Authors: Zahir Basrai, MD; Tom Fadial, MD; Alex Koyfman, MD // Reviewed by: Brit Long, MD
Introduction
Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians work in fast-paced, high-stakes environments where rapid, evidence-based decisions are essential. Yet the volume of medical knowledge is expanding rapidly, making it difficult to stay current. Clinicians generate two clinical questions for every three patient encounters, but nearly half go unanswered (1,2). Clinicians have relied on a mix of textbooks, subscription resources, primary literature, and Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAMed) to inform bedside decision-making. While these tools are individually powerful, navigating between them in real time is often inefficient.
FOAM Cortex was created to address this gap.
FOAM Cortex is a physician-built, AI-powered medical search engine designed specifically for clinicians in Emergency Departments, Urgent Care, and Primary Care settings. FOAM Cortex synthesizes approved, high-quality FOAMed content into concise, structured answers optimized for real-time clinical use.
The Current Landscape of Online Medical Knowledge
Today’s clinicians have access to more medical information than ever before:
- Traditional textbooks provide foundational knowledge but are slow to update.
- Subscription databases (e.g., point-of-care references) are comprehensive but can often be cost-prohibitive.
- Primary literature offers cutting-edge data but requires time for interpretation.
- FOAMed resources provide rapid, peer-reviewed educational content that evolves alongside the literature.
Despite this abundance, a persistent problem remains:
Clinicians generate clinical questions faster than they can efficiently answer them.
Switching between multiple resources—especially during high-acuity encounters—creates cognitive and time burdens that can delay decision-making.
Why FOAMed Resources Matter
FOAMed is a dynamic collection of resources and tools for lifelong learning in medicine, as well as a community and an ethos(3). FOAMed has become a cornerstone of modern emergency medicine education for several reasons:
- Speed of Knowledge Translation
FOAMed content often reflects new evidence months to years before it appears in textbooks - Accessibility and Transparency
High-quality FOAMed resources cite primary literature. - Continuous Peer Review
FOAMed content evolves through open discussion, critique, and iteration.
For many emergency physicians, FOAMed now serves as the first layer of knowledge acquisition—and often the most pragmatically useful.
Enter FOAM Cortex: A New Approach
FOAM Cortex was built by emergency physicians for front-line providers who need access to information at the point of care.
- FOAM Cortex’s database was built using content from high-quality emergency medicine and critical care FOAMed resources. Importantly, FOAM Cortex only incorporates FOAMed resources for which explicit approval has been granted, with full attribution preserved. Explicit source attribution is provided with direct links back to original FOAMed content
- FOAM Cortex allows clinicians to ask natural language clinical questions and receive concise answers to clinical questions. Organizing results in bullet point format and tables allows users to find answers faster in busy, high stress situations.
How FOAM Cortex Differs From Other LLMs
Large language models (LLMs) such as general-purpose chatbots have demonstrated impressive generative capabilities. However, they pose several challenges in clinical environments:
| Challenge | General LLMs | FOAM Cortex |
| Source transparency | Often unclear or omitted | Explicit FOAMed attribution |
| Clinical relevance | Broad, non-contextual | EM-specific |
| Output style | Long narrative responses | Structured, scannable |
| Training data | General internet data | Curated FOAMed content |
| Point-of-care use | Limited | Designed for bedside use |
FOAM Cortex is not intended to replace clinical judgment, primary literature review, or comprehensive references. Instead, it serves as a first-pass decision-support tool—a way to rapidly orient clinicians toward evidence-based next steps using trusted sources.
Caption: Screenshot of the FOAM Cortex user interface displaying how results are displayed in an easy to read format.
Conclusion
FOAM Cortex represents a new layer in the evolution of online medical education. It is a physician-built interface that synthesizes high-quality FOAMed knowledge into fast, transparent, point-of-care answers.
In a specialty defined by time-critical decision-making, FOAM Cortex aims to help clinicians spend less time searching—and more time practicing medicine.
Learn more or try FOAM Cortex:
https://foamcortex.com
Download the FOAM Cortex app:
iOs: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/foam-cortex/id6756235238
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foamcortex
References:
- Covell DG, Uman GC, Manning PR. Information needs in office practice: are they being met? Ann Intern Med. 1985;103(4):596-599.
- Del Fiol G, Workman TE, Gorman PN. Clinical Questions Raised by Clinicians at the Point of Care: A Systematic Review. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(5):710–718. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.368
- Nickson CP, Cadogan MD. ‘Free Open Access Medical education (FOAM) for the emergency physician’ Emerg Med Australasia. 2014;26(1):76–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.12191. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
