medsurg pocket books

[spongebob6286, BSN, RN]

hi

can you recommend me medical surgical pocket books where i can bring during work. i just want to have a handy book where i can browse especially if am not familiar with a disease. i already have a handy drug book.

thank you

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

I have Mosby's patho memory notecards for nurses (spiral bound)

It's in no way an extensive list but covers different topics mostly common like cor pumonale, cardiac tamponade, to the common endo diseases, hematologic, musculoskeletal, GI/GU, renal etc... There's a few less common diseases covered, but I'm not sure if you'll find a pocket guide covering ones you never heard of. Most pocket guides I have cover the basics.

What I like about them is the what you need to know sections printed on the back of each card. It gives patient teaching for example highlighted in green. Common clinical findings highlighted in purple. Important nursing implications highlighted in gold including dx findings. Serious life threatening complications highlighted in pink.

It cuts down to the important stuff. They use the same cartoons as memory notebooks for nursing as it's the same company, if you're familiar with them.

Even though they use the cartoons (which I also like, but some may not) the need to know sections are printed in straightforward nursing language, not at all cutesy or silly, and like I said it cuts out the extensive reading that you can do later when there's more time.

HTH