HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vaillancourt, C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Vaillancourt, C.

Medical Aspects of Disability: A Handbook for the Rehabilitation Professional, ed 3

Zaretsky HH, Richter EF III, Eisenberg MG, eds. New York, NY 10036, Springer Publishing Co, 2005, hardcover, 928 pp, illus, ISBN: 0-8261-7973-8, $79.95.

A new co-editor has been added to this third edition. Some of the chapters in this version—on neuromuscular disorders, burn injuries, and ostomy surgeries—have been rewritten by new authors. Other chapters have been significantly revised or added, such as: "Telerehabilitation— Solutions to Distant and International Care," "The Computer Revolution and Assistive Technology," and "Outcome Measurement and Quality Improvement in an Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting."

The book is well organized and has a consistent format. It is divided into 3 parts: "An Introduction to Key Topics and Issues," "Disabling Conditions and Disorders," and "Special Topics."

The introductory part reviews the rehabilitation team, rehabilitation operations, continuum of care, theories of rehabilitation, and outcomes research. The second chapter reviews all of the basic body systems. The author assumes that the reader already has knowledge in these areas. Although all parts of the systems are described, they are not reviewed in depth with examples. A reader wanting to gain functional knowledge of a specific body system would be better off reviewing an anatomy book.

The focus of the book is part II. Each chapter is devoted to one particular type of condition. Some of these conditions include AIDS, Alzheimer disease, cancers, developmental disabilities, ostomy surgeries, and visual impairments. Each chapter covers epidemiological information, disease description and etiology, functional presentation, and psychological and vocational implications of the condition. Each chapter also is followed by an extensive reference section on that particular topic.

Part III of the book covers special topics, such as rehabilitation nursing, social work, legislation and the rehabilitation professional, and accreditation. These chapters tend to present the material in a very global fashion, providing overviews at best. The exception to this is the chapter titled, "Trends in Medical Rehabilitation Delivery and Payment Systems." This chapter reviews the types of funding for payment in both the adult and pediatric populations, for-profit versus not-for-profit entities, and cost- containment strategies. It provides the health care professional with a detailed basis for understanding the financial aspect of health care.

The text certainly presents a great volume of information. Despite having multiple authors, the presentation of the material is uniform throughout the first 2 parts. However, the text also has multiple editorial mistakes. Paragraphs of the text are repeated verbatim within the same page or topic. On one occasion, a sentence concludes with "<text missing here>."

Despite these difficulties, I believe that the text is a good reference for the rehabilitation professional to have. I do not believe that it would be a good primary text in a physical therapy curriculum. Much of the information is designed to provide a physician audience with an overview of the condition and its management. Therapist students would find themselves wanting more detailed descriptions of how to treat and specifically manage the patients. Other texts in anatomy and physiology may provide more in-depth and illustrated information regarding specific medical diagnoses.

Carolyn Vaillancourt, PT, NCS

Carolyn Vaillancourt, PT, NCS, Braintree, Mass

	Editor's Notes

 
Vaillancourt is a Neurological Clinical Specialist and a senior therapist in an outpatient rehabilitation facility.

Reviews of books, computer software, and videotapes are written by invitation.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vaillancourt, C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Vaillancourt, C.