A comprehensive approach to assessment and diagnosis from a nursing perspective. The first edition, Nursing Assessment: a Multidimensional Approach (1984) pioneered a nursing model for assessment, in contrast to the body systems models presented in most texts. The present revised and expanded editio

This is a comprehensive textbook of physical diagnosis, organized by organ system. This is the third edition; previous editions were published in 1989 and 1994. The author's stated purpose is to integrate pathophysiology and the humanistic element withthe technique of the physical examination. Although the author cites ""all students of health care"" as his audience, the depth and breadth of the text, as well as the historical references, indicate that medical students learning physical diagnosis are the primary audience. The section on patient interviewing includes an entire chapter on cultural issues. The 15 chapters on examination techniques all use the same format, proceeding from a review of relevant anatomy, physiology, and symptomatology, to a discussion of the impact of disease on patients, to the physical examination techniques themselves, and finally to clinicopathological correlations. There are many more photographs of important findings than in the previous edition. The last section includes a brief, clear synopsis of clinical epidemiology as used in diagnostic reasoning. By integrating physical exam techniques with history, pathophysiology, and clinical reasoning, this text serves as a comprehensive introduction to clinical medicine. This third edition adds many useful illustrations and significant new material on cultural issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, and the care of acutely ill patients. 87/100. Joan M. Bedinghaus, MD(Medical College of Wisconsin) Copyright 2006 Doody Reviews.