NURSEEDUCATIONTODAY 1%
largely unsatisfying standard. Whilst staff support
may be usefully summarised under half a dozen
headings, counselling demands a fuller treatment,
impossible within the bounds of one chapter. In
summary this is a useful new text on a topic of
continuing importance. Nevertheless, the reader is
advised to dip in selectively, and to supplement her
reading as necessary.
BOBPRICE
SRN BA MSc Cert Ed
operating theatre technique 5 Ed
R J Brigden
Churchill Livingstone
1989 968pp illus ISBN: 0-443-03364-l g65.00
Many textbooks have been written on different aspects
of operating theatre technique. This excellent
updated British textbook is very comprehensive and
covers logically all the aspects from the design of
operating departments, through management of
them, equipment, anaesthesia and a series of chapters
describing various operations.
Throughout, the chapters are well illustrated with
those describing various operations having many
excellent diagrams to illustrate in detail specialised
instruments and specific procedures.
There is a list of references and suggested further
reading at the end of each chapter. In addition the
author refers readers to specific textbooks if he feels
he has been unable to deal sufficiently with a subject in
the limitations of one chapter e.g. nursing a patient
recovering from anaesthesia. Some of the references
are more than 20 years old but on investigation are still
relevant. Many excellent new references have been
added.
At 265.00 I would not expect many individuals to
buy their own copy of this book but would have no
hesitation in recommending its purchase for libraries
large and small. It is a very useful text for all Ievels of
nursing staff, medical students and theatre
technicians.
JANICEM MCCALL
RGN RCT
Teaching and assessing in nursing practice
N Kenworthy & P Nicklin
Scutari
1989 168pp illus ISBN: 1-871364-15-g 58.25
This compact, inexpensive but quality book, first
published in 1988, was written primarily for partici-
pants in ENB Course 998 ‘Teaching and Assessing in
Clinical Practice’ and similar courses, but clearly is a
text for most nurse educators. It is a lucid and logical
account of the theory and practice of a curriculum,
based on an experiential approach to nurse education.
I personally feel that the book gives good accounts of
‘traditional’ as well as other, ‘progressive’ forms of
education. Chapters are devoted to teaching, learning,
and assessing in an experiental context. The text is
supported by excellent illustrations and, in some cases,
original and ingenious diagrams and tables. It is also a
rich source of up-to-date references and concludes
with a good index. I enjoyed reading this book
learning and re-learning much. My only criticism is the
compact print on poor quality paper; I found myself
developing eye-strain which normally does not hap-
pen to me!
KEITHHURST
RGN DipN RCNT CertEd
Faber’s pocket medical dictionary 4 Ed
E Forsythe & D Bromham
Faber
1989 304pp ISBN: 0-571-15307-O 52.99
The layout of this pocket dictionary makes referenc-
ing a simple process for the user. Additional informa-
tion contained within the appendices is valuable and
relevant to many of the concerns that may confront
individuals involved in health care matters, particu-
larly the section relating to abbreviations. The print
size is acceptable and, although there are no illustra-
tions present, this does help to maintain the sole
purpose of the text and would only distract.
Pronunciations of the more difficult medical terms
could have been assisted if individual words through-
out the text had been broken down appropriately.
Production costs have been kept to a minimum,
nevertheless this does not mar the quality of this
inexpensive text.
MICHAELWALL
RGN RNT DipN B Ed
Conceptual models of nursing 2 Ed
J Fawcett
F A Davis
1989 392pp ISBN: o-8036-3410-2
A fundamental concept to this book is that nursing
models and theories can be clearly distinguished, and
serve different puposes. Thus, conceptual models are
‘the formal presentations of some nurses’ private
image of nursing’ and their use ‘facilitates communica-
tion among nurses and provides a systematic approach
to nursing practice, education, administration and
research’. Models are far more abstract than theories
which ‘address phenomena with much greater speci-
ficity than do conceptual models’. Models are abstract
systems of concepts and propositions, which are then
served and delineated by a series of specific concrete
theories.