Managing a CHIS » Selection (Evaluation) Tools
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Choosing Health Books as a Consumer
By Lea K. Starr, B.Sc., M.L.S.
Manager
Western Regional Operating Partner
Canadian Health Network
Level 5, 350W. Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC, V6B 1B6
Phone: 604-331-4115
Fax: 604-331-4119
email: leasta@chn.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca
http://canadian-health-network.ca
July 2000
Thanks to all who replied for my requests for help with pulling together suggestions for choosing consumer health books and publishers and classics. I have used a variety of the answers and add some of my own from various lookings around.
Reputable Publishers
- Gale
- Facts on File
- O'Reilly
- American Medical Association
- Canadian Medical Association
- Jossey-Bass Pub
- Hazelden
- Cenaps
- Baywood
- Springhouse
- Guilford
Any press associated with a large well known medical institution such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mayo, Columbia, University of Toronto, McMaster University.
Also try national organizations or societies for specific problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes. There are many associations linked from the CHN website. Some will have posted recommended books on their site.
Features to look for in choosing a book
- Authorship. Is the author known and does he/she have recognized credibility? Are they a specialist in the filed or if written by a "non-expert" does the author use well document sources. Are the author's claim substantiated by references that are current?
- Has the author disclosed his/her credentials and any relationship he/she may have to the topic.
- Currency: Is the material up to date? Does is reflect recent developments?
- Organization: Index: there should be one and it is helpful if it is extensive, the Table of Contents should be well laid out. Are the chapters substantial enough to cover the topic?
- Point of View: Is the information well-balanced reflecting diverse viewpoints. Does it avoid fads? Does the material show ethnic and cultural sensitivity?
- Illustrations that are clear and help to explain the concepts of the book
- Readability: can you understand what the author has written and explain it to someone else. Does the author avoid technical terms and jargon. Is the emotional tone appropriate?
- Does the book focus on problem solving by the consumer or does it offer quick cures?
- You might also think about whom the book has been written for. For instance the Merck Manual of Medical Diagnosis and Treatment was written for health professionals. It is extremely clinical and somewhat difficult to comprehend. A far easier to understand text by the same publisher is Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition
- Bibliographies in the book should have both depth and breadth and contain a fair number of current items
- Cost: When you are choosing between two books that seem equal this can be a deciding factor.
- Check out some Book Reviews; These can be looked for at the Public Library which has indexes to book reviews that tell you where the book review was published and then you could use the collection of the library to read the review to assist you in deciding to purchase the book. Book reviews of consumer health books are published in a variety of places, New York Times Book Review, Quill and Quire, Journal of the American Medical Association etc.
- You could also check whether the book has been selected by public libraries. In particular checking in the consumer health lists below or Web sites of national organizations.
Good Sites Where Books are Listed
Consumer Health Information Service of the Toronto Reference Library. This well regarded service has posted a strong list at:
http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/TRL/centres/chis/collctngd.html
Also the Consumer and Patient Health Information Services Section of librarians in the Medical Library Association has a webpage and they provide several vetted lists at: http://caphis.njc.org/caphishowto.html#ColDev The list above is included.
Avoid Books with the following
- Testimonials
- Reliance on philosophies that supercede scientifically proven theories.
- Books that push particular commercial products
- Books that advocate harmful treatment
- Books that promote discrimination
- Books on finding the Best Doctors or the Best Hospitals don't usually contain Canadian Information because health care is not for profit like in the US. So far hospitals and their owners (Provincial governments) are not competing for patients. Likewise, physicians don't work for various health care companies so they are not evaluated in the same ways that they are across the border.
Despite all the above suggestions for choosing good books, sometimes the recommendation of a friend or your own intuition is the best help when choosing a book especially if it is on life style change, smoking cessation or the acceptance of death.
The comments attached to this list of books are not mine. I pulled them various other lists. I have chosen the books which appeared on several lists or which in my own experience are the classics in various areas. If I were building my own health library at home I would choose a couple of the more general texts and then probably choose the disease based titles that I needed.
Classic Titles
Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide. Anthony L. Komaroff. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1999. $59.00. ISBN 0684847035. This richly packed compendium offers more than a thousand pages of health information compiled from the expertise of 7,000 physicians and researchers. Whether you're figuring out what your symptoms might mean, researching a disease, looking up a medication, learning about a body part or function, or formulating questions to ask your doctor, you can find the information here.
Johns Hopkins Family Health Book:The Essential Home Medical Reference to Help You and Your Family Promote Good Health 1st edition, Johns Hopkins, 1999 ISBN 0-06-270149-5, $72.50
Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition. Robert M. editor-in-chief. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories, 1997. $47.50. ISBN 0911910875. This home edition contains nearly all the information found in the Merck Manual, but is written for the lay reader. A comprehensive, accessible guide organized around organ systems and medical specialties. Appendices contain information on legal issues, medical tests, drug names, and referral organizations, including some Web sites.
Canadian Consumer's Guide to Healthcare. By Sharon Lindenburger. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 1998. $19.99. The Canadian Medical Association Complete Guide to Medical Symptoms. Westmount, PQ: Reader's Digest Association (Canada). 1994. $39.95 Cdn.
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide: Complete Home Medical Guide. Genell Subak-Sharpe, ed. 3rd rev. ed. New York: Crown Publishers, 1995. $61.50Cdn.
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. 2nd ed. David J. Larson, ed. Fairfax, NJ: William Morrow, 1996. $64.95
The American Medical Association Family Medical Guide, Rev. & Updated, 3rd edition, Rand, 1994, $61.50
American College Of Physicians Complete Home Medical Guide. David R. Goldman, Ed Dorling Kindersley, October 1999. $62.50 ISBN 0789444127. Dorling Kindersley has joined the American College of Physicians to produce a vital, richly illustrated, multimedia product. The book contains articles on over 700 diseases with additional information on surgery, medications and rehabilitation. Also included in the package is a CD-ROM on basic anatomy on physiology. An exceptional value.
American Geriatrics Society's Complete Guide to Aging & Health. Mark E. Williams. New York: Harmony Books, 1995 $56.00 ISBN 0517595397 A comprehensive look at the medical aspects of aging.
American Medical Association Complete Guide to Your Children's Health. Edward Traisman, ed. New York: Random, 1999 $55.95ISBN 0679457763 A comprehensive one-volume guide to children's health from infancy through adolescence.
The New Wellness Encyclopedia. From the Editors of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995.$38.95 ISBN 0395733456 This is an updated and revised version of the best-selling reference guide. Written by the editors of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Newsletter, it emphasizes prevention, avoidance of chemicals and pesticides in foods and low-fat diets.
Alternative Health and Medicine Encyclopedia: The Authoritative Guide to Holistic & Nontraditional Health Practices. Rev. 2nd ed. By James Marti. Detroit: Gale, 1998 ISBN 0787600737 This new edition of a very accessible alternative health encyclopedia is updated with new clinical information from various alternative health therapies. Emphasis is on treatments that integrate body, mind, and environment. Alternative therapies including acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, kinesiology, and botanical medicines are covered. The main body of the text discusses alternative approaches for treating various illnesses including cancer, heart disease, dental problems, and more.
Drugs Canadian books for the layperson are hard to find. The most recent authoritative one is already several years old. A good drug handbook should be update every year to include new drugs and those that have been withdrawn. I have included one Canadian book that is older and my favorite from the US which includes Canadian names.
Canadian Medical Association New Guide to Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs. 2nd ed. Montreal, PQ: Reader's Digest Association (Canada), 1996. $39.95 Cdn. The Complete Drug Reference, 2000 Edition. Mount Vernon, NY: Consumers Union $69.95ISBN 0890439079. An objective guide to more than 9,000 brand-name and generic prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Its comprehensiveness in coverage and its effort in using simple English make it a valuable consumer health resource.
Illustrated Guide to Diagnostic Tests. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corp., 1998..$69.95 ISBN 087424882X This book covers more than 550 laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures. Information about the purpose, patient preparation, equipment, procedures, reference values, implications of abnormal results, and post-test care are provided for each test.
Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy: How Cancer is Diagnosed, Treated, and Managed Day to Day. 3rd ed. Malin Dollinger. Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1997. $34.50. ISBN 0836236173. A thorough reference for the layperson that describes the types, stages, and different therapies for various cancers. Updates the previous editions including new treatment methods, new discoveries, and new research directions.
American Cancer Society's Informed Decisions: The Complete Book of Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery. Gerald P. Murphy, MD. New York: Viking, 1997. $50.00 ISBN 0670853704.. This is a wonderful book. The first, truly comprehensive cancer resource for patients. Topics covered in the first part of the book are investigational treatments, biological therapies, clinical trials, coping strategies, children's cancer, supportive care, pain relief, support networks, diagnostic tests, alternative therapies, signs and symptoms, and the language of cancer. The second part of the book is, "An Encyclopedia of Common and Uncommon Cancers", that discusses cancers by body site in detail. Other outstanding features of the book are its clear diagrams, and appendices of "Online information Sources" and "Resources". Very highly recommended.
Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book. 2nd ed. By Susan Love with Karen Lindsey. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1995. $27.50.
Mayo Clinic Heart Book. 2nd edition New York: Harper Collins, 2000. $45.95 ISBN 0688176429. A completely revised and updated edition of a highly regarded consumer health source.
Bowes & Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used. 17th ed. Anna DePlanter Bowes, revised by Jean A.T. Pennington. Philadelphia: Lipincott, 1997. $55.95 ISBN 0387554354. This 17th edition of the classic reference text of common food values is written for professionals nutritionists as well as for laypersons with special dietary needs. Nutritional data for over 8,000 foods is presented in chart form. The work includes information on special dietary products and a bibliography of research papers and books published between 1992 and 1997.
The Joslin Guide To Diabetes: A Program For Managing Your Treatment. Richard Beaser. Simon & Schuster, 1995. ISBN 0684802082. Expert advice from the folks at the Joslin Clinic discusses diagnosis, treatment, and diet and exercise for all types of diabetes.
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life. By Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.
The Guide to Living with HIV Infection. 4th ed. John G. Bartlett and Ann K. Finkbeiner. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. $24.95. ISBN 080188542.
Co-dependent no more: how to stop controlling others and start caring for yourself. Melanie Beattie 2nd ed. Center City, MN : Hazelden, 1992.
The Canadian Law of Consent to Treatment. 2nd. Lorne E. and Fay A. Rozovsky, eds. Toronto: Butterworths, 1997. $55.00