Product Description

The Oxford Handbook of Pre-hospital Care provides the reader with authoritative, evidence-based advice on the assessment and management of pre-hospital care emergencies. It is designed to provide information for all immediate care practitioners including doctors, paramedics, emergency care practitioners, nurses and voluntary aid society members. The Oxford Handbook format and its pocket size make its content readily accessible and it can be carried easily in jackets or other personal protective clothing. Each section defines the important clinical features of the named condition and includes boxes containing essential advice. The treatment section incorporates national and international guidelines and protocols where available and reflects contemporary best practice. Topics include scene safety, personal protective equipment, basic and advanced life support, head injuries, chest injuries, abdominal and pelvic injuries, spinal injuries, musculoskeletal injuries, medical emergencies, mass gathering incidents, major incidents, burns and related problems. The authors have broad experience in pre-hospital care including civilian and military practice in various fields including medical emergencies, road traffic collisions, entrapments, ballistic trauma and major incidents. This is the essential quick-reference guide to pre-hospital medicine!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21231 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 736 pages

Review
This handy and superbly presented pocket sized book is ideal for quick reference providing essential information on the immediate care setting. The authors are of unquestionable experience in the field of emergency medicine and...the book is both comprehensive and concise...[it] must surely become an essential piece of kit for all pre-hospital care practitioners, replacing the bulky American books which have dominated the market. (Accident and Emergency Nursing )

About the Author
Keith Porter is a Consultant Trauma Surgeon and an Immediate Care Practitioner. Qualifying originally in London but doing much of his higher surgical training in the West Midlands, he was originally appointed Consultant Trauma Surgeon at the Birmingham Accident Hospital in 1986. With changes in hospital practice he is now Senior Trauma Surgeon at University Hospital Birmingham. He is also an active immediate care practitioner working both in urban practice in Birmingham and also
in rural practice in Hereford & Worcester. He is the Medical Director of the West Midlands Central Accident Resuscitation (CARE) team and actively involved in both the delivery of pre-hospital care and education within the region.

Customer Reviews

A useful summary of the discipline
I was looking for an all-encompassing text to replace having to lug around the BNF, the resuscitation council guidelines, a book of algorithms, MIMMS, and various other emergency care textbooks to serve as a quick reference guide 'in the field'. Whilst somewhat confusingly it mixes both current and out of date Resus guidelines, it does largely encompass that aim. There is a concise wealth of information on management of both medical emergencies and trauma, including handy summary information on major incidents, the structure and function of various emergency services, notes on emergency planning and scene management, a paediatric section and a formulary. There is a particularly useful section on trauma during pregnancy - missing from a lot of other similarly priced texts. Whilst I don't think it is presented with enough summary 'quick-reference' style algorithms to be my primary reference in an emergency setting, I can see myself finding certain aspects very useful as a reference in a non time-critical setting, and as a good revision guide for higher pre-hospital care exams. As a concise summary-style reference book for the discipline (like all Oxford Handbooks - it assumes you have some knowledge) it represents good value for money.

Errors, errors, errors...
The book appears pretty good overall, following the standard, easy-to-read Oxford Handbook approach of one subject per page. The range of information seems comprehensive, and I am led to believe this book is now a core text for revision for the Dip IMC.

*BUT*

In addition to the glaring ALS algorithm error inside the front cover (pre-2005 guidelines)...

p.92 - description of defibrillation still refers to the 3 stacked shocks as per the pre-2005 guidelines

p.146 - rectal diazemuls dose stated at 500g(!) and paediatric diazemuls dose stated as 200-300g/kg...that's 20,000-30,000 ampoules.

...and I've only got to p.180 so far.

Lets hope the 2nd edition will be better proof-read :-)

First Impressions
It is unfortunate that the resuscitation algorithm inside the front cover is not based on the current Resuscitation Council guidelines - I did initially wonder what I had spent my hard earned pennies on!
Although I have not had time to fully digest the information contained in this book it appears (apart from the algorithm above) to reflect changes made in the JRCALC guidelines (a publication that must warrant a mention in the suggested reading section on page 64), although the paediatric non-shockable rhythm algorithm on page 529 indicates the use of adrenaline via the ET route - not recommended in JRCALC.
Each chapter contains information that is relevant and informative and which should aid in the diagnosis/management of many medical and traumatic conditions - I can imagine myself delving into it's pages on a regular basis, either for information or for verification of diagnosis and/or treatment.
Easily distinguishable as one of the Oxford handbook series this book should become a firm favourite with for EMT, Paramedic and ECP personnel and other persons involved in the provision of care in the pre-hospital environment - though if you work to JRCALC or Resuscitation Council guidelines be sure to cross check drugs and protocols are valid.