public health 127 (2013) 400
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Public Health journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/puhe
Book Review Mayo Clinic Antimicrobial Therapy Quick Guide, John W. Wilson, Lynn L. Estes. Mayo Clinic Scientific Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-979778-3 In short, this is a nifty pocket reference source, packed with lots of useful information. In particular the tables summarizing major elimination routes and half life, as well as dose adjustments for renal impairment are helpful for clinical considerations. An entire section is dedicated to infectious syndromes in adults, including fungal infections. The table on specific bacterial resistance issues was insightful; perhaps Acinetobacter may be a future contender to be included? I found the table of fungal-organism specific treatment useful and well laid out, as other reference sources may present this information in different ways. Some sections included suggested reading, which is not always seen in pocket sized books. For the British palate a few things may need getting used to. Examples are the abbreviations for frequency of doses (e.g. tid instead of tds): however, fear not - they are explained in the abbreviation section. Equally the selection of drugs reflects
availability in the US, with some cephalosporins listed, which are not licensed in the UK. I did not spot any inaccuracies as such, however some recommendations may vary in other places, for obvious reasons. With this in mind it may still prove a useful reference source, e.g. for dose reductions in renal impairment, which is equally useful for clinicians, pharmacists or students. Could it be improved? Probably not by much, it is pretty comprehensive. Perhaps a more detailed index, some words on antimicrobial stewardship and a section on dose reduction in hepatic impairment would make this little book perfect. A. Henein University of Reading, UK E-mail address:
[email protected] 23 November 2012 Available online 27 February 2013 0033-3506/$ e see front matter http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2012.11.017