Palliative Care Book of the Month and other Book Reviews
Palliative Care Book of the Month
HANDBOOK OF COMMUNICATION IN ONCOLOGY AND PALLIATIVE CARE
David Kissane, Barry Bultz, Phyllis Butow, Ilora Finlay (Eds)
Oxford University Press, 2010
748 pp
ISBN 978-0-19-923836-1
RRP £65.00 $US115.00
This book is hardly a handbook, which is defined in the OED as ‘a short manual or guidebook’. It is an encyclopaedic reference bringing together much of what is known and thought about training for communication in oncology and palliative care. Sixty-two chapters, 700+ pages of text, 123 contributors from North America, Europe and Australia.
The book is set out in seven sections. The first is an introduction to communication studies in cancer and palliative medicine. The second is a core curriculum in communication skills training for oncology and palliative care, followed by a section on a specialty curriculum for oncology. The fourth section deals with communication issues across disciplines, followed by sections on education and training, international initiatives, and on research in communication.
There is an absolute wealth of information here, but as one who does not aspire to become a communication skills educator or expert, I found some of it a bit tedious. The tables and bullet-point lists of how to do it, what not to do, and why, were both interesting and useful. But extended discussions of theory were not.
So where does that leave this book? It is a first class review of what we know of the theory and practice of communication in oncology and palliative care—up to date, scholarly and scientific. It certainly deserves a place on the shelf in the cancer unit library and will become a bible for those involved in teaching communication skills, which I agree is a topic of much importance. Will it, as the editors imply in the Preface, be clutched to the bosom by all who work in oncology and palliative care? I think not. This book will do a lot to improve the content and standards of programs teaching communication skills in oncology and palliative care, but all the detail is a bit much for the ordinary clinician. What I would like to do is challenge the editors to produce a practical, 100-page manual, with lots of simple lists and comparative tables, of the do’s and don’ts of communication, from diagnosis to bereavement. I think this would be more widely read and might just do something to improve communication skills across the board.
The statement in the Preface, ‘Clinicians..will find this book of tremendous value’, caught me off-side. That may be the editors’ hope, but I’m old fashioned and self-congratulatory remarks do not belong in a Preface. That said, the editors are to be congratulated in bringing together an international cast of experts and putting together what will be the gold standard for communication skills training.
Roger Woodruff (Australia), an IAHPC Board Member
(July 2010)
Book reviews
AGEING AND SPIRITUALITY ACROSS FAITHS AND CULTURES
Elizabeth MacKinlay (Ed)
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2010
272 pp
ISBN 978-1-84905-06-7
RRP £22.99 $US39.95 $AU47.95
Review copy supplied by Footprint Books www.footprint.com.au
Elizabeth MacKinlay is both a registered nurse and Anglican priest. This collection of essays that she has brought together looks at ageing in the many faiths and cultures that make up Western society, the goal being to provide the information needed to deliver sensitive and appropriate care to all. Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist perspectives are covered, as well as other cultural groups. The meaning of ageing is explored with a view to being able to deliver appropriate and more sensitive care.
**
THERAPEUTIC GUIDELINES: PALLIATIVE CARE. 3 rd Edition
Palliative Care Expert Group (Peter Ravenscroft, Chairman)
Therapeutic Guidelines, 2010
403 pp
ISBN 978-0-9804764-6-0
RRP $AU39.00 plus postage & handling
Also available on CD and for PDAs
Available from www.tg.com.au
This is the third edition of the little pocket-sized Australian Guide to Palliative Care, the previous edition of which was reviewed in this column. As noted for the second edition, it is written by a panel of palliative care specialists and pretty much covers the field. Each section has been updated and some expanded.
This is not a referenced textbook, but a portable quick-reference guide to palliative care. The options of getting it in an electronic format are a bonus. Although written for Australian use, there is nothing peculiarly Australian about the content and junior medical staff involved with palliative care in other countries would find this book a valuable resource.
**
CD: PEACEFUL PRESENCE
Bev Foster, Room 217
RRP $CAN19.99 $US27.99.
Also available (more cheaply) from iTunes or as MP3 download
www.room217.ca
Here is another volume of palliative care music for life’s journey from Bev Foster’s group. A collection of Christian hymns and songs that, the cover says, ‘sensitively and beautifully provides sounds of hope, peace and promise.’
I enjoyed it. It has a restful tranquillity that is both soothing and warm.
**
Roger Woodruff, MD (Australia)
(July 2010)
Dr. Woodruff is a Life Member of the IAHPC Board of Directors, for more information go to:
http://www.hospicecare.com/Bio/r_woodruff.htm
View over 100+ IAHPC hospice & palliative care book reviews
www.hospicecare.com/bookshop/hospice-palliative-care-book-reviews
Note for authors: If you wish to have your book reviewed, please send to:
Dr Roger Woodruff
IAHPC Bookshop Editor
210 Burgundy St, Suite 9
Heidelberg, Victoria 3084
AUSTRALIA
Note: Review copies become property of IAHPC and are not returned to the author. Only palliative care related books which are previously approved will be reviewed. Due to the large number of requests, we can't provide exact dates of when books will be reviewed.
Email this page to a friend!
Top of Page |
