Book Review
Dictionary of Nursing, 17th edition
ISBN: 0-4430557-8-5; 457 pages; Churchill Livingstone, Melbourne;
John Rogers
We do live in a time of continual change, and nursing is no exception. Nursing in recent times has undergone major changes with its move to becoming a profession-working alongside other professionals. This has meant that nurses have had to identify a body of knowledge that is unique to nursing, as well as having knowledge that is shared with other health professionals.
However, this knowledge is not static and nurses must try to maintain a current level of knowledge in all areas of nursing, to give the best possible patient care.
Churchill Livingstone have tried to reflect this professionalisation in nursing in the 17th edition of their nursing dictionary. In keeping with this, the name has changed to Dictionary of Nursing. It states in the foreword of the dictionary that this edition not only contains clinical information, but also focuses on professional and personal development.
The dictionary is similar to other dictionaries, in that it has a body of words with their definitions and appendices. It also has, before the main body, lists of prefixes and suffixes with their meanings, as well an easy to understand section on how to use the dictionary.
The main body of the dictionary is good because it cross-references words in its definitions where possible by using asterisks and arrows followed by related words. It also has a number of larger entries that are in distinctively grey boxes. These entries are for nursing issues and terms such as 'reflective practice', 'primary nursing' and 'portfolio' that need more than a simple definition.
The appendices are a mixture of the standard metric conversion charts and normal characteristics etc., as well as those of a more professional nature. A number of the professional appendices are quite specific to the United Kingdom. They list useful addresses, groups and organisations offering scholarships in the United Kingdom, which could be very useful for people living there. There is an appendix that gives a brief summary on how to compile a curriculum vitae.
There are two errors in the drug calculation appendix. They may only be typing errors but could be confusing for student nurses using this dictionary. The first is for IV infusions. It states the equation for macrodrops (20 drops/min) twice, when in fact the second formula is the equation for 15 drops/min. The second error states 1:1000 means 1g in 100 mL. The correct statement is 1:1000 means 1g in 1000 mL.
Overall, this would be an excellent resource for nurses in the United Kingdom as well as being beneficial for nurses in other countries. It could be advantageous however, if an Australian version was released, as do Bailliere Tindall.
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