues, at any time they can email support@dr-toolbox.com and we'll aim to reply to them within 24 hours, and if there have been any issues we can get them resolved.
Can we see the recent software development and future plans?
The limit for attaching files with the visual editor, or with the Guidelines module, is 130 megabytes per file. This is a large file size, usually only video files will be that large. Our advice is to upload the videos to a dedicated video sharing platform, notably YouTube or Vimeo, and embed the videos in your toolbox. The platform non-the-least will convert the video to different formats optimised both for the capabilities of the users' devices, for their screen size and for the available bandwidth/speed.
We can upload even larger files, please contact us if you need to do it.
Currently there is no hard limit on:
the total number of attached files, or their combined file size
the total number of pages
the total number of users
We are watching the file sizes daily, and you can talk to us: if we need more disk space, we can get it.
Can you implement in the toolbox a feature specific to our trust?
Yes, We can add new features, either for all trusts, or for your specific trust.
We can enable existing features in more pages, for example the "Guidelines" module can be enabled in more than one page.
We can enable styles specific to your domain, for example make all headings bold, or minor colour changes or alignments. Note that on the app, users can change their colour theme and fonts, so this needs to be done carefully.
We may be able to add features outside of the capabilities of the visual editor, either before or after the page text.
We only require temporary "session" cookies for technical reasons and to personalize your experience. They are discarded after you logout or close your browser window.
We do not use external trackers or analytics platforms and do not share your information with external parties.
Our editors may embed videos from video sharing platforms: in that case, the external platform is only contacted if you click to play the video (the video titles and cover pictures are cached locally). Please review the terms for Vimeo, YouTube (Google), TED.
