Introductions to the subject

Clinical communication handbook

M. Piasecki Blackwell Science, 2003, 107pp. £16.95. ISBN 0632046465.

‘Communication is a critical skill in clinical practice and sometimes not emphasized in medical education. Effective communication skills ease the pressure in dealing with difficult or even ‘typical’ patients and will make your patients feel more comfortable with you. Clinical Communication Handbook can become an essential part of your physicianpatient education. Learn how to be a better communicator through the use of vignettes, dialog boxes, and evidencebased information.’

Clinical research coordinator handbook

D. Norris 3rd edn, Plexus Publishing, 2004, 150pp. $39.95. ISBN 0937548545.

New edition of established text provides expanded coverage of the CRC duties and regulatory requirements, including new sections on investigator responsibilities, data clarification, and adverse event reporting.

Concise Oxford textbook of medicine

J.G.G. Ledingham and D.A. Warrell, eds Oxford University Press, 2000, 2007pp. Foreword by David Weatherall. CD-ROM version available, £39.95. ISBN 0192628704.

Although a very good, nicely produced introduction and overview, still a large format substantial text. Section headings are: Cardiology; Haematology; Respiratory disease; Gastroenterology; Metabolic disorders; Endocrine disease and the pituitary; Nutrition; Disorders of the skeleton; Rheumatology; Diseases of the skin; Nephrology; Neurology; Psychiatry; Palliative medicine; Infectious disease; Sexually transmitted disease; Chemical and physical injuries and environmental factors and disease; Geratology; Forensic medicine.

Foundations of evidence-based medicine

M. Jenicek Parthenon, 2003, 392pp. $99.95. ISBN 1842141937.

Emphasizes the use of formal logic as applied to clinical problems; offers essential definitions, formulae, outlines, flow charts, and checklists useful in health measurement, case and occurrence studies, search for causes, clinical trials, and prognoses.

Human body systems

M. Windelspecht, ed. Greenwood Press, 2004. 10 v, $399.95. ISBN 0313331197.

The circulatory system; The digestive system; The endocrine system; The lymphatic system; The muscular system; The nervous system and sense organs; The reproductive system; The respiratory system; The skeletal system; The urinary system.