Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation: A Reference Guide to Fetal and Neonatal Risk, 10th Edition

ISBN: 9781451190823
ISBN-10: 1451190824
Copyright: 2015
Edition: 10th
Authors: Briggs, Gerald G., Freeman, Roger K.,
Doody's Expert Review    Score: 96
Reviewer: Anthony Shanks,  MD  (Indiana University School of Medicine)
Description
This is a very nice desktop reference for common and uncommon medications used during pregnancy. The ninth edition was published in 2011.
Purpose
The purpose is to provide information on the drugs that are used during pregnancy for a wide variety of conditions. The book also covers the fetal effects as well as implications in breast feeding.
Audience
It is written for practicing physicians, but residents and nurses also would benefit from using it.
Features
The drugs that the book covers are as common as acetaminophen and as rare as iopanoic acid. Rather than providing a simple letter category for pregnancy (as other drug guides have done), this book discusses specific fetal risks. More importantly, it provides the references and evidence-based evaluations behind these risks. Typical summaries can be as long as three pages, which provide a wealth of information. The best use of this book will be by the practitioner who cares for a patient who brings in a long list of medications that she takes. The practitioner can easily look up the medication and give the patient the information about and the rationale for continuing to take or stopping a particular medication. The breastfeeding summaries are very nice and very concise. Best of all are the short summaries that precede each in-depth evaluation. This is particularly useful when time is limited.
Assessment
This is an excellent reference and the new format does a nice job of incorporating the evidence behind the decisions. I was not able to review the online component but I look forward to trying it out.
Review Questionnaire
Range Question Score
1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10
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) 5
1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5
1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5
1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? N/A
1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. N/A
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 5
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? 8