The biggest advantage to Dropbox is its ubiquity. Anything you put in this folder synchronizes to the web.

Once installed on your computer, a new folder called “Dropbox” is created. There are paid plans ($99USD/year for 50GB), but I suspect for the majority of users, the free accounts offer plenty of space. Steve Wong for TCMPĭropbox ( is a free web service that offers users a 2GB (or 2.5 GB with a referral link* – ) storage repository on the web (“cloud storage” is the emerging term for services like this). This is was often not possible because of the very restrictive computer policies at hospitals.ĭropbox app article by Dr.

While this works well, it did require me to always remember to update my flash drive when the newest guideline came out, or find a computer that could access my web account, then paste the file or link to an email. In order to always have these available, I would store them on a USB flash memory key, or upload them to my MobileMe iDisk account, then access and download them as needed. When discussing the latest clinical trials with trainees, I’d often email them articles for discussion. Like many physicians, for many years now, I’ve been using electronic-only copies of journal articles (pdf files) for my own continuing education, reference and teaching purposes. PMID, DOI or web citation) rather than the actual files. In addition, to respect copyright, when sharing articles, users should only send the citations (eg. With this in mind, we would reiterate that it is critical to not store patient or other private information on cloud storage services. In addition to potential risk of data/security breaches from the internet at large, governments also have varying policies and powers regarding access to private data stores.

Note: We have been informed that use of online storage services does raise some concerns regarding protection of privacy ( Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act – FIPPA ), especially due to the fact that data on these services is more than likely to be stored outside of Canada. By Steve Wong, MD, FRCPC ( biography and disclosures)

Replace evernote with dropbox