Recommended Books 

The following list of books is not intended to be a comprehensive reading list for the registrar year. Rather, it is a list of books that many doctors have found helpful in their training and beyond. Your training practice may already have copies of some of these books or they may be able to purchase them for the practice library.

Clinical Texts
The Curriculum and nMRCGP
Evidence Based Medicine
The Consultation
Miscellaneous


Clinical Texts

Series Listing Oxford Handbook of General Practice, Chantal Simon and Hazel Everitt, OUP 2006, 2nd edition, ISBN-13: 978-0198565819 A conveniently portable reference text covering clinical and administrative aspects of general practice. The rest of the Oxford handbook series are also useful

Symptom Sorter, Keith Hopcroft and Vincent Forte, Radcliffe Publishing 2007, 3rd edition, ISBN-13: 978-1846191954 A useful book which presents over 100 symptoms commonly seen in primary care and provides differential diagnoses, suggested investigations and key knowledge points. Going from symptom to disease provides a refreshing compliment to traditional texts that do the opposite.

Contraception: Your Questions Answered, John Guillebaud, Churchill Livingstone 2003, 4th edition, ISBN-13: 978-0443073434 Comprehensively covers all aspects of contraception in an easy-to-read question and answer style.

Differential Diagnosis in Dermatology, Richard Ashton and Barbara Leppard, Radcliffe Publishing 2004, 3rd edition, ISBN-13: 978-1857756609 A well-illustrated, practical textbook and atlas of dermatology. Groups skin conditions into areas of the body and according to appearance to help the doctor to reach an appropriate diagnosis using a step-wise approach.

Fundamentals of Primary Care Prescribing, Brian Crichton, RCGP 2006, ISBN-13: 978-0850843057 An interesting and well-written book outlining the history of prescribing, stages of drug development, legal aspects of prescribing, health economics and avoiding prescribing errors. A great introduction for doctors new to primary care prescribing.

The Curriculum and nMRCGP:

The Condensed Curriculum Guide: for GP training and the new MRCGP, Ben Riley, Jayne Haynes and Steve Field, RCGP 2007, 1st edition, ISBN-13: 978-0850843163 An invaluable summary of the new curriculum to help trainees organise their learning and plan how to cover the critical requirements of the nMRCGP.

Evidence-Based Medicine:

BMJ archiveHow to Read a Paper - The Basics of Evidence-Based Medicine, Trisha Greenhalgh, Blackwell Publishing 2006, 3rd edition, ISBN-13: 978-1405139762 A clearly written book about how to approach critical reading. Covers aspects of quantitative and qualitative research as well as some basic statistics. A condensed version of the first edition was published in the BMJ between May and October 1997 and can be accessed by BMA members in the online.

The Consultation:

The Inner Consultation: How to Develop an Effective and Intuitive Consulting Style, Roger Neighbour, Radcliffe Publishing 2004, 2nd edition, ISBN-13: 978-1857756791 The classic text by Roger Neighbour outlining his five point consultation model and describing techniques to improve and refresh consultation skills.

The Doctor's Communication Handbook, Peter Tate, Radcliffe Publishing 2006, 5th edition, ISBN-13: 978-1846191381
Essential reading for all GPs, written in a light-hearted and readable style.

Miscellaneous:

Fitness to Drive: A Guide for Health Professionals, Tim Carter, Royal Society of Medicine Press 2006, 1st edition, ISBN-13: 978-1853156519 A guide to the regulations surrounding fitness to drive and the role of the doctor in advising patients in this area. Useful appendices include toolkits for assessing older drivers and those with dementia.

Locum Doctor Survival Guide, Robbie Coull, locum123.com 2005, ISBN-13: 978-0955207204 A practical guide to starting out as a locum GP. Provides advice on negotiating with practices, record keeping, tax and much more.