Essential Geriatrics

Dr Henry Woodford was born in York and trained in medicine at King’s College London. He is currently employed as a consultant geriatrician at Northumbria Healthcare in the northeast of England. He has a particular interest in medicine optimisation for older people and is current chair of the relevant British Geriatrics Society special interest group. Other publications include co-authoring the textbook ‘Geriatric medicine: 300 Specialty Certificate Exam questions’. Outside of work he tries to keep fit through circuit training, running and indoor bouldering. He posts occasionally on Twitter, including the cartoon strip ‘the Wholly Frail’ (@woodford_henry).

Essential Geriatrics is an excellent counter-argument to this proposition. I previously reviewed the 3rd edition back in 2016 and gave it a 5 star rating. I boldly stated “I couldn’t be more impressed”, but reader: I was wrong!Somehow that fantastic work has been bettered. Woodford has combed through his elegant textbook and updated the evidence base, while adding in new content including Covid-19, acute coronary syndromes and improved statistical explanations – something that I always feared, but this book makes accessible. The same logical structure has been carried over, with the major topics of Brain, Bladder & Bowel, Falls, Cardiovascular & Respiratory comprising the main sections. These are augmented by what feels like “bonus content” of common issues including but not limited to leg ulcers, arthritis, anaemia, cancer and epilepsy. Pick a topic, you’ll find it.Readers new to geriatric medicine will appreciate the first section, which introduces ageing, frailty, CGA, care approaches for older people and medications. This means that medical students and trainees who have not yet had exposure to the area can rapidly get up to speed. For trainees with some experience, they can consolidate their clinical learning with the detailed information here. I dare say that fully qualified geriatricians would be hard-pressed not to find something new. For a book to suit so many potential readers is unique, but Woodford writes with clarity and a passion that holds the reader’s attention. For consultant colleagues who are not geriatricians, his voice makes our specialty approachable and engaging.You can test your ability to digest all this knowledge by trying out the 200 single best answer multiple choice questions – a nifty addition for anyone sitting the SCE soon (but probably a good idea for all of us!). These are high-quality questions that relate to modern topics and have been freshly written – not simply rehashed from an old database.Any textbook of almost 500 pages can feel off-putting, but this one has been plucked from my shelf on an almost-daily basis over the past 2 months since its release. I actively like dipping in when I have a spare 5 minutes, and this is made easy by the useful “Key Points” boxes at the end of each chapter. None of my questions have remained unanswered after browsing Essential Geriatrics.To conclude, the fourth edition is a must-buy – and if you only ever buy one book this is it. It’s like having a Professor of Geriatric Medicine on your shelf; one you’d like to retweet constantly…Shane O’HanlonConsultant Geriatrician, St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublinhttps://www.bgs.org.uk/blog/book-review-essential-geriatrics-fourth-edition-by-henry-j-woodford

• PART A: Healthcare for older people 1 Ageing 2 Care 3 Medications 4 Peri-operative medicine 5 Palliative care Questions for Part A PART B: Brain 6 Dementia 7 Delirium 8 Depression 9 Movement disorders 10 Stroke Questions for Part B PART C: Bladder and bowel 11 Urinary tract disorders 12 Bowel disorders Questions for Part C PART D: Falls and related topics 13 Dizziness 14 Falls 15 Syncope 16 Bones and fractures Questions for Part D PART E: Cardiovascular and respiratory 17 Heart failure 18 Hypertension 19 Atrial fibrillation20 Acute coronary syndromes21 Chest Questions for Part E PART F: Selected topics Anaemia Arthritis Cancer Epilepsy Hypothermia Leg ulcers Motor neuron disease Myopathy Pressure ulcers Type 2 diabetes Questions for Part F APPENDIX A: Rating scales APPENDIX B: Abbreviations APPENDIX C: Answers to questions