Medical Epidemiology, 4th Edition Doody's Expert Review Review Questionnaire ISBN: 9780071416375 ISBN-10: 0071416374 Copyright: 2005 Edition: 4th Authors: Greenberg, Raymond S., Daniels, Stephen R., Flanders, W. Dana, Eley, John William, Boring, John R. , III, Doody's Expert Review    Score: 96 Doody's Star Rating™ and Doody's Expert Review provide by Doody Enterprises, Inc. Reviewer: Ross Mullner,  PhD, MPH  (University of Illinois at Chicago) Description This is the fourth edition of this well known primer on epidemiology. The new edition, like the previous ones, can be used as a course textbook or as a stand-alone study guide to the field. The third edition was published in 2001. Purpose According to the authors, the purpose "is to provide the reader with an overview of the principles and concepts of epidemiology." The authors accomplish this and much more. Audience This book can be used by medical students as well as students of other health disciplines, such as public health, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry. The authors are well known and recognized authorities in epidemiology, and they are from several universities. Features The book consists of 13 chapters covering nine topical areas: 1) measuring disease frequency; 2) describing patterns of disease occurrence; 3) investigating outbreaks of disease; 4) assessing the utility of diagnostic tests; 5) testing the effectiveness of treatments; 6) identifying the cause of disease; 7) predicting the outcome of disease; 8) decision-making about treatment strategies; and 9) summarizing evidence on clinical questions. One of the most interesting discussions in the book concerns the recent SARS epidemic. Assessment This is a well-written, easy to read, well-illustrated primer, which medical students and others should read. A nice feature of the book is all key concepts are highlighted for emphasis, with summaries at the beginning and end of each chapter. The book also contains an updated glossary of terms. 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) 4 1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 4 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. 5 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? 10 ©2010 Doody Enterprises, Inc.