Esther Tan, King's College London

Though the title describes the book as a "pocketbook", it is very detailed and beyond the scope of what one would need to know as a medical student. The book is divided into 2 parts: 1) Orthopaedic examination - The examination of the different regions is very thorough and include many 'special tests', but is definitely pitched beyond medical student level and would not be feasible in an OSCE setting. 2) Fractures and dislocations - This section covers injuries and disorders/diseases by region (e.g. forearm). Again, the content is very detailed especially in describing the treatment for that injury. Overall it is a useful book for someone with a particular interest in orthopaedics. It also contains a lot of useful diagrams and radiographs. I have sometimes found it difficult to refer to when attempting to look up a specific injury because of its layout. It is not useful as a last-minute revision tool but is worth keeping if one is to pursue orthopaedics later on.

Posted 19th Oct 2008