Sunday, January 31, 2010

Makous, Norman, M.D.. Time to Care: Personal Medicine in the Age of Technology.


With Bruce Makous. TowPath Publications. 2009. 464p. illus. bibliog.. index. ISBN 978-0-9776686-1-8. $14.95.

Due to millions of dollars being spent on unnecessary tests and incorrect treatments, technology- based healthcare in the United States has caused an economic squeeze that already has led to rationing of medical care and services. Here Makous, a noted, now retired, extensively trained and credentialed, primary care cardiologist, who practiced in Philadelphia, PA until 2000 (M.D., University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI, 1947; American Board of Medical Specialties Certification, Internal Medicine, 1957; Subspecialty Certification, Cardiovascular Disease, 1961; faculty of The University of Pennsylvania Medical School, 1959-1995, and Thomas Jefferson Medical University, 1994; formerly, Regional President, American Heart Association; Distinguished Achievement Award, American Heart Association of Pennsylvania; author of "The Road Taken" (2006); http://www.normanmakous.com), with the enthusiastic, thematic and directional support of his son Bruce, a leading healthcare fundraiser and published author (Riding The Brand (2004) and Virtually Dead (2006); http://www.brucemakous.com), proposes that the patient-doctor relationship that was displaced by technology be returned to its central, fundamental position in the delivery of medical care and services in order to humanize treatment, improve the quality of care, reduce unnecessary spending and ineffective practices, increase doctor-patient satisfaction, and result in a happier and healthier society. In six parts, comprised of seventy-one, short, easy-to-read, conversational chapters, Makous discusses his medical education and healthcare services before the technological revolution, dramatic shifts in medicine resulting from technological innovations, the impact of these changes and developments in the field of cardiology, involvement by the government, hospitals, insurers, and others in the delivery of medical care and services, insights into the future of the medical system, and more. By means of his holistic approach to the subject, the author provides a wide ranging overview of the healthcare system as well as many explicit and implicit ideas and suggestions for making it better. Some of the subtopics he covers include, but are not limited to, the fundamental tenets of medical education and practice, the art of diagnosing, the art of educated guessing, shotgun testing, hospital practices, private practices, turnstile practices, medicine as an art and science, taking medical histories and doing medical examinations, patient-doctor communications and relationships, doctor-doctor communications and relationships, choosing a doctor, psychiatric cardiology, the “laying on of the hands,” follow-up visits, house calls, patient worlds, patient views, lifestyles, and expectations, screenings, emergency rooms, treatment standards and guidelines, age bias, end of life issues, advance directives, technology upgrades, new drugs, paradigms of medical science, the medical reimbursement systems, doctors as servants of many masters, referrals, malpractice issues, universal care, and rationing. Filled with dozens of case anecdotes, evidencing the historical and contemporary, crucial role that the doctor-patient relationship has played and serves in the delivery of excellent healthcare in the United States, this sufficiently well-documented—it includes a glossary of medical terms, diagrams, photographs, the author’s curriculum vitae, and a list of additional readings, but lacks footnoting and endnoting of the text-- compelling, fascinating, convincing, noteworthy publication, based on sixty years of medical practice by an expert physician-consultant is a must-read as the nation continues to struggle with healthcare reform. For general and more specialized readerships, it will be of particular interest to patients, aspiring physicians, practicing physicians, healthcare professionals, lawmakers, and others, who have significant, immediate stakes in the nation’s medical system. It should be required reading for all of the abovementioned persons and other individuals, who care about the current and future status and quality of healthcare delivery and services in the United States. Strongly recommended for many public, academic, and special library book collections. Advance Reading Copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and NormanMakous.com

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Redman, Peggy. How to Get the Job You Desire.


Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.. 2009. c28p. ISBN 978-0-8059-5637-5. $14.95.

In this extremely brief publication, Redman (Owner of Peggy’s Job Preparatory Services; B.S. degree, Business Management, Concentration in Human Resources, Hampton University, Hampton, VA), a business owner with recruiting and job placement experience at Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp. and other companies, publishes a very concise guide to obtaining the job that you desire. Dividing into her book into seven chapters, the author covers the basic elements of a job search including job applications, cover letters, résumés, references, interviews, and keeping the job once you get it. Subtopics are not limited to follow-up methods, samples, tips, interview questions, proper dress, and more. This publication’s chapters are too short, averaging only three to four pages each. The longest chapter is the one on interviews, which extends over eight pages. Chapters also may consist entirely or predominantly of examples and blank forms. The chapter on references consists entirely of a blank form while the ones on job applications, résumés, interviews, and keeping the job include some additional content besides examples and blank forms. The chapter on interviews contains the most value-added advice and input from the author. The “mini dictionary” comprising the last chapter may be too general for more experienced job seekers to the extent that it defines words and concepts that may be familiar to them. Lacking sufficient advice and input from the author, a bibliography, and an index, this book will be of interest to general readers, who only may want to read a very concise guide or basic outline for conducting a job search. This publication also best suits job seekers, who may not mind paying more than fifty cents per page for a guide which functions more as a workbook than as a reference resource. Mostly due to its briefness, lack of sufficient value-added content, and costly price, this publication is not recommended for most libraries. Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team. Availability: Amazon.com, Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. Online Bookstore

Friday, January 1, 2010

Jacobs, Lynn F. and Hyman, Jeremy S.. Professors’ Guide to Getting Good Grades in College.


Harper-Collins Publishers. 2006. 352p. index. ISBN 978-0-06-087908-2. $15.95.

Today because more people have college diplomas, obtaining a college diploma is not enough. College students face extremely competitive job markets and graduate school admissions criteria. Excellent college grades matter and are crucial. In this enjoyable, easy-to-read, first book to reveal insider secrets about how college professors grade, Jacobs (PhD, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; Department Chair and Associate Professor, Art History, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville) and Hyman (Project Manager, Professors’ Guide LLC; www.professorsguide.com), who between them have taught over 10,000 college students at a total of eight universities, offer authoritative, practical tips, techniques, strategies, and methods for succeeding at each of the five grade-bearing moments in a college semester: the start, the class, the exam, the paper, and the last month. In fifteen chapters, organized chronologically according to the major grade-bearing moments of the semester, they discuss every aspect of college grading, not limited to common myths about grades, how professors grade, picking courses, determining an action plan for the first week, taking excellent lecture notes, preparing for, attending, and participating in class, studying for exams, going over exams, writing college papers, visiting the professor, and acing the final. Fast-paced, each chapter, which is started with an concise introduction and ended by a complete review section, is interspersed with value-added sidebars, such as top ten lists, do’s and don’ts tables, instructional boxes, professors’ perspectives, remembrances, opinions, extra pointers, case notes, and more. Serving as a significant how-to guidebook as well as a useful reference resource, this publication may be read from cover-to-cover or consulted by chapter as needed. While it may be most relevant for college students who will be taking a significant number of courses in the humanities and social sciences, this must-read by insider experts should be required reading for those aspiring to attain a college degree or degrees in any major. It also will be of interest to high school students planning to go to college and lifelong learners returning to school. Highly recommended for large, public and undergraduate, academic libraries as well as for school media center collections. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com