Preface
The primary goal of this book, which has remained unchanged since its inception more than 20 years ago, is to provide basic information about obstetrics and gynecology that medical students need to complete an obstetrics and gynecology clerkship successfully and to pass national standardized examinations in this content area.
Practitioners will find this book helpful in that it provides practical information in obstetrics, gynecology, and women’s health necessary for physicians and advanced practice nurses in other medical specialties. Family physicians will find this book especially useful in preparing for certification examinations. Nurse– midwives will likewise find this book helpful for many practice issues. This edition promises to fulfill these goals better than ever before.In publication since 1992, Obstetrics and Gynecology features chapters extensively revised and reviewed in a teamstyle fashion among the 10 authors, rather than written by individual authors. This collaborative effort serves the dual purpose of cross-checking content accuracy as well as preserving continuity throughout the text while maintaining the focus on the needs of the reader.
In addition, Obstetrics and Gynecology is proud to continue its fruitful collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (College)—the leading group of professionals providing health care to women. With over 52,000 members, the College maintains the highest clinical standards for women’s health care by publishing practice guidelines, technology assessments, and opinions emanating from its various committees on a variety of clinical, ethical, and technologic issues. These guidelines and opinions were rigorously applied as evidence-based resources in the writing of each chapter.
This seventh edition has incorporated many suggestions offered by users of past editions to make it even more user-friendly.
Key features of this edition include the following:• The book has been restructured and helpfully divided into six units: I. General Obstetrics and Gynecology, II. Obstetrics, III. Medical and Surgical Problems in Pregnancy, IV. Gynecology, V. Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and VI. Gynecologic Oncology and Uterine Leiomyoma.
• Also designed to enhance organization and readability, additional subheadings demarcate topics and break up long passages. An ancillary benefit is that anyone seeking to merely review a chapter can more quickly scan through headings to locate relevant spots.
• Chapter opening and closing cases frame the chapter material in a clinical context to aid learning and recall.
• The interior is color-coded by section to facilitate navigation. The design is understated and elegant to provide an appropriate background for the text.
• The Common Medical Problems in Pregnancy chapter has been separated into several smaller chapters specific to each topic for increased depth as well as easier assimilation.
• The Ethics chapter includes a paramount consideration in women’s health care—Patient Safety.
• The Gynecologic Procedures chapter has been updated to reflect the latest techniques, including minimally invasive as well as robotic surgery.
• Several new ultrasounds of common disorders and anomalies such as bicornuate uterus and Müllerian anomaly have been added to the art program.
Continuing the innovations unveiled in the sixth edition, other popular features that will assist the medical student in reading, studying, and retaining key information include the following:
• Correlation of chapters with the ninth edition of Medical Student Educational Objectives published by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO). The Educational Topic Area numbers and titles employed in this text are used with permission of APGO. The use of these objectives has been invaluable to educators and students alike.
The complete version of the APGO Medical Student Educational Objectives is available through their Web site at www.apgo.org.• The artwork in the book has been rendered in full color and in an anatomical style familiar to today’s medical students. Great care has been taken to construct illustrations that teach crucial concepts. Photos have been chosen to illustrate key clinical features, such as those associated with sexually transmitted diseases. Other photos provide examples of the newest imaging techniques used in obstetrics and gynecology.
• Integration of the latest information and guidelines regarding several key topics, including the 2008 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Workshop Report on Electronic Fetal Monitoring.
• Appendices include the latest versions of the College’s Woman’s Health Record form (2011), Periodic Assessment recommendations (2012), and Antepartum Record form (2011).
• An extensive package of study questions is available in an online format at the Lippincott Williams & Wilkins student Web site.
• Chapters are concise, yet eminently readable, and focused on key clinical aspects.
• Shaded, italicized text provides critical clinical “pearls” focusing on specific issues encountered in gynecologic and obstetric practice.
• An abundance of lists, boxes, and tables provides rapid access to crucial points.
We are justifiably enthusiastic about the significant changes that have been made to this edition, and we believe that they will be of tremendous benefit to medical students and other readers who need core information for the primary and obstetric–gynecologic care of women. As a new generation enters the health care professions and the dynamics of providing health care continue to change, women’s health care remains central to the promotion of our society’s health and well-being. This seventh edition of Obstetrics and Gynecology intends to be at the forefront of medical education for this new generation of health care providers and will continue its authors’ commitment to providing the most reliable evidence-based medical information to students and practitioners.