Diabetes Management in Primary Care

ISBN: 9780781787628
ISBN-10: 0781787629
Copyright: 2007
Edition: 1st
Editor: Unger, Jeff
Doody's Expert Review    Score: 94
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Reviewer: Lisa  Vinci,  MD  (University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine)
Description
This comprehensive handbook of diabetes care for primary care practitioners combines a case-based approach with a review of the relevant diabetes care literature.
Purpose
The implied purpose is to provide a resource for primary care practitioners, given that most diabetes patients can be, and are, cared for by primary care providers. In light of the growing number of patients with diabetes and the rapidly evolving field of diabetes care, this book is both timely and useful.
Audience
It is written for primary care physicians, internal medicine residents, and medical students, but it likely will be useful to an even wider audience of fellows, diabetes educators, nutritionists, and even endocrinologists given its extensive literature review and inclusion of emerging topics such as the metabolic syndrome, insulin pump therapy, and novel treatments. The author has more than 20 years of experience managing diabetes and is currently the director of a diabetes center.
Features
The book covers the care of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients, though the majority of the chapters are focused on Type 2 diabetes, from the perspective of a primary care provider. It addresses diabetes from the recognition and treatment of risk factors such as the metabolic syndrome, through ambulatory and inpatient management, to diabetes related complications. Lifestyle modification and mental illness in patients with diabetes are covered as well. Each chapter follows a consistent and useful format beginning with "Take Home Points" and a clinical case. A summary of the current literature follows, presented in a critical and balanced way. Chapters conclude with practical applications and a summary of the key points. The book is readable with helpful tables and diagrams. It would have benefited from more extensive coverage of office-based organizational strategies which may be used to improve diabetes care. The introductory chapter briefly mentions the challenge of providing comprehensive diabetes care within the constraints of a busy primary care practice and makes a few helpful suggestions along with presenting an example of forms the author uses. A chapter addressing systems-based approaches to diabetes care could have replaced the chapter on the polycystic ovary syndrome, which seemed a bit out of place. In light of the rapid evolution the field of diabetes is going through, some of the more recent findings and recommendations will be outdated soon. Despite this drawback, which is typical of all medical books, this one will remain relevant for students and clinicians given its practical, well written, and comprehensive format.
Assessment
I found this to be useful both as a complete review of the optimal care recommended for patients with diabetes as well as a quick reference for clinical questions which arise during daily clinical care. I would recommend it to any student interested in diabetes and to every clinician who sees patients with diabetes on a regular basis. It compares very well with other guides to managing diabetes such as the various books produced by the American Diabetes Association. However, it is one of the few specifically written with the primary care physician in mind.

Elbert Huang, MD (University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine), contributed to this review.
Review Questionnaire
Range Question Score
1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 8
1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10
1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5
1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4
1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4
1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5
1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5
1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 5
1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. N/A
1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5
1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 4
1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A
1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10
1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? N/A
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