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Title: Pediatric Pearls of Wisdom by Peter Emblad, Robert M. Levin, Huiquan Zhao, Jonathan Adler, Scott Plantz ISBN: 1-58409-057-X Publisher: Boston Medical Pub Inc Pub. Date: 15 February, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $88.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (2 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Not bad.
Comment: NOTE: I wrote this review for the neurology pearls of wisdom, but the comments generally apply to the whole series. Since I thought the warning about some of the inaccuracies may be important for residents to look out for, I'm posting the review here as well. Please bear in mind this is a personal opinion only, but based on using probably every review text out there.
The idea behind Boston Medical Publishing's "pearls of wisdom" series (not to be confused with the higher quality Hanley & Belfus' "Pearls" Series)is a good one: publish a series of books in the various specialties that consist entirely of questions and answers in the various subtopics within those specialties.
However, the execution is weak for the following reasons:
1. Inaccuracies/mistakes.
I recently looked through the pediatrics text (latest, 2nd edition) at my bookshop (it was one of the few subjects initially available there). During some 20 minutes of browsing, I found 2 definite errors, and one ambiguity. Medicine is one field where I think there should be an *extremely* low tolerance for less than sterling writing. Note: the mistakes I found were not gray areas - they were not in complex management issues where there can be more than one right answer. These were clear cut factual errors that could have been avoided by more careful editing.
2. Poor referencing.
I know the authors state in their preface (which is a standard preface used in all the different subjects in the series!) that their intention wasn't to reference. But I think in this day and age of Evidence based medicine, literature citations are of paramount importance - not only to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the literature on all the topics, but so that readers may reach for the best review/original paper where necessary. In this regard, the "Secrets" series published by Hanley and Belfus are simply outstanding. They reference (often with multiple citations) each and every question/answer!!
3. Coverage
A minor, but not unimportant criticism is the coverage. I found that for the price I paid, the coverage of topics could have been better. If the authors could increase the questions by 2/3, I feel they will have a MUCH better book. Questions should stress more pathology, diagnostics (esp. diff diagnosis and clinical approach), and management.
4. For its shortcomings, the price (about USD 88.00) is astonishing. These books are merely a compilation of questions and answers for exam review, not comprehensive full colour textbooks! I do not understand why it should cost that much, when cost of production should be low - no pictures, no diagrams, no references even. Just one line questions and several line answers. The price is, i feel, unfair.
Conclusion:
Buy it only if:
1. You are prepared to double check every answer/statement against authoritative textbooks and the literature.
2. You can afford to throw your money on a good, but less than ideal product.
3. You want to get your hands on every review book available for revision purposes.
Rating: 5
Summary: Quick and thorough!
Comment: This is an excellent book! The information is in a quick question and answer format categorized by system (i.e. cardiology). This book is perfect for quick learning sessions when on call, as a break while studying, or for complete board preparation. I highly recommend it.
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