I have worked in healthcare for six years and I have always been interested in building my knowledge and keeping up to date with the latest information in my field. The problem is finding the time to do it properly.
Anyone who has done any kind of research knows how time consuming it is. Searching for articles, clicking through different sources, reading through information that overlaps, trying to make sense of it all. And after a long day managing a full caseload, back to back meetings, MDTs, and everything else that comes with the role — your brain has very little left to give.
CPD is encouraged by every Trust and every lead I have worked with. But finding the time has not got easier as I have progressed. If anything it has got harder. Going from Band 5 to Band 7 has meant more responsibility, not more time.
Perplexity fixes that problem. It does the searching, the reading, and the summarising for you and gives you the sources so you can go deeper when you have the time and headspace for it.
What Is Perplexity
Perplexity is a tool many people will not have heard of or used. But in my opinion it is one of the best AI search tools available when you want verified information.
Most AI tools generate answers from what they already know. Perplexity works differently. It searches the web first, finds the most current and up to date information, and then summarises everything in a clear and digestible way.
What makes it stand out is that it does not just give you the answer — it gives you the sources and citations alongside it so you can review and verify the information yourself. That is why it is my preferred tool for research. I know the information is coming directly from the web and not being generated from outdated training data.
Setting It Up
Perplexity is available as a free app on iOS and Android or at perplexity.ai on any browser. You will need to create a free account. That is it. No technical setup. No IT approval needed for personal use.
The interface is simple. A search bar at the bottom and your chat history on the left. Tap the plus sign at the bottom and you will see options including Deep Research which is a more powerful search available on the premium plan. For everyday clinical queries the standard free version is more than good enough.
[Perplexity home screen showing search bar]
[Options menu showing Deep Research]
Why Not Just Use Google
I know what you are thinking. I can just Google this.
You can. But the answer is speed and quality. You can find the same information on Google but it takes longer. In a clinical setting where you have a caseload, meetings, CPD, and everything else on your plate — every minute you can save counts.
Google gives you a list of links and you have to click through each one, read the page and make sense of it yourself. Perplexity does that work for you and shows you the sources so you can verify them.
I put the same question into Google. The AI Overview at the top referenced NG56. NG249 — the most recently updated guideline — only appeared after tapping Show More and scrolling down. Some people never get that far.
[First Google answer]
[After you click show more]
Google is not going anywhere. This is not about replacing it. It is about having a faster option when looking for current and verified information.
What Happens When You Search
I typed a simple question. What is the latest NICE guidelines on managing frailty in the community.
Once you hit search you will see the word Thinking appear. That is Perplexity actively searching the web in real time — not generating an answer from what it already knows. It is going out and finding the information before it responds.
[Thinking screen]
Once it has finished searching it gives you a brief explanation of where it sourced its answers from before summarising all the findings in plain English.
[Overview of answer with inline source references]
At the bottom it provides a key takeaways section. If you are short on time you can scroll straight to that and get the essential points without reading the full breakdown.
[Key takeaways section]
Below that you will find all the sources it drew from. Click any one of them and you go directly to the original page to verify the information yourself.
[Sources section]
The Finding That Stopped Me
I decided to use Perplexity to check whether there were any recent updates to the management of frailty in the community. Nothing complicated. Just a simple prompt.
What is the latest NICE guidelines on managing frailty in the community.
No specific instructions. No special formatting. Just a plain question the same way you would ask a colleague.
Within seconds Perplexity returned NG249 — a guideline that NICE added to the management of frailty in April 2025. I was not aware of this update. And honestly I am not sure many other clinicians were either.
[PERPLEXITY RESULT SHOWING NG249]
In the time it takes to make a cup of tea I had the most recent changes to NICE guidance summarised clearly, with an overview of everything I needed to know and all the sources laid out so I could verify what I had read and go deeper when I had the time and headspace for it.
That is what Perplexity does that a standard search cannot. It does not just find the information. It finds the most current information, tells you when it was updated and shows you exactly where it came from.
The Limitations
Perplexity pulls its information from the open web which means it can draw from low quality or unreliable sources alongside reputable ones. You cannot rely on it without checking where the information is coming from. That is why the citations matter — always look at the sources before acting on anything it tells you.
The depth of the answer is also dependent on the quality of your prompt. A vague question gets a surface level answer. The more specific and clear your prompt the more detailed and useful the response.
And because Perplexity is built as a search tool it struggles with reasoning and strategy. It will find the information you need but it will not help you decide what to do with it. It needs to be used alongside other tools rather than as a standalone solution. More on that next week.
The best way to think about Perplexity is as a research assistant. Use it to find and verify information. Do not rely on it to make decisions for you.
Where To Start This Week
Do not try to overhaul how you research overnight. Start small.
Pick one thing you have been meaning to look into but have not had the time. A condition you see regularly but want to understand better. A guideline you know exists but have never read properly. A topic that came up in an MDT and you meant to follow up on.
Type it into Perplexity as a plain question. See what comes back. Check the sources. That one action takes less than five minutes and will show you more about what this tool can do than anything I have written here.
If you want to go deeper use one of the prompts below.
Two Prompts Worth Saving
Perplexity is best used as a research assistant. And like any tool the quality of what you get out depends on the quality of what you put in. A vague question gets a surface level answer. A well structured prompt gets something genuinely useful.
The two prompts below are designed to help you get the most out of Perplexity for clinical research — and to make sure the information comes back in a format that is clear, sourced, and easy to act on.
Prompt One — Literature Review
Best used in Perplexity
Act as a PhD researcher in healthcare. I need a detailed literature review on [topic]. Include key theories and frameworks, major studies from the last 5 years, alternative viewpoints, research gaps and citations.
Prompt Two — Clinical Guidance Summary
Best used in Perplexity
Summarise current UK and NICE guidance for [condition]. Present it as a concise structured explanation covering management, key red flags, recommended investigations and when escalation is required. Keep it brief, clinically practical and include direct source links.
Opinion
Most clinicians are not bad at finding information. They are bad at finding the right information quickly enough to act on it.
The NHS runs on guidelines, evidence, and protocols. The expectation is that clinicians stay current, apply the latest evidence and make decisions that reflect best practice. What nobody accounts for is the time that takes. Reading a full NICE guideline update takes an hour you do not have. Searching through Google results and clicking through pages takes time you do not have. Making sense of evidence from multiple sources takes time you do not have.
NG249 was published in April 2025. It is one of the most operationally important NICE updates for community frailty work. A clinician who missed it is not negligent. They are just busy.
Perplexity does not solve the NHS workforce crisis. It does not fix caseload pressures or give you back the hours lost to admin. But it removes one specific friction — the gap between you and the current evidence you need to do your job properly.
The tools exist. They are free. They are available on your phone right now.
The question is not whether you have time to use them. It is whether you have time not to.
IG Guidance
Perplexity is a search tool. You are asking it questions about guidelines, research, and services — not uploading patient data. That sits firmly in Zone 1 of the IG framework from Issue 01. No patient information involved. No IG risk.
The same rule applies as always. If you ever find yourself including patient details in a search query — stop. Anonymise first or use a different approach entirely.
In Case You Missed It
NHS App AI Triage — Over one million patients can now book GP appointments directly through the NHS App using an AI triage tool called Smart Triage. Patients describe their symptoms and receive an instant triage to the right appointment without waiting for a receptionist or doctor to review the request. Source: Digital Health, April 2026.
NHS AI Scribing Expanding — Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has signed a contract with System C to embed ambient voice technology directly into their electronic patient record. The tool listens to consultations, automatically generates clinic letters, and completes outcome forms. It goes live in outpatient services in summer 2026. Source: Health Tech World, April 2026.
MHRA AI Regulation — Public consultation findings from over 770 responses show strong support for reform of AI regulation in healthcare but not a complete overhaul. Safety, oversight, and liability are the main concerns raised by clinicians, patients, and industry. Recommendations are expected later this year. Source: Health Tech Newspaper, April 2026.
That is all for Issue 03. Every week I will bring you something practical you can use and a view on where this space is heading. Next week I am going to show you how to use these tools together — and which one to reach for depending on what you actually need.
Clinically Intelligent drops every Wednesday. If you are not yet subscribed you can join here. If someone you know would find this useful, pass it on.
Juwon Akinyande
Band 7 NHS OT, Barts Health
Founder, Clinically Intelligent