Book Review
Infant and family health in Australia: a textbook for community health workers, 2nd ed
Anthony Clements
ISBN: 0 443 04770 7; 1992; 352 pages; Churchill Livingstone;
Winsome St John
Associate Professor, Research Centre for Clinical and Community Practice Innovations, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast QLD
The aim of this book is to provide a basic generalist text for practitioners and students of child health. The first edition has, in general, been accepted as a basic text for child health nurses and some other community worker groups working with children across Australia. The second edition incorporates much needed revision and updating. There has been a greater attempt to place the care of young children within a family, society and community context by revision and adding chapters on the family and family function, the child in hospital (from a family and community perspective) and children in day care. A social context has been addressed by adding chapters on Aboriginal and multi-ethnic health.
The approach of this book is practical. It includes information about the 'everyday' areas in which practitioners need knowledge, and about which their advice is sought. A strong epidemiological flavour is set in the first two chapters that outline demography, statistics and social factors related to children and families in Australian society. A multidisciplinary approach is then taken with contributions by doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
Each chapter addresses a specific topic and provides an overview of current knowledge in a specific child health area, including development, assessment and examination, infant feeding, nutrition, dental health, speech and language, child behaviour, immunisation, infectious diseases, common childhood disorders and accident prevention. Specialty areas include chapters on the low birth weight baby, the child with a disability, and orthopaedic disorders.
A focus on the family includes understanding the family, genetic counselling, family planning, an overview of care of the woman and her family pre- and post-partum, parenting education and child abuse. Most chapters provide a short list of further reading and there is a comprehensive, cross-referenced index. To bring together into a single text,
the broad areas of knowledge and practical information relating to child health community practice is indeed a daunting task. With such a broad aim, it is inevitable that users will find limitations if they are looking for in-depth information on a specific topic. Space dictates that each subject is dealt with in limited overview. However, to have available an Australian text which draws together the diverse major areas of current knowledge and practical information addressed by community child health workers into a single volume is extremely useful. I did find it curious that material on the role of the child health nurse (Chapter 2) and the family planning clinic nurse (Chapter 4) were written by doctors rather than nurses. Also, there could have been more exploration and discussion of the father's role. This book would be useful as a basic text for practitioners and students working in community child health. It would also assist those working in paediatrics to place their practice within a more holistic framework.
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