Sloane's Medical Word Book (4th Edition) (Paperback)

by Ellen Drake CMT FAAMT AHDI-F Educator of the Year Winner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Book Description
Transcribe faster and more accurately than ever before with all the most-used terms in ONE book --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
The 4th edition represents a major revision of The Medical Word Book. Most of the reviews on this site are for the 3rd edition.

The 4th edition (1500 pages) is still organized by specialty, with words appearing in more than one section if they apply to more than one specialty. The General Surgical Terms section contains primarily surgical hardware. Other surgical terms, like titles of operations, appear in the appropriate specialty section. The Drugs and Chemistry section has been removed, but the Dentistry section has been restored and updated, and a new section, Oncology and Hematology has been added. Neurology and Psychiatry have been separated, and other specialty sections have been expanded and the titles changed. See the table of contents which has changed substantially.

Designed by transcriptionists for transcriptionists, Sloane's Medical Word Book is a must-have tool for anyone creating medical documents.

Coverage of anatomy and general medical terminology as well as 18 medical specialties.

Both phonetic and correct spellings of words are listed alphabetically for rapid access.

16 pages of full-color anatomy plates.

Brand-new sections on Dentistry and Oncology and Hematology.

Previous entries reviewed and thousands added to reflect current medical practice.

Context clues have been added, cross-references are clearer, and numerous terms have been recategorized.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1501 pages
• Publisher: Saunders; 4 edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 072167626X
• ISBN-13: 978-0721676265
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #181,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most-used reference book in my medical library!, August 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Medical Word Book: A Spelling and Vocabulary Guide to Medical Transcription (Paperback)

My initial leap into the medical transcription field was incredibly frustrating - attempting to learn an entirely new language . . . in Latin . . .and type at the speed of sound. None of the manuals that I received with my pre-packaged medical "tutorial" compared to the salvation that I found in this book and my Stedman's spellchecker. I agree that some updating is necessary, but this book is still the best quick reference that I have. After 5 years of transcription, I still pick it up first!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Leaves much to be desired., July 28, 1999

By	Kate Mason, CMT ([e-mail]) "masonk2" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medical Word Book: A Spelling and Vocabulary Guide to Medical Transcription (Paperback)

Long the bible of many MTs, Sloane's Medical Words suffers from the noble attempt at "doing it all." It attempts to compile words from every medical specialty, including drugs, labs, anatomy and abbreviations, arranged not alphabetically but by section, thus making it difficult to search for terms which might be under more than one section. For example, diabetes and related terms can be found under Pediatrics but not Internal Medicine, and whiplash is found under Immunology but not Orthopedics.

It is nice to have normal lab values, tables of elements, weights and measures, and combining forms all in one place. But it is hard to see what place a section on drugs might have in a reference such as this. Even drug books updated every year are already out of date by the time they are in print. In addition, one often needs to see indications, dosages and method of supplying when looking up drugs, none of which is included here. Presenting a list of drug names without other accompanying information is at best unnecessary and at worst dangerous.

A search through the General Medical section fails to turn up emphysema or hypertension; it turns up exogenous obesity but not central obesity. General Surgical Terms fails to turn up abdominoplasty or V-Y advancement flap; it turns up Dacron and Marlex grafts but not tunnel, bypass or even vein graft. The lab section fails to turn up troponin or psittacosis; it turns up anion, but not anion gap. A search through Abbreviations fails to turn up LOC (loss of consciousness) or CCE (clubbing, cyanosis or edema); RRR is shown to be "renin-release rate", but not "regular rate and rhythm".

Hardly a scientific survey - but one can see how one would be searching through other, more comprehensive reference books in no time. And why soon one would be saving oneself the trouble and going right to those other books to begin with.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT, July 29, 2001

By	R. A. Taylor "avid reader" (FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been an MT for 20 years, the last 4 at home, and used the 3rd edition fairly frequently, so really looked forward to the 4th. However, for all its increased number of pages, it leaves a lot to be desired. Just yesterday when looking for a specific brace, checked "brace" in ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE where I was told to "see appliance, orthosis, prosthesis and splint". At appliance, I was told "see also prosthesis". Orthosis and splint actually do have lists of specific items -- but not the one I was looking for. That's just one example, but I have encountered several entries like it. I guess I'll just stick with my old, falling apart 3rd edition.