Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery 13th or 14th edition?

[silkysteph]

What's the difference between the 13th and 14th editions of Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery? Ideally, I'd like to buy the more recent, but the older one's so much cheaper.

but if there's a big enough difference, I'll go with the 14th.

[favoritemumsy]

I just bought the 13th. They update every four years. I bought the older addition off ebay because it was much cheaper. Don't think there is much difference other than the cover. This was the first edition I have purchased since I had a copy years ago ( 1994 ) to study for CNOR.

[silkysteph]

I went with the 13th as well. It was only $4.00! looks like I made the right decision.

[Stacey30]

I have the 14th edition and this is what the Preface says:

"The fourteenth edition of Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery has been updated to reflect new concepts in perioperative nursing practice and increased sophistication and complexity of surgical procedures.

New to this edition, clinical chapters now include Ambulatory Surgical Considerations, Risk Reduction Strategies, and Rapid Response Team applications. Best Practices, featured in previous editions, have been updated, and retitled Evidence for Practice."

It also said there were new chapters added on interventional radiology and workplace safety and Chapter 2 was refocused on both patient safety and risk management. So it depends on what you needed your textbook for. If you're taking The Periop101 class that's available through AORN.org website then you may want the newest edition just to be sure you're on the same page in terms of best practices currently used in the perioperative environment (and to help study for the final exam, which my instructor tells me only a handful of her students have passed on the first try). If you just want it as a reference guide then stick with 13th ed. Hope that helps!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Personally, I wouldn't buy the book. Most hospitals will have copies somewhere- nurse manager's office, educator's office, OR desk, library. Mine has at least one in each of those places. Considering how often books are updated, technology changes, and surgical approaches change, the copy you buy can be outdated relatively quickly. Save yourself the money and borrow a copy from the hospital. I did buy a copy when I started in the OR. Guess how many times I've opened it since ending orientation. Give up? Absolutely zero. I get my information from the facility policy and procedure website, journal articles, and continuing education provided by the hospital.