Mosby's Primary Care Procedures
Geriatric Procedures
Editors, RS Wiglon, TG Tape, W Adams
Reviewed by: Dr. Goldlist
This CD-ROM on 'Geriatric Procedures' really covers the extra portion of the physical examination required to assess the elderly, particularly those who are frail. The CD-ROM uses Netscape 4.7 as its browser, but this is provided as part of the software. The topics discussed are cognitive impairment, functional status, mobility, skin assessment and urinary incontinence.
The content is quite basic, but accurate and up-to-date. The text is easy to navigate and the index remains on the left side of the screen to facilitate the process. The sub-headings for each chapter are identical, making it is easy to jump to the same spot in another chapter in order to make a comparison. There is an extensive video library demonstrating cognitive impairment, mobility, skin assessment and urinary incontinence. The picture quality is quite good.
An informal quiz is available, with answers and explanations on-line, as well as a formal CME examination that can be submitted for credits. I found the sample questions very basic indeed. The availability of an annotated Folstein mental status examination and Braden scale (for skin risk) for downloading is a nice touch.
This is a well-produced CD-ROM. The appropriate target audience is those with minimal experience in geriatrics. It would be particularly useful for senior medical students and post-graduate trainees.
The hardware and software requirements are as follows:
- Windows 95 or better
- 133 MHz Pentium
- 16 MB RAM (32 recommended, I tried it with 16 and was frustrated)
- Video and sound card
- 10 MB of hard disc space
- 4x CD-ROM drive (8x recommended).
