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Emergency Pediatrics: A Guide to Ambulatory Care, 5th ed
MEDIA REVIEWS/Walsh and Richmann
Little difference exists in the assessment and management of trauma and emergency patients in the United Kingdom and the United States. The major difference is simply a matter of terminology and spelling; for example, in the United Kingdom, motor vehicle crashes are called “road traffic accidents,” diagnostic tests are termed “investigations,” and repeat ED visitors are deemed “re-attenders.” Pulmonary edema is spelled “pulmonary oedema”; dyspnea, “dyspnoea”; esophagus, “oesophagus”; and gynecology, “gynaecology,” to name a few examples. The emergency care system and nursing profession in the United Kingdom are dealing with many of the same issues that the US system is addressing, such as waiting times, practice issues, and legal and ethical concerns. To end, I want to quote from Dolan and Holt’s text preface: “As emergency nursing grows in scope, recognition and confidence, so too must it avoid the complacency of believing it has ‘arrived.’ In reality, emergency nursing is a journey without end, ever striving to deliver better patient-centered care. Accident and Emergency: Theory into Practice is a text that can be used as a guide on that journey.”—Robin Walsh 18/9/119897 doi:10.1067/men.2001.119897
Emergency Pediatrics: A Guide to Ambulatory Care, 5th ed Barkin RM, Rosen P. St Louis: Mosby, 1998, 960 pp, $75, ISBN 0-32300326-5.
Emergency Pediatrics: A Guide to Ambulatory Care. Who wouldn’t want this information? Who doesn’t need this information? I started my review of this book by looking at the names of the authors and contributing authors, which revealed a collective knowledge with years of education and experience from physicians, but not one nurse author or contributor. Taking a deep breath, I continued on in my objective review of the fifth edition. I found the cover very colorful and eye-catching. I would probably pick it up at the store or library because it is attractive. The editors and contributors have demonstrated their ability to pull together their expertise, knowledge, and clinical experience into an easy-to-read, well-organized, short, and concise body of information. The charts and graphs are
December 2001 27:6
easy to read and follow and would make great adjuncts in any emergency department. The chapters are orderly and follow a natural progression, making it an easy-to-use reference guide. The book is divided into 81 chapters, covering growth and development, extremity injuries, and respiratory illness, as well as trauma and medical resuscitation. It includes all the usual illnesses and injuries that we encounter in our normal practices. For each illness or injury, common diagnostic findings, management, differential diagnosis, and disposition are examined. The information contained in each chapter would be of use to persons in all disciplines. What I did not find was any reference to nursing implications. An enhancement to the book would be specific recommendations for nursing roles. For example, what is the nurse’s role in triage in determining a differential diagnosis? What is the role of the nurse in treating trauma patients? What should the nurse be reinforcing during discharge instructions? We are a part of the health care team, as mentioned numerous times in the book, but as a clinician, I would have liked more specific mention of my role and my contribution to the care of the patient and his or her family. As a nurse clinician/manager, I would have liked family presence to be mentioned at all opportunities. It should be noted that although the protocols and medication dosages listed in the book were current at the time of publication, changes in practice/protocols, such as recent changes in ACLS, must be taken into account by current readers. I found other information to be very timely, accurate, and appropriate. Would I purchase this book? Absolutely! I enjoyed the easy-to-read and well-organized content. It would make a great reference guide for any new clinician in the emergency department. Purchasing this book would be money well spent, and I could see the pages and cover wearing quickly from use.—Jim Richmann 18/9/119898 doi:10.1067/men.2001.119898
JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING
593
Little difference exists in the assessment and management of trauma and emergency patients in the United Kingdom and the United States. The major difference is simply a matter of terminology and spelling; for example, in the United Kingdom, motor vehicle crashes are called “road traffic accidents,” diagnostic tests are termed “investigations,” and repeat ED visitors are deemed “re-attenders.” Pulmonary edema is spelled “pulmonary oedema”; dyspnea, “dyspnoea”; esophagus, “oesophagus”; and gynecology, “gynaecology,” to name a few examples. The emergency care system and nursing profession in the United Kingdom are dealing with many of the same issues that the US system is addressing, such as waiting times, practice issues, and legal and ethical concerns. To end, I want to quote from Dolan and Holt’s text preface: “As emergency nursing grows in scope, recognition and confidence, so too must it avoid the complacency of believing it has ‘arrived.’ In reality, emergency nursing is a journey without end, ever striving to deliver better patient-centered care. Accident and Emergency: Theory into Practice is a text that can be used as a guide on that journey.”—Robin Walsh 18/9/119897 doi:10.1067/men.2001.119897
Emergency Pediatrics: A Guide to Ambulatory Care, 5th ed Barkin RM, Rosen P. St Louis: Mosby, 1998, 960 pp, $75, ISBN 0-32300326-5.
Emergency Pediatrics: A Guide to Ambulatory Care. Who wouldn’t want this information? Who doesn’t need this information? I started my review of this book by looking at the names of the authors and contributing authors, which revealed a collective knowledge with years of education and experience from physicians, but not one nurse author or contributor. Taking a deep breath, I continued on in my objective review of the fifth edition. I found the cover very colorful and eye-catching. I would probably pick it up at the store or library because it is attractive. The editors and contributors have demonstrated their ability to pull together their expertise, knowledge, and clinical experience into an easy-to-read, well-organized, short, and concise body of information. The charts and graphs are
December 2001 27:6
easy to read and follow and would make great adjuncts in any emergency department. The chapters are orderly and follow a natural progression, making it an easy-to-use reference guide. The book is divided into 81 chapters, covering growth and development, extremity injuries, and respiratory illness, as well as trauma and medical resuscitation. It includes all the usual illnesses and injuries that we encounter in our normal practices. For each illness or injury, common diagnostic findings, management, differential diagnosis, and disposition are examined. The information contained in each chapter would be of use to persons in all disciplines. What I did not find was any reference to nursing implications. An enhancement to the book would be specific recommendations for nursing roles. For example, what is the nurse’s role in triage in determining a differential diagnosis? What is the role of the nurse in treating trauma patients? What should the nurse be reinforcing during discharge instructions? We are a part of the health care team, as mentioned numerous times in the book, but as a clinician, I would have liked more specific mention of my role and my contribution to the care of the patient and his or her family. As a nurse clinician/manager, I would have liked family presence to be mentioned at all opportunities. It should be noted that although the protocols and medication dosages listed in the book were current at the time of publication, changes in practice/protocols, such as recent changes in ACLS, must be taken into account by current readers. I found other information to be very timely, accurate, and appropriate. Would I purchase this book? Absolutely! I enjoyed the easy-to-read and well-organized content. It would make a great reference guide for any new clinician in the emergency department. Purchasing this book would be money well spent, and I could see the pages and cover wearing quickly from use.—Jim Richmann 18/9/119898 doi:10.1067/men.2001.119898
JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING
593