Most of the editors of this slim Oxford Handbook come from the Departments of Public Health and/or Epidemiology at Imperial College London. The experienced team includes professors in public health/epidemiology, a senior lecturer and a clinical research fellow. The editorial group is supplemented by a senior lecturer in statistics at the University of Bath.
The book is aimed primarily at trainee doctors who need to acquire a basic knowledge of epidemiology and to learn about the practical application of epidemiological methods. However, it also aims to be of use to medical students and others who might be taking professional examinations.
The text is sensibly structured into four sections, Epidemiology in the clinic, Evidence-based practice, Epidemiological methods and Epidemiology of common diseases. These are arranged logically and flow well. The science is sound, and the coverage is comprehensive, as might be expected of the expert team of editors. The prose is easy to read, and the usual Handbook style lends itself to easy reference and a quick grasp of key points for each topic.
The book is an extremely useful resource for young doctors in general clinical specialities. However, most of the material is not really of direct relevance to occupational physicians, as the focus is clearly on diagnosing and treating disease. Scattered through the sections are some pages or chapters that are useful. For example, chapters on risk communication and promoting health, and on statistical techniques (although again the examples focus on clinical diagnostics and therapeutics). Some of the content would help with assessing the scope for health prevention or for planning studies in occupational health. And, in particular, a chapter on finding and summarizing evidence is useful for occupational health clinicians, covering techniques for literature searching, critical appraisal, systematic reviews and the interpretation of meta-analyses. Overall, about 40 per cent of the book is of generic interest for occupational health practice, or for OH trainees.
In summary this book would be good value for money for a general medical trainee but arguably not for an occupational physician. If you are interested in evidence-based occupational health practice or intend to do some research, borrow a copy and read sections 2 and 3.
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