Saad Fyyaz, The University of Nottingham

This is without doubt a brilliant book. In the opening chapters, I found the "History Taking" to be exceptionally well covered, it was both concise and yet detailed to help me build on the basic structure I have acquired thus far at Nottingham. I don't doubt that I will refer to this chapter in the future. In order to make the most of this book you will need to accustom yourself with the layout, which I found initially somewhat strange if/when I referred to it sporadically but once you've read a chapter through it all makes The chapter is laid out to initially introduce the system and a diagram of the body identifying areas of examination and what to look for, leading on to a refresh of the anatomy and the symptoms/definitions relevant to that chapter. In this regard it is quite comprehensive and should comfortably get you through MedSchool OSCE's. There are numerous diagrams and tables ideal for quick reference. The diagrams in particular are excellent, they're very clear, and this sort of text would not be complete with pictures dotted around. Importantly there is no excess of laborious text, which is very handy. For those who prefer to read paragraphs of solid text, the tables/diagrams may actually be somewhat irritating although I was comfortable with it. I used this book for my second year OSCE's and found that the videos (on the DVD) were helpful (though a couple of them are insanely formal and thus quite patronising to watch), I can't see myself using the videos a lot in the future, somehow I don't feel they are all that detailed, but for the level I am currently at it was certainly useful, I suspect this aspect will be improved in the future editions. In conclusion this book cannot really fail to give you a solid foundation to start with, and so consequently serves its purpose. We've heard it said before that such skills are best learnt at the bedside, an aid like this will not go astray!

Posted 12th Jul 2010

Sihan Wang, Karolinska Institutet, Stockolm

This book was a pleasure to read, with a good amount of pictures and checklists. It is an excellent reference book as it not only includes how to diagnose but also what causes the symtoms which also further one's understanding of medicine as well as connecting it with basic science. I love the pictures illustrating the symtoms and signs, which I reviewed before each clinical examination during my beginner course. For a beginner, it is a lot of information. I handled that by cross-referencing this title to the information found in the pocket-sized version which was a big help. The CD on clinical examination differs from some of the other examination videos I've watched by going nice and slow so you can easily follow what they're saying and doing. Sometimes it felt a bit too slow though, and in future CDs/clinical examination videos I'd love to see the actual pathological manifestiations, e.g. when checking for flapping tremor the video could first show a healthy person and then how the pathological sign looks like. I recommend this book and believe it's main strength is the vast amount of information and details as a reference book. As a doctor said at our clinical placement, it's definitely a keeper!

Posted 24th Jun 2010

Christopher Roughley, University of Warwick

A bible for all examinations! I found a brilliant mix of illustrations, photographs, tables and text; creating an engaging read for any type of learner. It has all the information you'll need to take you into clinical practice, without feeling like bogged down in details. You can pick out the content you require, making it a flexible read and suitable for all stages of a medical career. It highlights key points and offers hints in how to diagnose those illnesses with similar presentations. Its an excellent addition to any medics library!

Posted 23rd May 2010

Emma Jackson, University of Manchester

I am currently revising for my third year OSCE and this book has been fantastic. It has a good layout making it easy and enjoyable to read. There is a good balance between text and pictures, with pictures of important findings, so that during an exam when you say a term you know what you are looking for. Of particularly use are the boxes within each chapter which explain how to do a focussed exam for a specific illness rather than a generalised exam. The book doesn’t just include clinical skills there is background information on each system and also relevant investigations that could be carried out for each system. The only slight weakness I would say is that although the DVD is very informative and clear, the examinations come across as rather robotic. However the book itself is a very useful tool in the preparation of examination skills required for OSCE. Can't recommend it enough!!!

Posted 18th May 2010

Andrew Gough, University of Manchester

This has to be the must have clinical examination book! It is an incredibly thorough book which is very well illustrated - a must in a book explaining how to perform examinations! Key information is clearly presented and the sequences to performing the exam are clearly laid out (having a systematic approach tends to be very important in OSCEs!!) The key systems to examine have quick reference reviews of how perform the relevant exam at the start of the chapter. There is also plenty of additional information in the book which should cover you for when examiners ask for the numerous causes of clubbing or whatever! Most importantly, this new edition features a DVD!!!- The DVD includes videos of how to perform examinations of key systems. This is a useful edition as it's another way to revise for exams, however it is not a great OSCE revision resource - the examinations tend not to be very focused and it is incredibly formal (examiners like friendly doctors!) - it would also have been nice to see a section on communications and taking histories! However, on the subject of performing focused examinations - the video may be poor but the book is excellent and there are now sections in chapters which tell you what to examine in a focused exam - say if the examiner has told you to examine for a pneumothorax - you'll find a list of these in the front which is very useful. Overall, it's a must buy!!!!!

Posted 17th Sep 2009