Gordian W. O. Fulde
MBBS, FRACS, FRCS(Ed), FRACS/RCP (A&E) Ed, FACEM. Director, Emergency Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW; Director,Emergency Department, Sydney Hospital; Director Emergency Services, South East Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service; Member, Senior Court of Examiners, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine; Professor, Emergency Medicine, The University of Notre Dame, Sydney; Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Sascha Fulde
MBBS, BSc. Registrar in Emergency Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney
Churchill Livingstone Elsevier
Sydney 2013
ISBN: 9780729581462
Type and Scope of Book
This 6th edition book is a small handbook designed to be carried or stored in the work place for a continued reference for the new ED doctor or nurse. This book contains a overview of emergency medicine in 53 short chapters. This style of book allows the reader to use the book in the clinical setting for constant use. The book uses a checklist approach assessment and treatment plans.
Contents
1. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
2. Securing the airway and ventilation: Resuscitation procedures
3. Resuscitation and emergency procedures
4. Ultrasound in emergency medicine
5. The patient with chest pain, dyspnoea or haemoptysis
6. Acute myocardial infarction
7. Respiratory emergencies, acute breathlessness
8. Acute pulmonary oedema
9. Pulmonary embolis and venous thrombosis
10. Shock
11. Clinical electrocardiology and arrhythmia management
12. Trauma
13. Neurosurgical emergencies
14. Aortic and vascular emergencies
15. Orthopaedic principles, fractures and dislocations
16. Hand injuries and care
17. Urological emergencies
18. Burns
19. Pain control and analgesia
20. Patient transport and retrieval
21. Mass casualty, chemical, biological and radiological hazard contingencies
22. Neurology
23. Sick patients and tips
24. Gastrointestinal emergencies
25. Poisoning, overdosage and alcohol
26. Drowning
27. Envenomation
28. Electrical injuries
29. Hypothermia, hyperthermia
30. Childhood emergencies
31. Geriatric care
32. Emergency gynaecology
33. Endocrine emergencies
34. Metabolic disorders
35. Ophthalmic emergencies
36. Ear, nose and throat emergencies
37. Dental emergencies
38. Mental health presentations
39. Dermatological presentations to emergency
40. Infectious diseases
41. The immunocompromised patient
42. Haematology
43. Diagnostic imaging
44. Rural emergencies, indigenous or remote emergency attendances
45. Advanced nursing roles
46. Working with IT and the General Practitioner
47. Quality emergency care and administration
48. Students guide to an emergency term
Strengths
The book is a easy to read style to the writing. This style is in the form of checklists for both assessment and treatment plans. These checklist provide the inexperienced clinician with a clear working guide for a thorough assessment and sensible treatment plans. The book is written with patient safety in mind and achieves this standard.
The book is written by Australian Emergency Department experts. These ED staff Specialist in Australia authors deliver contents that are standards of care and treatment that are expected in Australia. The Australian audience and readership can be confidence in the knowledge that is current and correct. This is reflected in the referencing of the book.
The book uses a easy to follow format for interpreting information. All chapter although written by different authors follows that same style. This provides the book with a stable platform to present information. It allows the reader to get in tune with the style and find information quickly and easily.
The book has a soft plastic cover. This durable cover will stop this book getting ruined in the clinical setting by hard treatment from the multiple members of staff that will use it. This book will last many years in the clinical area. The book could be carried around due to it small size but more like to able to be stored in the clinical area.
The book covers most specialist areas of emergency medicine through its 53 short chapters. This gives the book the feel of the Emergency medicine or nursing specialist. A jack of all and a master of none in knowledge. This allows the book focus on the many areas that make up Emergency Medicine. The reader knows that further knowledge is needed to master the specialist area but are given a insight to this specialist knowledge.
Weaknesses
The book checklist leaves the reader with the feeling that this a foolproof book. That the treatments that are prescribed will be always successful and the patient would improve. The book does not explain complications and problems, rather that it creates a list that will automatically make the patient better.
The book uses specialist referral as the treatment process at times. This gets the book out of jail at times when assessments are difficult. This would not always help clinicians in isolated areas to these when these resources are not readily available.
The contents of the book are arranged in no logical order. If the chapters were grouped together in a logical order this would make the book easier to navigate to appropriate sections. The table of contents is at the start of the book. Not sure why this helps the reader. This surely should have been naturally placed at the back of the book.
The book has a St Vincent’s focus with use of St Vincent’s hospital documentation. This may limit and hamper some of the outside readerships enthusiasm for the book. The documentation is real so does add to the authenticity of the book for this reviewer.
Recommended Readership
This book is firmly aimed at the new Emergency Medicine intern or resident. This style of writing really suits this market and would be big help to inexperienced practitioners. It is a book that sits perfectly in the clinical area for constant reference.
Emergency nurses would benefit from this reading this book. New nurses to ED will be able to have a steep learning curve from reading this book. It would be also of assistance to those studying for post graduate exams due to the check list nature and ability to quick reference.
Overall rating
A nice six edition effort from the Fulde team. The books durability, easy to read style and easy referencing make this a book that should be kept in the clinical area. The ability to pack in lots of information to this handbook is the secret of its success.