Volume 196 - Issue 7
On-call quick reference
Author: Robert P Dowsett
Med J Aust 2012; 196 (7): 479. || doi: 10.5694/mja12.10019
Published online: 16 April 2012
Published online: 16 April 2012
IT’S 3 O’CLOCK in the morning, and the phone rings. There’s an initial fog of disorientation and, then, I remember ... I grab my smartphone, pen, paper and my trusty handbook and move to a quiet ...
Marshall and Ruedy’s on call principles and protocols. 2nd ed.
Mike Cadogan, Anthony FT Brown, Antonio Celenza. Sydney: Elsevier, 2011 (679 pp, $79.95). ISBN 9780729539616.
IT’S 3 O’CLOCK in the morning, and the phone rings. There’s an initial fog of disorientation and, then, I remember ... I grab my smartphone, pen, paper and my trusty handbook and move to a quiet spot, so as to not disturb the household. Charlie, our cat, wakes up for a snack. He can wait ... I’m on call. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and still rely on my well thumbed handbook of drug levels, kinetics and doses.
But this is a review of a more general book, the Australian adaptation of a Canadian original. The authors of this version are prominent practitioners and academics in the field of emergency medicine in Australia — Cadogan and Celenza in Perth, Western Australia, and Brown in Brisbane, Queensland.
Aimed at doctors who have to respond to ward calls, the book’s strength lies in its emphasis on prioritisation, warning signs, “the bedside, quick-look test” and critical decision making.
And that is probably enough. In an attempt to cover so much, it skims too lightly over some topics, missing key diagnostic criteria and evidence-based practice. You would be better served by putting the book down at this point and looking up the Therapeutic Guidelines.
The ancillary chapters are generally well thought out, especially the “Practical Procedures” section. However, the radiology, blood gas assessment and formulary sections are too brief.
At $79.95 does this book represent good value? Yes, if you believe that one book can tell you all you need to know to be on call. Perhaps, having made the investment in a smartphone with your favourite medical apps plus easy access to online clinical information, one book is enough these days.
On call tries to do a lot and succeeds well in some areas, especially in its focus on what is critical in the assessment of the sick patient. For this reason alone it may be the one book worth having when on call. The rest is a keystroke or finger swipe away.