Media Reviews

Clinical Decision Making and Judge-ment in Nursingedited by Carl Thompson andDawn Dowding.Churchill Livingstone, London, 2002,191 pages, £16Æ95, ISBN 0 44307076 8.

This book gives an informative conciseinsight into the complex subject ofdecision-making and judgements ineveryday practice. There is increasingemphasis placed upon professionals toaccount for their decisions. Althoughthis is a nursing-orientated book, itwould be of benefit to other disciplinesas a starting point – a building blockto enhance the reader’s understandingand knowledge base. Each chaptergives an academic insight and offersdirection by exploring the theories anddaily practicalities of professional rea-soning in nursing. It evaluates themain theoretical approaches to thecomplexities of the subject matter andoffers both the benefits and limitationsto such approaches. It allows thereader to reflect by using differenttechniques such as scenarios and ques-tioning.

Each chapter deals with a differentperspective, linking into theory, re-search, evidence, analysis, conclusions,clinical judgement and protocols. Itexamines the concept of computer-based decision support programmeswithin a systematic approach. Everyday nurses are faced with the dilemmaof interpreting risk and making socialjudgements in practice, this book givesa basic knowledge base to inform this.This book is certainly a good startingpoint. Its strength lies in its use ofsimple language, end of chapter con-clusions and reflective questions forfurther discussion. This allows the rea-der to explore further and reflect on theissues raised within the chapter andrelate these into their own practice.There is also an annotated furtherreading list that directs the reader to

more in-depth reading matter aroundthe subject.

Wendy BarkerHull & East Riding Community HealthNHS Trust, UK

Great Minds Think Differently: NewFrontiers in Alzheimer’s ResearchAlzheimer’s Society, London, 2002,38 pages, £14Æ99.

If you want a brief and accessibleoverview of research into Alzheimer’sdisease then look no further. The Alz-heimer’s Society is at the forefront offunding research into the causes, cureand care of dementia, especially Alzhei-mer’s disease and this book is organizedprecisely along the above lines. Essen-tially, it is an introduction to the manyprojects funded by the Society and allthe ongoing projects, with principalinvestigators and locations, are listed.The booklet is beautifully presented inan A4 size and the price while notcheap, ensures that each purchase willhelp to support the work of the Society.Everyone with an academic interest indementia should have a copy to hand.

The first section is quite technical in thesense that it deals with the moleculargenetics of dementia. However, the text issufficient for the lay reader and thediagrams, in full colour, will help themore scientifically literate reader to relatethe material to neurobiology. The sectionon cure provides all that you need to knowabout the available purported treatmentsand has a realistic assessment of how wellthese work – unfortunately, not very well,but there are promising lines of enquiry.The final section on care considers mem-ory clinics, community care, quality of lifeand ethics. Each section ends with aninterview with a leading researcher in theareas of cause, cure and care. This bookwill be an invaluable teaching resourceand a frequent reference for those whostudy dementia.

Roger WatsonMedia Reviews Editor

Science in Nursing and Health Careby M. Foss and T. Farine.Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 406 pages,£19Æ95, ISBN 0 201 39846 X.

This is a good book. The authorsexplain their mission in a clearly writ-ten, succinct preface. The purpose of thetext is to introduce nursing students toaspects of basic science which underpinclinical practice. The aim is to covertopics in an integrated manner, so theirrelevance is made clear to students whohave not had the opportunity to studyscience in the necessary depth beforethey commence nurse training. Theseaims are achieved very well. The text isclearly written with effective and gener-ous use of tables, line diagrams andheadings. Each chapter opens with arealistic list of learning outcomes. Thelayout is clear throughout and at the endof each chapter there is a concise sum-mary, with sensible use of reference andappropriate further reading, which isnecessarily selective. The self-text ques-tions provide a valuable resource forstudents and their tutors. Answers areprovided.

There are 14 chapters covering mainlyaspects of physics, chemistry and phys-iology. Commendably, one chapter isdevoted to the important topic of gen-etics. Clinical applications are good,helping to remind students why theyneed to study this important but oftendifficult and disliked subject area. I likeeverything about this book and wish ithad been available to me in the dayswhen I was asked to provide remedialscience to undergraduate nursing stu-dents. My only reservation is that itshould be necessary to have such a bookat all: if science teaching in schools hadnot declined so greatly in recent years,health care students would arrive muchbetter equipped with the knowledgerequired to provide safe and effectivehealth care anyway.

Dinah GouldSouth Bank University, UK

� 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd 607