Doody's Review Service

Reviewer:	Jane Weida, MD, MS (University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences)

Description
This is the 62nd edition of this annually published book. The book begins with key clinical updates, including references, for many chapters in this edition. The individual chapters include bulleted "essentials of diagnosis" followed by sections such as general considerations, symptoms, signs and differential diagnosis, laboratory and imaging tests, clinical findings, treatment, medications, complications, prevention, prognosis, when to refer, and when to admit. The chapters are organized into general categories, such as geriatric care; followed by specific adult medicine disorders such as pulmonary, renal, endocrine, and gynecologic disorders; then multiple chapters covering infectious disease; and lastly, environmental emergencies, cancer, genetics, and minority health.

Purpose
The purpose of the book is to provide practical solutions to clinical issues without delving too much into pathophysiology. It satisfies this purpose by providing a comprehensive review of primary care topics. The chapters are organized into subsections with many bullet points, figures, and tables that enable readers to quickly find specific disorders and conditions and learn the important points quickly in a busy practice setting. The authors have also committed to a thorough examination of the content to remove biased language, research, and recommendations. Since 2020, the authors have "been pursuing an ongoing, formal process of review and revision in an effort to recognize and correct biases and to promote equity in our book and the practice of medicine." This edition is needed yearly, due to rapid advances and changes in primary care.

Audience
This book is intended for clinicians who provide primary care, including internists, family physicians, hospitalists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as well as residents, medical students, and all other health professions students. The book appears to meet the needs of its audience. Medical students and residents will be well-served with multiple pictures and tables, ranging from treatment for community-acquired pneumonia in the outpatient and inpatient setting to illustrations of the orthopedic examination of the shoulder. Seasoned clinicians may find information that was not available during their training, such as a detailed table of pharmacogenetic tests and considerable information on sexual and gender minority health. The authors are credible authorities on medical diagnosis and treatment.

Features
This well-organized book enables readers to quickly find information about a wide range of topics important in primary care. There is a table of commonly used abbreviations inside the front cover, followed by information of Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment (CMDT) online, which features more than 1,000 diseases and disorders. This is followed by a concise table of contents covering the 42 chapters. Because the chapters are organized along broad topics, such as heart disease and gastrointestinal disorders, it is easier to find detailed information in the index. Prior to the first chapter, there is a 12-page section on "Key Clinical Updates" for many of the chapters. These updates include information that is new to this edition, such as new pharmacologic treatments, including those for HIV infection and AIDS. The chapters are very readable, with many short subsections, bullet points, and highlighted headings. The index is extremely detailed, making it easy to find precise items. References are liberally included throughout the book, often every one to two pages. There are no obvious shortcomings or areas that are missing or could have been covered more thoroughly.

Assessment
This is a comprehensive and valuable reference that clinicians will find very useful. The book accomplishes it purpose of being a single-source reference for those who practice adult medicine as well as learners in medical disciplines such as residents, medical students, and physician assistant and nurse practitioner students. The information is easy to read and easy to understand while still being detailed and comprehensive. The tables, figures, and references are numerous, making the book an ideal reference for clinical learners as well as seasoned clinicians. Because the book is updated annually, it is as up to date as possible for a print edition. New editions are justified each year to stay current.