Top 20 for rural practitioners | |
20 common problems. Surgical problems and procedures in primary care. Dana C Lynge, Barry D Weiss (editors). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001 (457 pp). ISBN 0 07 136002 6. |
The target audience for this text is stated to be clinicians engaged in the delivery of primary care and emergency care, particularly in rural areas. I believe that it will find a receptive audience not only among medical practitioners, but also nurse practitioners. The book supplies information that recent (unpublished) surveys of interns in NSW indicate is essential to their competence and performance.
Each chapter uses a general template, with variations according to the content. Of particular interest within the template is the section that many chapters possess under the heading of "Errors". This section describes errors that might occur, for example, in diagnosis or in treatment so that their incidence might in future be minimised. Some chapters also contain diagnostic and/or treatment algorithms in the form of flow-charts — this is a particularly useful method of presentation. Overall, the text is well referenced and easy to read. It will also be of use to senior medical students as they prepare for their intern year. Well illustrated and containing eight pages of colour plates, the book represents good value for money. Allan D Spigelman
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