Emergency Law, 2nd edition
2
doi: 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2006.00813.x Emergency Medicine Australasia (2006) 18 , 97–98 © 2006 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine Blackwell Publishing AsiaMelbourne, AustraliaEMMEmergency Medicine Australasia1035-68512005 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd20061819798Book Review Book ReviewsBook Reviews BOOK REVIEWS Color Atlas of Emergency Department Procedures Custalow B, Elsevier Saunders Philadelphia, 2005, 205 pages, hard cover, RRP $A213.40, ISBN 0- 7216-0447-1. Distributed by Elsevier Australia, telephone: +61 2 9517 8999 or 1800 263951 or website: http://www.elsevier.com.au Color Atlas of Emergency Department Procedures is written by an Assistant Professor in Emergency Medi- cine from Virginia, North America, but most of the procedures described are relevant to emergency medi- cine practice in Australasia. The contents of this Atlas are listed in alphabetical order and each procedure has a brief description, list of indications, contraindications, complications and equip- ment required. Contents include arthrocentesis of vari- ous joints, central venous catheterization, compartment measurement, crico thyroidotomy, lumbar puncture, varying nerve blocks, pericardiocentesis, radial artery line placement, thoracocentesis, thoracostomy and even thoracotomy. Varying wound care procedures and methods of suturing are also well described and illustrated., Each procedure is broken down, beginning with patient posi- tioning, then each of the steps is illustrated with excel- lent quality drawings and photographs, accompanied by brief relevant text. Overall this is an easily approachable succinct atlas of procedures likely to be performed in most ED and would be an excellent teaching tool. Neil Banham MB BS, FACEM Director Emergency Department, Rockingham/Kwinana District Hospital Emergency Physician Fremantle Hospital Western Australia, Australia A–Z of Emergency Radiology Holmes EJ and Misra RR, Cambridge University Press, 2004, 178 pages, soft cover, RRP $A85.00, ISBN 1 841 10201 6. Distributed by Cambridge University Press. Australia, telephone: +61 3 8671 1411 or website: http://www.cambridge.org/aus Unlike some other radiology books for emergency med- icine, at least this one has been written with an emer- gency medicine author. However, I do not think this book meets its stated aim of being ‘an accessible guide to the key aspects of commonly encountered problems in the emergency department’. The book is organized by chapters on anatomical regions, and has reasonable images of some common and some not so common emergency presentations. Within each chapter, images are presented by diagnosis rather than by clinical prob- lem, with a brief synopsis of associated clinical features, radiological features and management. As a teaching tool or clinical guide, I do not think this approach is effective as it starts with the presumption that the diagnosis is known (if that was the case, why would you do the test?). There is no overview of an approach to reviewing imaging of the various anatomi- cal regions, the role of available imaging modalities, or the relative accuracy of these modalities in different clinical settings. These deficits reduce the book to a series of interesting vignettes, rather than a guide to interpreting radiology in emergency medicine. Plain abdominal X-ray radiographs in trauma, and skull X-ray radiographs demonstrating fractures, with no discus- sion of the serious limitations of such tests might well encourage junior staff to order inappropriate imaging. The main value of this book is the variety and quality of images provided, which would be useful adjuncts to teaching if presented in the broader context of a problem-based approach to radiological ordering and interpretation. Anna Holdgate MB BS, FACEM, MMed Academic Staff Specialist Liverpool Hospital Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Blackwell Publishing AsiaMelbourne, AustraliaEMMEmergency Medicine Australasia1035-68512005 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 2006181Book ReviewBook ReviewsBook Reviews
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Transcript of Emergency Law, 2nd edition
doi: 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2006.00813.x
Emergency Medicine Australasia
(2006)
18
, 97–98
© 2006 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine
Blackwell Publishing AsiaMelbourne, AustraliaEMMEmergency Medicine Australasia1035-68512005 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd20061819798Book Review
Book ReviewsBook Reviews
B
OOK
R
EVIEWS
Color Atlas of Emergency Department Procedures
Custalow B, Elsevier Saunders Philadelphia, 2005, 205 pages, hard cover, RRP $A213.40, ISBN 0-7216-0447-1. Distributed by Elsevier Australia, telephone: +61 2 9517 8999 or 1800 263951 or website: http://www.elsevier.com.au
Color Atlas of Emergency Department Procedures
iswritten by an Assistant Professor in Emergency Medi-cine from Virginia, North America, but most of theprocedures described are relevant to emergency medi-cine practice in Australasia.
The contents of this Atlas are listed in alphabeticalorder and each procedure has a brief description, list ofindications, contraindications, complications and equip-ment required. Contents include arthrocentesis of vari-ous joints, central venous catheterization, compartmentmeasurement, crico thyroidotomy, lumbar puncture,varying nerve blocks, pericardiocentesis, radial arteryline placement, thoracocentesis, thoracostomy and eventhoracotomy.
Varying wound care procedures and methods ofsuturing are also well described and illustrated., Eachprocedure is broken down, beginning with patient posi-tioning, then each of the steps is illustrated with excel-lent quality drawings and photographs, accompaniedby brief relevant text.
Overall this is an easily approachable succinct atlasof procedures likely to be performed in most ED andwould be an excellent teaching tool.
Neil Banham
MB BS, FACEM
Director
Emergency Department, Rockingham/Kwinana District Hospital
Emergency Physician
Fremantle Hospital
Western Australia, Australia
A–Z of Emergency Radiology
Holmes EJ and Misra RR, Cambridge University Press, 2004, 178 pages, soft cover, RRP $A85.00, ISBN 1 841 10201 6. Distributed by Cambridge University Press. Australia, telephone: +61 3 8671 1411 or website: http://www.cambridge.org/aus
Unlike some other radiology books for emergency med-icine, at least this one has been written with an emer-gency medicine author. However, I do not think thisbook meets its stated aim of being ‘an accessible guideto the key aspects of commonly encountered problemsin the emergency department’. The book is organizedby chapters on anatomical regions, and has reasonableimages of some common and some not so commonemergency presentations. Within each chapter, imagesare presented by diagnosis rather than by clinical prob-lem, with a brief synopsis of associated clinical features,radiological features and management.
As a teaching tool or clinical guide, I do not think thisapproach is effective as it starts with the presumptionthat the diagnosis is known (if that was the case, whywould you do the test?). There is no overview of anapproach to reviewing imaging of the various anatomi-cal regions, the role of available imaging modalities, orthe relative accuracy of these modalities in differentclinical settings. These deficits reduce the book to aseries of interesting vignettes, rather than a guide tointerpreting radiology in emergency medicine. Plainabdominal X-ray radiographs in trauma, and skull X-rayradiographs demonstrating fractures, with no discus-sion of the serious limitations of such tests might wellencourage junior staff to order inappropriate imaging.
The main value of this book is the variety and qualityof images provided, which would be useful adjunctsto teaching if presented in the broader context of aproblem-based approach to radiological ordering andinterpretation.
Anna Holdgate
MB BS, FACEM, MMed
Academic Staff Specialist
Liverpool Hospital
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Blackwell Publishing AsiaMelbourne, AustraliaEMMEmergency Medicine Australasia1035-68512005 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
2006181Book Review
Book ReviewsBook Reviews
Book Reviews
98
© 2006 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine
Blackwell Publishing AsiaMelbourne, AustraliaEMMEmergency Medicine Australasia1035-68512005 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
2006181Book Review
Book ReviewsBook Reviews
Emergency Law, 2nd edition
Eburn M, The Federation Press, 2005, 183 pages, RRP $A34.95, ISBN 1862875367. Distributed by The Federation Press, telephone: +61 2 9552 2200 or website: http://www.federationpress.com.au
As a registrar, I had barely any medico legal training.My one significant session was while I was in Cairns,organized by my American trained director. He orga-nized for his wife, Barbara, an American trained ‘attor-ney’ to come for an afternoon. After some introductorycomments, they set up a hypothetical scenario. Barbarawas representing a patient who was suing our director.The director distributed his ‘medical records’, which weregistrars thought were very good, as Barbara cross-examined him. She terrified us as she took these notesand director apart, and we all learnt a lot as a result.
In recent years while my wife completed a legaldegree, I spent many an hour reading law texts asher ‘research assistant’, something guaranteed to cureinsomnia. As such I have had to attempt to understandour legal system.
With this background, I was delighted to be asked toreview
Emergency Law
, second edition by MichaelEburn. As a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, Uni-
versity of New England, the author is to be compli-mented for writing an extremely readable 183-pagebook. He has aimed to write a book that ‘. . . encouragesrescuers and emergency service organisations to focuson their primary role of caring for the community andnot to be diverted by a fear of the law’. As an emergencyphysician, I found some of the chapters explaining legalprinciples, prehospital care and first aid and disasterplanning and response very interesting and havingdirect relevance, especially with the realization thatWestern Australia has no disaster or emergency plan-ning legislation! Other chapters on fire fighting, drivingemergency vehicles and liability of emergency servicesdid not have much current relevance for me; however,colleagues might well be involved in these other emer-gency services and thus be of more interest.
If you are involved in prehospital emergency servicesand are looking for an easy reading legal primer, thisis for you.
Mark Little
FACEM, MPH&TM, DTM&H
Emergency Physician and Clinical Toxicologist
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
