Women's problems | |
20 Common problems. Women's health care. Mindy A Smith, Leslie A Shimp. New York: McGraw Hill, 2000 (xviii + 686 pp). ISBN 0 07 069767 1. |
As an obstetrician and gynaecologist I found this book a refreshing change from the usual textbooks in my field. The target audience for this handbook is general practitioners and others working in family medicine and women's health. The problems are well chosen and they cover the gamut of women's health issues with chapter titles such as "Abuse of women", "Hypertension and ischaemic heart disease" and "Vulva and vaginal disease". The editors have achieved a consistent style, which is easy to read, with helpful illustrations and treatment algorithms. They have drawn on a wide range of experts to provide comprehensive reviews on the selected topics. Treatment recommendations are evidence based or, when there is a lack of evidence, this is clearly stated. Unfortunately, the references are mostly from 1998 or earlier. A significant drawback is the strong United States focus. There are some discrepancies with current Australian practice, mostly owing the different availability of drugs in the United States. Reference ranges for many laboratory values and many of the brand names and drug formulations are different from those available in Australia. If it were not for this drawback I would be happy to recommend this book. Readers of North American journals may be used to translating these differences to Australian usage, but, in the context of a busy practice, this is not always feasible or safe. I suggest that the publishers consider an Australian edition, or at least provide an insert with local equivalents. Elinor Atkinson
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