Synopses & Reviews
Since the previous edition of Ian McWhinney's text was published in 1989, family medicine has assumed an increasingly important role in the modern health care system. The growth of managed care in The United States and of similar movements in other countries has made it more important than ever to define and conceptualize the discipline and to synthesize its body of knowledge and skills. The author brings to this task a lifetime's experience in family practice and academic family medicine.
The first edition was widely acclaimed for its originality, depth of analysis, and elegant style. The book has now been extensively revised, while retaining its original structure. The first ten chapters are devoted, as before, to a conceptualization and description of the field, Much new material has been added on the patient-centered clinical method, illness narratives, the biological basis of family medicine, health promotion, the concept of risk, and the contribution of evidence-based medicine. Chapter 9 now includes an authoritative review of evidence-based preventive strategies.
The five clinical chapters exemplify the application of basic principles in practice. These have all been updated with the results of new research. The chapters on the practice of family medicine cover such topics as home care, records and practiced management. The revisions of these reflect many changes that have occurred since the first edition. A new chapter on alternative (complementary) medicine fills the need for reliable information on this topic. The book has been designed to be read as a whole, with fundamental ideas forming a continuous thread which runs through all its sections.
Review
Praise for the first edition:
"The best description and analysis of family medicine's clinical methods to date...Family practice residents and practitioners would...clearly benefit from McWhinney's lucid style, his integration of recent family medicine research, and his outstanding description of the patient-oriented approach."--Journal of Family Practice
"McWhinney provides a philosophical and scientific rationale for the generalist physician and develops a patient-centered clinical method for meeting the public's needs. With its enriching literary examples, this insightful and well written text is enjoyable to read."--Annals of Internal Medicine
"It is rare to be able to recommend a book to doctors at all stages of their careers, but this is such a book. It will give the trainee an insight into the subtleties of general practice, and the established general practitioner will find a new enthusiasm for his or her work. I would describe this as a textbook for the 90s, combining the exciting developments in general practice over the last 30 years and succeeding in one book in bringing together the spectrum from Bayes to Balint...A refreshing and informative read."--Family Practice
Praise for the previous edition:
"The best description and analysis of family medicine's clinical methods to date and thus would be highly useful for medical students being introduced to the discipline of family medicine. Family practice residents and practitioners would also clearly benefit from McWhinney's lucid style, his integration of recent family medicine research, and his outstanding description of the patient-oriented approach."--Journal of Family Practice
"McWhinney provides a philosophical and scientific rationale for the generalist physician and develops a patient-centered clinical method for meeting the public's needs. With its enriching literary examples, this insightful and well written text is enjoyable to read."--Annals of Internal Medicine
"It is rare to be able to recommend a book to doctors at all stages of their careers, but this is such a book. It will give the trainee an insight into the subtleties of general practice, and the established general practitioner will find a new enthusiasm for his or her work. I would describe this as a textbook for the 90s, combining the exciting developments in general practice over the last 30 years and succeeding in one book in bringing together the spectrum from Bayes to Balint...A refreshing and informative read."--Family Practice
Review
Praise for the previous edition:
"The best description and analysis of family medicine's clinical methods to date and thus would be highly useful for medical students being introduced to the discipline of family medicine. Family practice residents and practitioners would also clearly benefit from McWhinney's lucid style, his integration of recent family medicine research, and his outstanding description of the patient-oriented approach."--Journal of Family Practice
"McWhinney provides a philosophical and scientific rationale for the generalist physician and develops a patient-centered clinical method for meeting the public's needs. With its enriching literary examples, this insightful and well written text is enjoyable to read."--Annals of Internal Medicine
"It is rare to be able to recommend a book to doctors at all stages of their careers, but this is such a book. It will give the trainee an insight into the subtleties of general practice, and the established general practitioner will find a new enthusiasm for his or her work. I would describe this as a textbook for the 90s, combining the exciting developments in general practice over the last 30 years and succeeding in one book in bringing together the spectrum from Bayes to Balint...A refreshing and informative read."--Family Practice
Synopsis
This is a greatly expanded successor to McWhinney's An Introduction to Family Medicine (Oxford, 1978). It includes much new material on the nature of family medicine and on specific clinical problems. There are two new chapters on the experience of illness, suffering, and healing and on doctor-patient communication. The chapter on the philosophical and scientific basis of family medicine has been expanded to do justice to the growing support which the paradigm of family medicine is receiving in the biological, medical, and social science literature. The chapter on clinical method--perhaps the book's core--has a new look and greater depth reflecting work in this area over the past decade. The chapter on prevention provides updated recommendations, and the chapter on the family has been enlarged. The most noticeable change is the addition of five new chapters on common family practice problems. These chapters have a dual purpose: to exemplify the application of principles discussed earlier in the book, and to distill the information on each problem that is most necessary for family physicians. This is an ideal text for medical students taking a family medicine rotation and for beginning residents in the field.
About the Author
Ian R. McWhinney, M.D., is Professor Emeritus in Family Medicine at the University of Wesatern Ontario, Canada.
Table of Contents
I. Basic Principles
1. The Origins of Family Medicine
2. Principles of Family Medicine
3. Illness in the Community
4. A Profile of Family Practice
5. Philosophical and Scientific Foundations of Family Medicine
6. Illness, Suffering, and Healing
7. Doctor-Patient Communication
8. Clinical Method
9. The Enhancement of Health and the Prevention of Disease
10. The Family in Health and Disease
II. Clinical Problems
11. Acute Sore Throat
12. Headache
13. Fatigue
14. Hypertension
15. Diabetes
III. The Practice of Family Medicine
16. Home Care
17. Records
18. Consultation and Referral
19. The Health Profession
20. The Community Service Network
21. Alternative (Complementary) Medicine
22. Practice Management
IV: Education and Research
23. Continuing Self-Education
24. Research in Family Practice