pocket reference books big or small?

[yanon]

After doing some researches on Amazon, I sorted the inpatient medicine reference books that I found into two categories: 1) small books are books that have around 200 pages and 2) big books are books that have 600 to 800 pages. Are the small pocket reference book comprehensive enough for the wards? Are the big books truly pocketable? Which one of the following reference books would you recommend?

small books
Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine ISBN-10: 0781771447, Marc S Sabatine

Tarascon Internal Medicine & Critical Care Pocketbook, Fourth Edition (Paperback) James S. Winshall (Author) ISBN-10: 1882742508

big books
The Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics, 32nd edition
ISBN-10: 0781781256, 780 pages

Consult Manual of Internal Medicine
ISBN-10: 0977013316, Harry Rosen (Author)

Internal Medicine On Call
ISBN-10: 0071439021, 656 pages, Steven A. Haist (Author), John B. Robbins (Author), Leonard G. Gomella (Author)

Clinician's Pocket Reference, 11/e (CLINICIANS POCKET REFERENCE)
ISBN-10: 0071454284, 722 pages, has a skut monkey on the cover
Leonard G. Gomella (Author), Steven A. Haist (Author)

Current Essentials of Medicine
ISBN-10: 0071438327, 688 pages, Lawrence M. Tierney (Author), Sanjay Saint (Author), Mary Whooley (Author)

Which outpatient/family medicine books do you recommend
Tarascon Primary Care Pocketbook, Second Edition (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1882742443 Joseph S. Esherick

Outpatient and Primary Care Medicine, 2008 Edition (Current Clinical Strategies) ISBN-10: 1934323063, Paul D. Chan, M.D.

Family Medicine, 2008 (Current Clinical Strategies Medical Book)
ISBN-10: 1934323047, Paul D. Chan, M.D.

Which pocket drug book would you recommend?
Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2008 Classic Shirt-pocket Edition
ISBN-10: 1882742559

Clinician's Pocket Drug Reference 2008 (Clinician's Pocket Drug Reference) (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0071496254, has a skut monkey on the cover
Leonard G. Gomella (Author), Steven A. Haist (Author)

Is a clinical procedure how-to book worth buying? Which of following books do you recommend?

Essential Clinical Procedures (Paperback)

Blueprints Clinical Procedures (Blueprints Series) (Spiral-bound)

Procedures for Primary Care (paperback)


I saw many people on this forum praised the Case Files Series. What about the Blueprint Clinical Cases Series? How do the two series compare?

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[DragonWell]

You might want to add Ferri's to your list. I picked it up on VTucci's recommendation and I haven't been disappointed.

As far as what to carry, I'd say it is a matter of taste and how much weight you're willing to carry. Some days I carry Pocket Medicine and some I carry Ferri's. Either of the two + a pocket pharmacopeia or epocrates + Sanford has been plenty of info for the floor.

 

[Law2Doc]

Most people I know seem to carry the Sabatine book and Maxwells and find those pretty adequate. You probably want to supplement that with a PDA which has Epocrates on it (a free pharmacopia/drug reference) and on which you can install a medical encyclopedia. That should be adequate for most rotations. You don't want a big book, and you won't want to carry a clinical skills book with you (you probably want big Bates at home as a reference). The goal is to streamline -- space in the white coat is at a premium.

 

[drfunktacular]

You might want to add the Osler manual to your "big book" list:

http://www.amazon.com/Osler-Medical...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219063054&sr=8-4

It's probably not worth the white coat pocket space, but it's definitely a help to have in the backpack.

 

[yanon]

Everyone recommended Pocket Medicine. I guess I will follow the tradition as well.

Wow, that Osler Medical Handbook is 1000+ pages but only 0.9 inch in thickness (same thickness as the Pocket Medincine book which only has 288 pages)! I wonder what type of paper that book is printed on.

 

[alphaholic06]

Has anyone tried the Tulane Intern's Handbook?

 

[drbetty]

Everyone recommended Pocket Medicine. I guess I will follow the tradition as well.

Wow, that Osler Medical Handbook is 1000+ pages but only 0.9 inch in thickness (same thickness as the Pocket Medincine book which only has 288 pages)! I wonder what type of paper that book is printed on.

Pocket Medicine: The MGH handbook was a helpful, reliable, efficient reference for me. The standard criteria from the journals are referenced, too. I also have the Washington Manual, but haven't used it since I got the MGH book b/c it's just too long and doesn't fit in my coat!

 

[drdr2010]

This is my 7th week of inpatient internal medicine.

I have Pocket Medicine, Tarascon's pocket pharm, and Maxwells and they haven't let me down yet! And none of them are terribly big/heavy, which is good since my coat is weighed down by oodles of useless instruments, pagers, and assorted other crap