Mosby's Guide to Physical Examination, 6th Ed.
Written: Nov 24 '07
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Comprehensive, integrates latest findings, lots of multimedia
Cons: Very very poor index.
The Bottom Line: This or Bates, that's probably what you are thinking. This book has a bad index. Thats a BIG black mark against it. You'll need it every day for years.
|
|
|
| snpmurray's Full Review: Henry M. Seidel, Joyce E. Dains, Jane W. Ball, G. ... |
A comprehensive physical assessment textbook is required reading for all advanced healthcare professionals. I thought I would put this review up for those who may be trying to decide which one to use. If you have been given the leeway to make the choice yourself, I am betting you are trying to choose between Seidel and Bates.
This is not a comparison review. While I do possess (and use) an older edition of Bates, I can only give you the full coverage on the latest edition of Seidel. Comparison reviews require comparing apples to apples, obviously. Of course, if anyone wants to send me a current edition of Bates, I’d be delighted to build a comparison!
Physical assessment is a core skill. Mosby produces a full range of multimedia guides to this set of skills, and this textbook is the core of that range. It is a flagship publication, and much effort has clearly gone into it.
The authors of this book are all teaching faculty in advanced practice. Two are physicians, two are nurse practitioners. All have a long record of teaching whilst maintaining active clinical practice, in a wide range of specialties. The book also has a review panel. This is likewise made up of physicians and nurse practitioners in teaching and clinical practice.
This book has been organized to essentially parallel the course of a typical consultation. Thus, early chapters deal with measurement, vitals, history taking and cultural sensitivities. This is followed by a systematic evaluation, divided into appropriate chapters for body systems. The book concludes with some discussion of special populations, special consult circumstances, and the art of putting it all together.
The structure of each of the systems chapters in the book is essentially the same. First, a brief review of structural and functional anatomy (but not physiology.) This is followed by thoroughly explaining any technique or equipment exclusive to this system, such as the ophthalmoscope, or vaginal speculum. From here, the text moves into a systematic presentation of the assessment of the system. This is followed by variants across the lifespan, and finalized with a gallery of common pathological findings.
Such then is the structure of the book. Let us move to its content.
This book is, to say the least, a media rich environment. Every single page of the text is splattered with photographs, diagrams, tables and charts, copies of common assessment and screening tools, and more. Diagrams are not always presented in the same location as the text they relate to, I do note. This can feel a little clumsy at times, and there is a good deal of flicking back and forth by a page or two. It is not obvious why this had to occur, the book is surely not cramped.
Much effort has been taken to supplement the text of the raw techniques with clinical pearls. There are many small text boxes hinting toward the art of an assessment , not just its practical aspects. For example, in description of auscultation of heart sounds, time is taken to appreciate that this may be new to many of you. The authors give advice boxes on how to organize your listening, searching for one sound at a time, rather than trying to hear all together. Very useful, and such boxes are very plentiful throughout the text.
In a not unrelated manner, the substance of assessment is tied to current research findings. It is of further credit to the authors that they move beyond mere published literature to the use of evidence-based practice (EBP). EBP combines literature, patient and provider preferences and clinical guidelines to establish the best choice for the case in question. One interesting example is the authors demonstrating that Homan’s gin is now categorically discredited as an assessment for deep vein thrombosis. There are many of these boxes too, and they add spice to the text and power to your clinical arm.
While there is much to like about this textbook, it has one very serious flaw. It has a very poor index. The index is neither comprehensive, nor cross-referencing. This is a mind bogglingly huge flaw for a book of this kind. At 1000 pages, you need a good index. You will be using this book for many years; you’ll want to go straight to what you need. Ultimately, it has to be said, what use a thoroughly comprehensive systematic book, if the index cant take you, reliably to all it so diligently contains?
This text is accompanied by a disc for windows carrying videos of all the stages of a comprehensive assessment, and also a head-to-toe assessment being performed, and many assessment tools as documents. This works well and is clear and VERY helpful.
I was about to sum up. Actually, I think what I just said about the index problem sums up very nicely really. Lots to like, but hard to navigate with exact precision.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
snpmurray
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Sedona, Arizona
Reviews written: 286
Trusted by: 178 members
About Me:
Compost
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.