Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
As interesting & readable as its siblings, but with a lot more mistakes!, September 1, 2008
I'm am generally a big, big fan of the Case Files series...the case presentation always helps anchor details in my head better & for longer than the long lists provided in review books, and they always provide a really helpful, practical approach to DDx, Rx & helpful pathognomonic tip-offs. We have memories built for anecdotes, not laundry lists. *However* this particular one is rife with errors...from the harmless (but vaguely annoying) grammatical errors to more worrisome errors of content. Pts with amphetamine intoxication have constricted pupils? L-Dopa & MAOIs have extrapyramidal Sx as side-effects? Really? Also, there are lots of annoying contradictions within a given case presentation. For example, at the beginning of the case of PCP intoxication it says bluntly that benzos "should not be given" since they delay excretion of PCP. Then, two pages later, it says benzos can be given. I understand that distilling practice guidelines to a couple pages can be hard, and that a general rule of thumb can be disregarded when the drug benefit outweighs the side-effects, but the authors do a VERY bad job VERY frequently of couching these sort of things in appropriate language. Don't couch something as a absolute contraindication if it's simply a relative one. Also, within the autistic case file it says that 40% of autistic kids have MR, then in a comprehension question one page later it asks what percentage of autistic children have MR. Choices: A) 100%, B) 50-75%, C) 25-50%, D) 1-5%. Well, you just read not one page before that the answer was C. Problem? The answer is B. Granted, this is pretty minor in the scheme of things, but the frequent, pointed disagreement between the case file text and the comprehension questions that followed immediately afterwards further undermined my confidence in the book's accuracy. I agree with the previous reviewer who suggested that the company rushed publication of this guy...lots of mistakes/inconsistencies/poor phrasing that any half-asleep layperson could catch. That said, I really haven't found a suitable substitute for Case Files. Like all its siblings, it's eminently readable & interesting...I'd be hard-pressed to say I prefer a textbook to my leisure reading, but this comes darn close. And let me tell you, I'm a real baby about making my textbook reading as palatable as possible, so this is high praise. Bottom line: I'm going to be super vigilant about double-checking this particular book's content against less 'readable' review books, and I'd recommend you do the same. Also, maybe we reviewers can do the public service of listing mistakes w/ pg numbers that we individually find for future readers/purchasers of this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love the Case Files Series!, April 2, 2005
During third year of medical school, the way students learn totally changes. The most important information that students retain is going to be about patients they admit, that they see on the wards or work-up while on call. While other study materials give students the "facts," Case Files realizes that the best way for junior and senior medical students to learn is through case presentations. I would say that their format closely resembles the paradigm of how students should learn; a case is presented, discussed, key terms are defined, questions are presented about the text, and the information about the case is summarized. These books almost make it too easy to retain and apply clinically useful information! I used the psychiatry book as a complement to other texts, but it was my sole source of study for ob/gyn.
There were a couple of problems with the book, however. I noticed several spelling and grammatical errors in the psychiatry book; it seems like they may have rushed this to publishing. In addition, after taking the psychiatry shelf exam, I think that more cases should be presented on adolescent issues, psych related general medical conditions, and neurological cases that can get confused with psych problems.
Nevertheless, the series provides a solid foundation of clinical knowledge in all clerkships, as well as helps students retain information for shelf exams. I highly recommend this series to any medical student studying for third year, Step 2 CK, or any medical professional wanting to review material in an extremely clinically relevant way!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
you be the judge..., October 19, 2004
This review book covers every concept you need to know in psychiatry, however I found the case scenarios to be a bit too black and white. The actual shelf exam as well as step 2 had much subtler presentations. Also, the section "analysis" was often redundant, a repetition of the summary of the case. I loved having the appropriate diagnostic criteria there where you need it. The quality of the comprehension questions at the end of each section surpass many of those in strict "question books" available for psychiatry, plus you get much more for your money. The approach to the patient section was invaluable alone. I kept a copy with me at all times during my rotation and referred to it often.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
