Oxford American Handbook of Emergency Medicine (Oxford American Handbooks of Medicine)

I bought this in hopes of finding a gem. Everyone in my EM residency and others had one or two specific references books, but not this one. No one had heard of it. It looked good on the shelf.... I thought I would try it in hopes of discovering a great new reference book. Nope.... I immediately found this hard to use and when I could find the topic or issue I wanted, it did not offer what I needed. Too much text, not enough bullet points about differentials, diagnostic workups and various treatments. I want the "little red book" of EM, I wanted the Mass General Internal Medicine manual but for Emergency Medicine (which is actually made but is no where near as good as the Internal Medicine version so I don't recommend that one either...) This book was disappointing.

It's a great resource for medical students and residents in need of quick answers and solutions while working in the emergency room. The language is clear and concise and this pocketbook is filled with easy-to-follow instructions and clear procedural illustrations (central-line placement, chest tube insertion, thoracotomy etc.). Most importantly, the book chronologically walks you through the entire patient workup ¯ history, physical exam, lab tests, necessary imaging studies, appropriate interventions, differential diagnoses, consultation(s), and disposition and documentation instructions -- for any ER clinical presentation. I've yet to come across a patient who's had a condition that this book couldn't assist me with.

Good quick read on the kindle. Easy to read and i would recommend this to any professional going into Emergency Medicinegood value.

I work in Emergency Medicine, and have read all the books on the topic. I (or at least our hospital) owns most of the handbooks (Tintinalli, Detroit Receiving, the one from the maker of the Current series) so I bought this one. I bought this one mainly because I owned the Oxford Clinical Medicine reference which is fantastic. This one, not so much. I found it didn't really give you a ton of solutions-there are many topics that end in "refer to primary care". That's all well and good if they can get in (which they can't sometimes, as we all know). It doesn't seem all that evidence based and seems a bit anecdotal. Also, I believe the book is a bit premature in suggesting discharge vs. admission (see section on meningitis, which suggests the patient can possibly discharged in cases of viral meningitis). Better yet, put them in isolation and start them on antiviral therapy. Just a thought...

was a good pocket guide with concise explanations- including for procedures commonly encountered in the ED. Would have liked more information about treatments, but overall a very thorough pocket guide.

Very useful

I am an ER intern, and was looking for a reference-able book for on the job...I compared this and Baby Tint's, this was far better, why you ask? well here's why...1. Organized to look up fast, with table of contents on back cover, dark tabs on side pages for each section, and 2 strings to keep bookmarks on the go that wont fall out. Also more durable cover to repel ER fluids flinging around. and coffee.2. Problems are well organized so you know where to look for what tests to order, when to consult, and how to treat.. properly.. specifically with drug dosages so you dont need another drug pda. Alphabetical and by system. Also has dispo instructions.. follow up in how many days? 3-5 or 5-7?3. Quick reference section for what to do in common emergencies, ACS, COPD, Asthma, etc... just a list of what to do and order ASAP... very useful.. especially for interns/dummies.4. Good overview, when you just want to look up things quickly, what was that? and what do i do? its like a Wikipedia for EM.5. Also section of common drugs, procedures, peds stuff. It's like a senior resident's essential notes compiled, probably similar to pocket medicine, but for EM... ie its more readable (not an outline from med school)My co interns have been looking for a starter reference book, and this is what we seem to be agreeing on. Tintinelli's or Rosen's or whatever fatty for home to look up and read "deeper", and this book for at work right before you order the 5 essential things you need or set up for a procedure, "light reading" to look up stuff fast, or during lecture when something is mentioned and everyone else seems to know exactly what to do and you feel like you should be nodding your head too... but you aren't. Very EM oriented. Quick, precise, and actually usable.

Really great book, came in handy for my ED rotation. It's all in there, from trauma to toxicology to ob/gyn and loads more, in enough detail to know what to be doing and not sound dumb. Great for residents too, I'd imagine, as a first port of call to check out normal values, protocols and differentials - plenty of charts and tables for quick fact checking. Obviously a bit thin on the ground in some parts, but hey there's no way you can fit all of emergency medicine in your pocket!