Dealing with and working in acute medical admissions can be a busy and demanding vocation and is very much front-line medicine which can cover a number of other specialties. A large and broad, as well as up-to-date knowledge base is needed and this new and freshly published substantial reference source is an impressive offering, ready and able to help a busy practitioner. Now check the title, this is not an Oxford Medical Handbook (which are superb and they are also very practically orientated and are soft back books) but this is very much a hardback and detailed textbook.
Overall this is an excellent, seemingly comprehensive book which has broad, in depth practical coverage ideal for anyone who has to deal with acute medical problems. That includes at the point of presentation in primary care to the point of assessment in an acute medical unit where assessment and treatment is often urgently needed. It is a well built book and the vast majority of the impressive list of contributors are British based (the three editors are London based) which makes it very relevant to a UK based audience. This is a desk bound book and is not easily portable but makes up for this by being a fact packed book which provides a great help to a practicing healthcare professional working in this field.
The book is a superb compendium of a large number of diverse problems faced in acute medicine and is primarily a text based source packed with detail that I am sure would be immensely useful to an acute medical unit. I would imagine that this book won’t be found on bookshelf but on a consulting desk as it would be constantly accessed in a busy unit. Thankfully, this is a hard back book which seems sturdy and could live up to constant use. Primary care practitioners will also find it useful as this book is an excellent one stop shop and a great starting point for managing acute medical problems. However, some of the detail may be more than they need, yet it also provides interesting background and information to show what will happen to the patient. From that perspective, this makes it a rich educational experience.
This is an excellent, in depth textbook of acute medicine reflecting current UK practice which I think represents very good value for money. If I had one criticism, it would be very helpful if the book came with a web version and app version bundled with the book purchase. In saying that, this book is likely to be within easy access of patient care and quickly accessible.