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1emt manual.
The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 17, No. 6, p. 1089, 1999 Copyright © 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0736-4679/99 $–see front matter
Book and Other Media Reviews
e EMT MANUAL. By MK Copass, L Gonzales, MS Eisenberg, and RG Soper, 464 pp., Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1998, $29.00.
tion on specific emergencies like cardiorespiratory arrest, trauma management, overdoses, and emergency childbirth. Although the content of this book is broad, the presentation of information is focused and clear. The authors present much of the information using bullets. These offer the reader concise, discrete tips regarding patient assessment and management. Additionally, the authors present a great deal of information through the effective use of figures and tables. For example, tables are used to summarize CPR guidelines, compare angina to myocardial infarction, and present characteristic drug overdose profiles. Figures, meanwhile, are employed to illustrate visual concepts throughout the book as well as many of the procedural skills discussed in the final section. In the ‘Preface,’ the authors note that their targeted audience is the EMT-Basic group. In fact, this book has been updated so that it is consistent with National Standard EMT-Basic curriculum. In many chapters, the subject content seems to become too detailed for this audience. However, a reference text that provides its reader with too much information is clearly better than one that provides too little. As the medical director of a group that includes EMTBasics, I have found this textbook to be very worthwhile. I will certainly recommend it to not only EMT-Basics but also advanced EMTs. This reference manual could be conveniently kept within an ambulance or office. Additionally, the organized structure of this text could be helpful to medical directors in designing a continuing education curriculum for EMT-Basics. The purchase of this book would be worthwhile since I have found its content to be comprehensive, concise, and user-friendly.
The job of an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is a challenging one. They are usually the first medical care providers to encounter a patient. The spectrum of complaints that confront them are diverse and often complicated. Yet, EMTs perform their job without the assistance of sophisticated imaging studies or laboratory tests. As the first link in the chain of survival, we are all dependent upon their skill and expertise in managing patients appropriately. Just as physicians refer to colleagues, textbooks, and journals, it is important that EMTs have access to medical references whenever needed. These references can be useful during the management of difficult cases or simply for continuing education. In any case, a comprehensive reference book is a resource all of us have relied upon at some time during our medical careers. The EMT Manual offers itself as a comprehensive, concise reference for EMTs. It consists of four separate sections that include skills and principles, signs and symptoms, specific emergencies, and procedures and medical equipment. These sections are followed by numerous appendices that address drug information, legal considerations, appropriate medical abbreviations, infection control, and more. By the authors’ intention, only very basic anatomy and physiology is contained within this manual. The emphasis, instead, is on patient assessment and management. Within each section are chapters, which are further divided into subchapters. The organization of the book’s contents makes it easy to use as a reference. A medical care provider can refer to this text for more information regarding many signs or symptoms (such as chest pain, headache, hypertension, or shortness of breath). Alternatively, EMTs can use it for more informa-
Todd J. Crocco, MD Department of Emergency Medicine University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinntai, Ohio PII S0736-4679(99)00148-1
Book and Other Media Reviews is coordinated by Edward J. Otten, Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 1089
MD,
of the University of Cincinnati College of
Book and Other Media Reviews
e EMT MANUAL. By MK Copass, L Gonzales, MS Eisenberg, and RG Soper, 464 pp., Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1998, $29.00.
tion on specific emergencies like cardiorespiratory arrest, trauma management, overdoses, and emergency childbirth. Although the content of this book is broad, the presentation of information is focused and clear. The authors present much of the information using bullets. These offer the reader concise, discrete tips regarding patient assessment and management. Additionally, the authors present a great deal of information through the effective use of figures and tables. For example, tables are used to summarize CPR guidelines, compare angina to myocardial infarction, and present characteristic drug overdose profiles. Figures, meanwhile, are employed to illustrate visual concepts throughout the book as well as many of the procedural skills discussed in the final section. In the ‘Preface,’ the authors note that their targeted audience is the EMT-Basic group. In fact, this book has been updated so that it is consistent with National Standard EMT-Basic curriculum. In many chapters, the subject content seems to become too detailed for this audience. However, a reference text that provides its reader with too much information is clearly better than one that provides too little. As the medical director of a group that includes EMTBasics, I have found this textbook to be very worthwhile. I will certainly recommend it to not only EMT-Basics but also advanced EMTs. This reference manual could be conveniently kept within an ambulance or office. Additionally, the organized structure of this text could be helpful to medical directors in designing a continuing education curriculum for EMT-Basics. The purchase of this book would be worthwhile since I have found its content to be comprehensive, concise, and user-friendly.
The job of an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is a challenging one. They are usually the first medical care providers to encounter a patient. The spectrum of complaints that confront them are diverse and often complicated. Yet, EMTs perform their job without the assistance of sophisticated imaging studies or laboratory tests. As the first link in the chain of survival, we are all dependent upon their skill and expertise in managing patients appropriately. Just as physicians refer to colleagues, textbooks, and journals, it is important that EMTs have access to medical references whenever needed. These references can be useful during the management of difficult cases or simply for continuing education. In any case, a comprehensive reference book is a resource all of us have relied upon at some time during our medical careers. The EMT Manual offers itself as a comprehensive, concise reference for EMTs. It consists of four separate sections that include skills and principles, signs and symptoms, specific emergencies, and procedures and medical equipment. These sections are followed by numerous appendices that address drug information, legal considerations, appropriate medical abbreviations, infection control, and more. By the authors’ intention, only very basic anatomy and physiology is contained within this manual. The emphasis, instead, is on patient assessment and management. Within each section are chapters, which are further divided into subchapters. The organization of the book’s contents makes it easy to use as a reference. A medical care provider can refer to this text for more information regarding many signs or symptoms (such as chest pain, headache, hypertension, or shortness of breath). Alternatively, EMTs can use it for more informa-
Todd J. Crocco, MD Department of Emergency Medicine University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinntai, Ohio PII S0736-4679(99)00148-1
Book and Other Media Reviews is coordinated by Edward J. Otten, Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 1089
MD,
of the University of Cincinnati College of