Edited by
James G. Adams
MD, FACEP, Professor and Chief, Division of Emergency Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illnois, USA.
Associate editors
Erik D. Barton
MD, MBA. Chief of Emergency Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah Health Care; Associate Professor, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Jamie L. Collings
MD. Associate Professor, Executive Director, Innovative Education, Department of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago Illnois, USA.
Peter M.C. DeBlieux
MD. Professor of Clinical Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center; Professor of Clinical Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Michael A. Gisondi
MD, FACEP. Associate Professor, Residency Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA.
Eric S. Nadel
MD. Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School; Program Director, Havard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency, Brigham and Womens’s Hospital/ Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Elsevier Saunders
Philadelphia 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4377-3548-2
Type and scope of book
This is a large comprehensive textbook on Emergency Medicine. This book use a variety of expert authors to deliver a excellent analysis of diversity of the world of Emergency Medicine.
Contents
Section 1 Resuscitation Skills and Techniques
Section 2 Special Considerations in the Pediatric Patient
Section 3 Head and Neck Disorders
Section 4 Gastrointestinal Diseases
Section 5 Thoracic and Respiratory Disorders
Section 6 Cardiac Disorders
Section 7 Vascular Disorders
Section 8 Traumatic Disorders
Section 9 Nervous System Disorders
Section 10 Immune System Disorders
Section 11 Genitourinary and Renal Diseases
Section 12 Women’s Health and Gynecological Diseases
Section 13 Environmental Disorders
Section 14 Bites, Stings, and Injuries from Animals
Section 15 Toxicologic Emergencies
Section 16 Metabolism and Endocrine Disorders
Section 17 Infections
Section 18 Cutaneous Disorders
Section 19 Emergency Psychiatric Disorders
Section 20 Hematology and Oncology Management
Section 21 Leadership, Communication, and Administration
Strengths
The book is well written in all chapters. Writers and editors have paid attention in detail to sentence structures. This make ease for information and knowledge transfer and learning. The books clear style within the chapters helps the reader build on knowledge and skills.
The knowledge contained in the book is comprehensive and covers the wide knowledge base of Emergency Medicine. The book represents practice based on research and best practice evidenced based models of care. This gives the book creditability within expert specialist fields. The use of expert editors and authors has driven this outcome.
The large textbook comes in a hardback. This is a great presentation for a book of this size. This durability will allow the book to last in the clinical setting, with the punishment that a book of this size receives. A book of this quality needs this type of protection.
The use of colour really enhances the readability of the book. The colour brings the sections to light. Colours are used to great affect in the text, tables and photos. This helped highlight knowledge using coloured key points, boxed points and red flags.
The use of a keys points, red flags, tips and tricks, boxes, facts and formula, patient teaching tips, structure made many lasting educational points for clinical practice. These are all very practical points and delivered this way makes them, hard to ignore.
The chapter uses a colour coded index system that helps the reader find information in the large book. The colour codes allows the reader to go directly to where the information presents within the book. This awesome style of information referencing delivery is a excellent feature.
There are many excellent photos and drawings throughout the book. These pictures are well labeled, explained and referenced back in the text. The use of colour again brings these pictures to life. Techniques shown within the pictures are easily adapted to clinical practice
There are extensive use of tables throughout the text. These table also use colour to differentiate and highlight knowledge in the text. These tables are explained in the text and give the book style and substance. The graphs are easy to read and make sense in the text for application to practice.
Weaknesses
There is no real section order to the book. Section 1 has resuscitation skills then moves to Section 2 paediatrics and then Section 3 head and neck disorders. This is then followed by Sections on GIT, Cardiac, Respiratory. This illogical section order continues throughout the book. A order may have helped linking knowledge from some sections.
There is use of American English so some translation and adaption of words necessary to a Australian audience. This though was not a problem for this review.
Recommended readership
This is a highly recommended textbook for any emergency department. This book is a perfect companion to all emergency nursing and medical staff. This book have much to offer a practitioner and/or student.
This book is ideal for a department reference guide due to its currency of knowledge and durable hardback form. The colour coded reference will assist in quick access to appropriate section for information selection.The comprehensive range of information will assist in new and sometimes unusual clinical challenges.
This book would be a excellent studying platform for a individual practitioner studying for university or professional qualifications. The book has a further reading section and reference guide for further research.
Overall rating
These authors and their expertise are able to deliver a textbook that rivals its competitors. This book set a benchmark in delivery style that many other books should attempt to match. The book has a wide base of useability. The strengths of this book will hold it as a invaluable asset for any emergency department practitioner. This book is highly recommended.