PF Reviews
Smart Health Choices (Hammersmith Press, £12.99)
Professor Les Irwig, Judy Irwig, Dr Lyndal Trevena, Melissa Sweet
The purpose of this book is to empower patients to be better informed about the decisions they make regarding the different treatments available to us, from illnesses such as colds to more serious complications such as cancers.
The book discusses a number of strategies we can apply in becoming more involved in our treatment, the basis of which is in 5 steps:
• What will happen if I wait and watch?
• What are my test or treatment options?
• What are the benefits and harms of these options?
• How do the benefits and harms weigh up for me?
• Do I have enough information to make a decision?
It then goes into each in more depth and gives examples of how each of the above strategies can be approached, using a different illness to illustrate the approach.
A large part of the book is devoted to clinical trials, and it goes into some depth to explain the differences between the study designs and how they relate back to the real world, i.e. the benefits to patients. I did feel that this was quite complicated and, whilst it would be ideal if all patients could have this level of discussion with their GP, I wonder in reality how many would actually do so. As a Primary Care representative I know how hard it can be to engage our customers in this level of detail.
On that note, if you are looking to develop your own understanding of clinical trial designs, this book is for you.
I would add that if patients started to take this level of responsibility for their own health and develop a better understanding of their illnesses it would obviously be a tremendous step forward in managing our own health.
Kim HollisWin a free copy of Smart Health Choices by being one of the first four people to correctly answer the following question: The average person is classed as having a healthy weight if their BMI (body mass index) is less than what? Email your answer to diana.spencer@healthpublishing.co.uk.
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Summary: The Grin of the Dark by Ramsey Campbell (Virgin, £7.99 pb) is a high-end supernatural horror novel with elements of psychological thriller and media satire. It is: Both very funny and very scary, a novel about a deranged character from silent films finding a new home on the Internet. It isn’t: A cosy popcorn horror novel where the good people triumph in the end. It will appeal to: Internet haters, media cynics, innuendo fans, Goths and devotees of the strange. Worth reading: Some incredible descriptions of silent comedy films. |
The Selfish Capitalist — Oliver James (Vermilion,£14.99)
 The Selfish Capitalist follows on from the author’s hugely successful book Affluenza. If you read that, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this, as it provides more detailed substantiation for the claims made in the first book. Affluenza introduces the reader to a modern-day virus sweeping though the English-speaking world since the 1970s. Sufferers have obsessive, envious tendencies making them more likely to suffer from addictions, depression and anxiety than in other developed countries.
The Selfish Capitalist is well-written, with an argument and hypotheses to explain life in the 21st century. Oliver James, a practised clinical child psychologist, discusses a speculative theory to explain our moral and cultural demise as a ‘must have it now’ culture. The UK and the USA suffer from this, in contrast to the rest of Europe, where the free-market philosophy championed by the Reagan/Thatcher era has not been adopted to the same degree. For us to be cured, James calls for us to reduce our distress levels by adopting a form of unselfish capitalism where personal wellbeing and sustainable growth take precedence over quick profit.
Whilst not the first call for ‘people-centred business’, he makes his point well. We may believe we have become more affluent in the last thirty years but our infatuation with consumerism as a course of satisfaction has come at a price. From the cheapening of popular culture to the need to earn more to survive, James argues, is a step backwards compared to the quality of life in the 70s and causes a high amount of despair and depression. Whilst his theory lacks empirical support, the information has a common theme and will challenge thinking. It’s not overtly technical and reads well considering some of its broader concepts.
Would I want to give it to my customers to read? Not without a touch of irony.
Trisha McGarry |