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Practical General Practice
Guidelines for Effective Clinical Management
Edited by Adam Staten and Kate Robinson 8th Edition
Published by Elsevier (January 2025)
ISBN 978-0-443-12359-7
Price £61.99
I have used previous editions of this general practice book, and this new version undoubtedly keeps up the excellent tradition. It is packed full of information and excellent advice and gets straight to the point. This makes it easy to read and quick to absorb, and perfect for healthcare professionals in front-line primary care in the UK (and elsewhere, though it is very much UK-oriented). It makes an excellent reference book for a GP in training, an established GP, and other clinical members of a primary care team.
Its 532 pages are packed with practical knowledge and written clearly and concisely. It is surprisingly comprehensive, and there are good general references and signposting to relevant guidelines.
It is a great book to have accessible in the consulting room, where you can read about a patient’s problem before, during, or after the consultation. If you don’t want a bulky book around (the height is slightly smaller than an A4 piece of paper), the purchase price of the book includes a really good eBook (more later). So, the content is easily accessible on the move.
As I said, the book is not only highly clinically focused, but even better, it is viewed from the perspective of UK primary care. Take, for example, the management of Menorrhagia (Page 201) as a good example of the excellence of this book. It starts with reference to two NICE guidelines from 2021 and 2023, and the section ends with access to a patient advice leaflet.
The introduction of this section is in bullet points. It helps set the scene, while the clinical assessment and treatment sections also have a number of bullet points containing crucial statements. These include when to refer, what bloods to do, and treatment regimes. In just under two pages, the important basics and more on what to do are covered in appropriate detail.
This is typical of the coverage of a wide range of topics to be found in this book. As I mentioned in the book’s purchase price, there is access to an eBook that can be accessed via the web and a smart device. There is a code (it is quite a considerable length) to obtain, which is on the inside front cover, and the instructions are easy to follow. Both smartphone and web access are straightforward to use, and the content is clearly laid out for rapid access.
Considering that this is a high-quality, well-produced book that comes bundled with electronic twins, I think it represents good value for money for use in a primary care team.
