Consumer's Medical Desk Reference: Information Your Doctor Can't or Won't Tell - Hardcover

Practical information about obtaining health care is especially welcome at a time when this issue is under national scrutiny. The Consumer's Medical Desk Reference is a different type of general medical source. Prepared by the People's Medical Society, a leading consumer health-care advocacy group, it offers sound advice on dealing with the bureaucratic and technical aspects of the system.

The book is divided into 11 sections covering various aspects of the health-care system. These sections include basic information on anatomy and physiology, diseases and conditions, health-care practitioners, hospitals, medical schools, government agencies, professional associations and certifying boards, referral agencies, and a bibliography of books and periodicals. What sets this book apart from other general lay reference books is its emphasis on the patient's participation in all aspects of health care. Discussions of diseases and conditions consider all treatment options and suggest questions to ask before deciding on a care plan. Various types of traditional and alternative practitioners are listed along with criteria for choosing care. Sections on malpractice, evaluating care, patient's legal rights, insurance providers and how to choose and deal with them, health maintenance, and basic family health supplies and health while traveling are very useful. Lists are a unique feature of this book. Among them are the most common surgical procedures and tests and the risks associated with them, top toll-free health-information lines, and rankings of states by health.

Although The Consumer's Medical Desk Reference covers diseases and drugs in less depth than such encyclopedias as The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book (Morrow, 1990) and The Complete Drug Reference (Consumer Reports, annual), it provides valuable practical information about a broad range of health-care issues. The many lists and the coverage of insurance and legal issues are especially useful. At $24.95, it is affordable for both reference and circulating collections and is an excellent addition for public and patient-education libraries.

Using their experience with the People's Medical Society, a consumer's healthcare advocacy group founded in 1983, Inlander (with Karla Morales, Getting the Most for Your Medical Dollars, LJ 1/91) and staff have compiled a desktop reference to assist the public in making informed decisions about major healthcare concerns. CMDR clarifies choices concerning the use of medical procedures and tests, medications, hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory care centers, healthcare providers, and insurance. The chapter on healthcare providers compares MDs and osteopaths; examines dentists, chiropractors, and mental health practitioners; and lists associations, societies, medical specialty boards and state licensing agencies to contact for additional information. CMDR contains facts not easily found, such as mortality, morbidity, and complication rates for the top 18 high-risk surgical procedures; an alcohol impairment chart that correlates blood alcohol levels with number of drinks and body weight; information for travel needs; and glossaries of terms. The chapter on consumer protection explains the patient's bill of rights, informed consent, advance directives, and malpractice. CMDR is not intended to replace family medical guides; rather, it provides a framework for weighing options. The lists of hotlines, state and federal agencies, associations and commercial healthcare researchers (e.g., Plane-tree, the Health Resource) provide stepping stones for additional research on almost any topic. Recommended for all libraries with consumer health collections.
Mary Prottsman, Medical Lib., Enterprise, Ala.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.