Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine (Pocket Notebook Series)

I have been using Pocket Medicine since being a wee little OMS-3. I can tell you that this thing has been the most amazing reference book in my life. I've seen them all (Washington Manual, UCSF's hospitalist handbook, the ICU book, etc). I'll be honest, being an attending, I've been using uptodate more now than this book but as a medical student/resident, this book is amazing. What makes this book such an amazing reference is that they actually write down the article/journal that they are referencing to if you wish to expand your knowledge base with the original research. I've known the details of this series for many years. See my older reviews on Pocket Medicine to see what I think about the series. Again, for the newcomers, welcome to medicine and if you're looking for a reference book, this shall be your bible. The style is that same Pocket Medicine style with lots of abbreviations, and references. If you are having trouble figuring out what that abbreviation is in the book, check the back of the book. If you can get a copy off your colleague, I recommend taking a look first before jumping the gun and buying it without looking at how this is written. I've seen people be put off by the style and so I recommend doing this first if you're completely unfamiliar with the series. Before, I would be searching things very fast on this book. But given the speed of the uptodate app on my phone, I'll admit I haven't been using this little buddy as much. The pocket book fits in any white coat. Now I will present changes/differences: New sections (not all inclusive): Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices, Toxicology, Lung Transplant, Dysmotility and Nutrition, Disorders of Colon, Intestinal Ischemia. Some of these were renamed sections. I haven't used the book enough to tell you if these changes make a difference if you're thinking about upgrading from purple. New references: qSOFA for sepsis, cardiac risk assessment tables has been slightly simplified (although the basics are the same), JNC 8 is in the book. The controversial lipid guidelines from AHA are in the book now. Ophthalmic issues section has been changed a lot (I liked the purple version better but maybe its because I'm just used to it). Dislikes: the book I bought uses a more similar flimsy paper as in the purple version. I miss the paper they used in green. But what I was really MAD about is that the publisher didn't do a good job at screening the hole punches and it was hole punched slightly off and now the first couple pages have already ripped out. I'm very unhappy about this but I did not subtract a star as the rating is about the content. Bottomline: it's the same old pocket medicine you love and see your colleagues use. Is it worth upgrading? absolutely not. Will I stop buying future issues? I'm thinking this may be the last one I upgrade as I probably use uptodate more often now as an attending but I can appreciate all of the information that is needed to update this little book. Again, borrow one to see if you like the style before buying this. Again, like all of my previous reviews: I didn't get paid by Dr Sabatine or Wolters Kluwer for this review. Also a moment of silence for my purple version. RIP my battered and time tested purple version, RIP.

I'm not normally a fan of "paper books" (I prefer PDFs and the UpToDate app), but this little book is the exception to my rule. I can't speak to the use of it as an IM resident (I imagine it would be even more useful intern year), but at the MS3 level I found it to be incredibly helpful for when I was pressed for time and was seeing a patient with a problem that I hadn't seen before. Sure, I could spend 20-40 minutes reading UTD articles that go into way more detail than I need to know, or I could flip to the cardiology section and read the 1.5 pages over that topic and be golden. Plus, you don't have to feel bad "being on your phone" during rounds. Cons/reservations: - if at all possible, find someone with the book already and take a look. I found the abbreviations & small text to be useful (it made me learn the lingo of IM more quickly), but some people are put off by the style - it can be hard to navigate at first, given the depth of coverage. I found it useful to but the little post-it note tabs (that you can use when annotating books) for each section, but even then it takes me a little longer to find the correct section vs just searching UTD/the internet Pros: - concise yet very comprehensive; able to answer most of my questions once I could find the page - small enough to fit in my back scrub pocket (and serve as a clip board for my notes if you use 0.3mm pens) - after a month or so I could "visualize" where topics are in the book, and look them up really fast - because it's looseleaf w/ a binder, you can remove certain pages and re-order the book based on your needs (wouldn't recommend for general IM, but was advantageous when I was on specialty rotations) OVERALL: I don't normally write reviews, but I have regret that I didn't buy this book earlier in my rotation. When I started IM I looked at the reviews on Amazon, and delayed buying this book because I thought it might be more detail than I needed at the MS3 level. So if you're reading this and you're having the same feeling, save yourself the misery and go ahead and pull the trigger on this book

I’m about to start my 3rd year, and bought this after hearing that it is one of the few absolute must-haves for the wards. I was a little weary about getting this from Amazon due to all of the reviews about it being of poor quality. However, I don’t see any of the problems that others have written about. I’m not sure if they addressed the issues or if I just got lucky but I’m very happy with it. The binder seems strong, and the pages fit nicely inside of it, without hanging out at all. The pages are somewhat thin, but they’re not overly flimsy or delicate. I’d prefer them to be thin anyway, though to keep the book as small as possible. The words aren’t so tiny that it’s difficult for me to read, but I can see why more experienced (i.e. older) doctors may have some trouble. Also, after a thorough look through the pages, there were none missing or misprinted. I think it would be a nice touch if they printed a quick table of contents on the inside cover on the binder, or put it on the cover page, but that’s not a big deal. Overall, the book is concise, easy to use, and I can see why it comes so highly recommended. I’ll update this review if anything arises as far as quality or if, once I start using it, I notice any shortcomings.

TLDR: NOT a fake, Quality info in a Quality binder. Still works great in 2020. (Bought over the new 7th Ed. For the binder format) Full review: I was hesitant to purchase for my PA clinical year after seeing so many reviews claiming fake copies. While I can't speak for others, the copy I received was well packed with each piecepackaged individually in shrink wrap. The bottom ring and second ring from the top were ever so slightly misaligned when I got the book. so I promptly bent them with little effort to the proper position with no issues. I have been using the OG 3rd edition (red book) for didactic year and this seems to match the quality of that book. (with maybe even better paper.) Definitely impressed with the amount of info they are able to package into this small book, Which will be well worth it for the times you are in the basement ER of some rural hospital with no cell service to access Up To Date and patients waiting. I'll let y'all know if it falls apart but for now highly recommend. (2/18/20)

The guide is packed with overall information for what you need on rounds. This is in a binder and has a franklin covey/compact hole pattern for the pages.so you can add blank pages to write your own notes. Layout: The book is in the order of relative importance and occurance. The first chapter is cardiology and the last is Neuro and Rhuematology. Since this is in a binder, one can change the layout to suit your needs. References and photos are in the back and are great for reference such as CXR of pneumothorax, pleural effusion, edema, etc. to quickly jog your mind. This is for reference and not for learning. For example, it has S. aureus and treatment for celluitis but does not have to tell you it is Gram +, cat +, what toxins, etc. that is needed for tests. Took off a star for not having a plastic protector because carrying it around shifts the sheets and almost torn off the important last pages with references. I used the contributing author pages to protect it until I found plastic rules given out by sales reps and punched holes in them. I tried looking locally and on Amazon but could not easily find any since the refills only have sheets. Pros: Essential information for medical professional - Good for study materials during down time. Layout is first in order of importance and usefulness Relatively standard Franklin Covey/Compact pattern Quality is good for pocket guide Should fit most large pockets of lab coats Clear colored pictures and text Cons: No plastic protector - first and last pages gets caught and rip small print that is hard to add notes directly on the page.

This book is a must have for any medical student rotating through their clinical years. An absolute necessity for IM. It’s very thorough and answers any questions you have. Some may be better off just using their smart device, but I personally like books. Also, sometimes their are situations where it is not appropriate to take out a phone to look up information due to the patients perception and/or the attendings’ perception. The last thing you want is someone who is evaluating you to think you’re on social media. This book eliminates the hassle of having to ask permission to access resources on a smart device. Pulling out a big orange book that says “Pocket Medicine” speaks for itself and also conveys to the old school attending that you are motivated and willing to learn. I recommend this book even for the sake of shaping first impressions and perception, especially in an environment that is as career defining as clinical rotations.

Great during the wards. If you are not sure how to interpret lab values or how to do a workup for a particular patient it is a great reference to see what the cut offs are. It is great for both diagnostic workup and treatment. If you are going to get pimped or asked to give a presentation you can always fall back on this book or the references they provide. It is a great summary, if you do not have equations memorized or if your institution does not have uptodate for you to look up a concept/do not have time to read an article. It is also faster than looking through pubmed and NEJM for a review article explaining the topic as it is a great summary of important points. It is light. It also comes with the hardcover sleeve and if needed the book can accomdate more pages so if you want to add other loose leafs you can. I am not sure how different this is from the previous purple book. I carried that one around and it had similar pages and organization. The purple book a borrowed from a friend. There are a few new references from 2013 onwards that were not in the purple book. I will update the review when I do an actual side to side comparison.

For my IM clerkship I borrowed this edition from my medical library and used it throughout my rotation. I found it useful and have decided to buy my own because I am going into IM. The copy I bought from Wolcott Books off of Amazon does not look or feel like the one I used from the library (which I currently have checked out and can do a side-by-side comparison). The Wolter's Kluwer logo is misprinted on the front and back cover, and the binder cover feels loose. The printing inside looks blurry and pixelated compared to the one from the library and the ink color is off. I am returning the copy I bought and trying a different seller on Amazon for a higher price. As far as I can tell the content is the same, so for 20 bucks cheaper it would probably be serviceable, but I am willing to pay higher for good quality. (library copy is pictured on the right)

It has boiled down essentials are amazing. The best pocket book I've ever come across. The book is from one of the oldest hospitals practising modern medicine.

Kindle版の便利なところは、① 判らない単語もKindle付属の辞書やGoogle検索で簡単に調べられる。引用文献もそのまま選択してGoogle検索すれば、abstractぐらいはすぐ読める。略語が多いので最初は苦労するが、巻末の略語一覧に載っていない略語は、関連していそうな語とペアでGoogle検索すれば、結構引っかかる。②文字を読みやすいサイズに自由に変えられる。③スマホがあればいつでもどこでもすきま時間に勉強できる。PCでもPC版Kindleをインストールすれば読める。また、旧版よりページ移動がしやすいように改善されている。文字化けもなくなった。欠点は、スマホは(機内モードにしないと)病棟には持ち込めないことか。 各所で最新の内容にアップデートされている。 (追記) やはり一部に文字化けがある。 また、CKDのcomplications & treatmentの２次性hyperPTHの項になぜかstages of CKDの表が再掲されている。旧版にはTarget PTHの表が載っていたので、ミスだろう。また、敗血症のSOFAスコアのGCSがGCGとなっていたり、qSOFAのSBPが110 mmHg以下となっている。ACLSアルゴリズムのFigureのタイトルがtachycardiaとbradycardiaが逆。

E' un libro eccezionale, utilissimo per lo studio e la consultazione. E' aggiornato e condensa in poco spazio tantissime informazioni. Due nei: e' scritto in caratteri molto piccoli e presenta molte sigle ed abbreviazioni non sempre di immediata comprensione. Secondo me e' uno dei libri di medicina interna da portare sempre con se'

Excelent

Perfect for rounds.