Essential Geriatrics

Essential Geriatrics is an excellent counter-argument to this proposition. I previously reviewed the 3rd edition back in 2016 and gave it a 5 star rating. I boldly stated “I couldn’t be more impressed”, but reader: I was wrong!

Somehow that fantastic work has been bettered. Woodford has combed through his elegant textbook and updated the evidence base, while adding in new content including Covid-19, acute coronary syndromes and improved statistical explanations – something that I always feared, but this book makes accessible. The same logical structure has been carried over, with the major topics of Brain, Bladder & Bowel, Falls, Cardiovascular & Respiratory comprising the main sections. These are augmented by what feels like “bonus content” of common issues including but not limited to leg ulcers, arthritis, anaemia, cancer and epilepsy. Pick a topic, you’ll find it.

Readers new to geriatric medicine will appreciate the first section, which introduces ageing, frailty, CGA, care approaches for older people and medications. This means that medical students and trainees who have not yet had exposure to the area can rapidly get up to speed. For trainees with some experience, they can consolidate their clinical learning with the detailed information here. I dare say that fully qualified geriatricians would be hard-pressed not to find something new. For a book to suit so many potential readers is unique, but Woodford writes with clarity and a passion that holds the reader’s attention. For consultant colleagues who are not geriatricians, his voice makes our specialty approachable and engaging.

You can test your ability to digest all this knowledge by trying out the 200 single best answer multiple choice questions – a nifty addition for anyone sitting the SCE soon (but probably a good idea for all of us!). These are high-quality questions that relate to modern topics and have been freshly written – not simply rehashed from an old database.

Any textbook of almost 500 pages can feel off-putting, but this one has been plucked from my shelf on an almost-daily basis over the past 2 months since its release. I actively like dipping in when I have a spare 5 minutes, and this is made easy by the useful “Key Points” boxes at the end of each chapter. None of my questions have remained unanswered after browsing Essential Geriatrics.

To conclude, the fourth edition is a must-buy – and if you only ever buy one book this is it. It’s like having a Professor of Geriatric Medicine on your shelf; one you’d like to retweet constantly…

Shane O’Hanlon
Consultant Geriatrician, St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin
https://www.bgs.org.uk/blog/book-review-essential-geriatrics-fourth-edition-by-henry-j-woodford