If you’re thinking of holding out for one of the ‘more effective’ vaccines, well, despite the varying efficacy ratings you’ve been hearing in the news, there’s really no way of knowing for the moment which -if any- is more effective, as they were all tested under different conditions. (Though they’re ALL equally effective in preventing serious illness or death.)
So which is the best vaccine?
The first one you can get in your arm.
10% off our in-stock Reference titles until March 5th. The direct link to all the available titles is here, but be aware that it will take a while to load – there are over a thousand titles here. You can also look for specific titles through our keyword search and eligible reference titles will display the 10% discount in their listings. And as always, if you’re looking for a title that we don’t have in stock, we can probably get it in within a few days to a couple of weeks (no discount on titles not currently in stock though).
If you’re in the area and would like to come in and browse the selection, we can allow one person at a time in our Reference section, so if you’d like to make an appointment, you can contact us at jim.regan@dal.ca. (And if you happen to drop by without an appointment when there’s no one in our Reference section, we can probably accommodate you.)
Last October, the Heart and Stroke Foundation released its quinquennial (that’s every five years – now we’ve both learned a new word) update to its guidelines. As always, those new guidelines take a few months to find their way into revised print publications like the ACLS Provider Manual, so in the meantime, students and medical personnel typically work with a combination of the previous editions and a list of updates (posted as free PDFs here).
Well, since it’s Heart Month, and with the new editions on the horizon, we’ve decided to clear out the 2015 editions at 50% off our regular selling prices. While supplies last, as the saying goes, we’ll have copies of the ACLS, BLS, PALS and PEARS Provider Manuals, and PALS Pocket cards available here for half price. (ACLS Pocket Cards and ECC Handbooks are already sold out.)
Just arrived, our annual allotment of the 2021 Toronto Notes (now in it’s 37th edition) packaged with the Clinical Handbook (which includes STAT Notes), Quick Reference pocket cards, and a discount code to get the eBundle for $40.
Without question the most anticipated annual release of any publication we carry, this comprehensive medical review textbook is aligned with the most recent MCCQE objectives, making it ideal for students studying for licensing exams or looking to complement their medical school knowledge with a concisely written, thorough resource.
Toronto Notes 2021 includes a new Palliative Medicine chapter that outlines essential information for this key specialty. Alongside general revisions, the Dermatology, the Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, the Public Health and Preventive Medicine and the Ethical, Legal, and Organizational Medicine chapters have all been thoroughly revised and expanded for the 2021 edition.
The 2021 edition (at $190) can be found on our website here for mail out or on-line pick-up purchases. We’re also open limited hours for walk-in traffic. (Check our website, as the hours may change.)
Meanwhile, we still have a handful of the 2020 editions at a 50% discount of its original price for 127.34. Click here for the 2020 edition.
“Behind heart disease and cancer, medical error is now listed as one of the leading causes of death.”
That’s an attention-getter, isn’t it? This line opens the back cover introduction to the just-released, “The Cognitive Autopsy,” by Professor of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University and doctor two times over (MD, PhD), Pat Crosskerry.
To continue;
“Of the many medical errors that may lead to injury and death, diagnostic failure is regarded as the most significant. Generally, the majority of diagnostic failures are attributed to the clinicians directly involved with the patient, and to a lesser extent, the system in which they work. In turn, the majority of errors made by clinicians are due to decision making failures manifested by various departures from rationality. Of all the medical environments in which patients are seen and diagnosed, the emergency department is the most challenging. It has been described as a “wicked” environment where illness and disease may range from minor ailments and complaints to severe, life-threatening disorders.”
Dr. Crosskerry , widely published in journals and books on the subjects of patient safety and clinical decision making, award winner in medical education, YouTube resource, and founder of the Canadian Symposium on Patient Safety, has gathered together 42 actual emergency room cases resulting in, “…medical adverse events or near misses.” and examines the thought processes that may have contributed to those less than ideal outcomes. Tellingly, cognitive biases are larger factors than a lack of relevant knowledge in these errors, and by clearly laying out the forces behind these errors, this book helps readers move towards avoiding and eliminating them.
(And while the cases examined here all took place in the ‘wicked environment’ of the emergency room -with all the extra pressures that may make a practitioner more vulnerable to these errors- readers in any branch of medicine could benefit from the lessons taught here.)
“Where did I go wrong?” can be a valuable question, but not if it’s an idle one. Finding the answer to that question can change -even save- lives.
“The Cognitive Autopsy” can be purchased for mail out or pick up from the Dalhousie Bookstore here, (we’re also open to walk-in traffic from 11-3 on weekdays until December 23rd), or through our online affiliate, Login Canada (free shipping on orders placed in 2020), here.
Elsevier publishing and Login Canada are offering 10 and 15 percent discounts on more than 150 titles to try to start 2021 off on the right foot.
In effect from now until the end of March, this discount applies to books from the Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health & Veterinary Fields, and includes titles from the Secrets and On Call series of review books, NCLEX prep guides, Netter’s Anatomy titles, subjects from Aromatherapy to Ultrasound, and all the way to the 2-volume Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (and a 15% discount really helps when a set of books is in the $400 price range).
This special pricing only applies to direct shipments through our Login Virtual Bookstore in Ontario (not in our on-campus location), with free shipping until at least the end of December. Discounted prices are listed with each eligible title individually (so don’t worry about missing out if you’re just doing a keyword search through the link above), but if you want to see all the titles together, you can one hundred and forty-one 15% discounted titles here, and another eighteen 10% discounted titles here.
Well, it’s that time of year again, when we receive pre-order reminders from the makers of Toronto Notes for next year’s edition.
The 2021s won’t be available for a couple of months yet, but while we’re waiting, we’re discounting the price of the the copies we have left of the current edition from $175 to $127.34.
If you’re interested in having a copy shipped to you, or in coming by for an Online Pickup, you can order your discounted 2020 copy here…
It becomes more clear every day that COVID is not going away any time soon, and the number of COVID-related resources is growing at a daily rate. Login Canada, our main medical text supplier and distributor of almost 2 million titles by multiple publishers, has now created an online collection of books and materials pertinent to the current Pandemic.
Divided into categories like the Corona Virus itself, Mental and Consumer Health, Infection Control, Historical Perspectives, Working from Home, and even Activities for Kids, this collection includes COVID-19 specific titles as well as general coverage of the subject matter like Spec’s Comprehensive Review of Infectious Diseases, multiple titles on Zoonoses, looks back at the Spanish Flu and Ebola, and standard texts in the field like the CDC’s Yellow Book, and Heymann’s Control of Communicable Diseases Manual.
There are hundreds of titles in this collection, which can either be bought directly from Login and shipped directly to your door, or, you can check with us to see if we have copies on hand (if not, we can generally get them in in a few days).
To browse the collection, just go to the Login/Dalhousie “Virtual Bookstore” here, and click on the “Books on Covid” button on the left-hand side of the page. (Just look for this…)
https://lb.ca/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/lbbpage?/f=/landing/COVID/covid19.html/f
Most years as we welcome the crowds for Fall Rush, Nursing students will browse our shelves looking for various reference titles to supplement their required textbooks – such options as drug guides, anatomical flash cards, early prep guides (and games) for the eventual NCLEX exams, pocket guides like the ever-popular RNotes, and perhaps a bit of inspiration from Florence Nightingale herself.
Of course, this year isn’t like most years, and since we’re closed to the public, it’s difficult for students to get a general overview of what books are available. (Keyword searches of our website are so annoyingly specific.)
To the rescue comes Login Canada’s annual Nursing Reference and Review Catalog. Usually salted along our shelves in a printed format every year, these free catalogs are also available in a PDF format through this link, and include 20 pages of the most popular reference titles among Nursing students. Login Canada is the distributor of the vast majority of our Nursing titles, so the odds are that whatever you’re looking for is available through their warehouses – and there’s also a very good chance that we have it on the shelves here at the bookstore.
So, if you see anything of interest, just give us a call (902-494-3020) or email (jim.regan@dal.ca) to see if we’ve got it in stock (or, if not, if you’d like us to bring it in). Or, you can order directly from the Login warehouses through the Nursing Catalog Listings at our ‘Virtual Bookstore,’ and the books will be shipped directly to your door. (Login is also extending their free shipping offer through October for anything ordered through the Virtual Bookstore.)
It’s all about adapting to the times sometimes…
As a bookstore, and with more and more titles becoming available in electronic format, we naturally have an increasing number of students who have problems accessing their books. In a very real way, until e-books are as simple to use as paper books, they’re an inferior technology – after all, nobody ever needed tech support for a paper book.
Or did they?…
Well, it’s been a while since there have been any posts added to this site, but this is as good a venue as any to provide an update on our current situation.
Back in March, the bookstore, along with the rest of Dalhousie, shut down entirely for a while as the province was beating back the first wave of the pandemic. Then, over the summer, we returned and began operating in a ‘warehouse’ scenario – mailing orders directly to customers and providing a curbside (more accurately, side door) pickup service.
We continued operating in this capacity through a very …interesting… Rush period, and will be continuing to do so for the foreseeable future, which means that, until further notice, we won’t be allowed to have walk-in traffic. (Clearly a less than ideal situation for those wanting to browse amongst our reference titles.)
There are a few alternatives available, though. If you’re looking for a specific title, the bookstore website has a keyword search at the top right corner of every page. (The search is titled “Course Materials,” but it will search through ALL our books, text and general reference, and a good deal of non-book items as well, like our Littmann stethoscopes, or reflex hammers.)
We also have a partnership with the Canadian distributor of most of our titles, Login Canada, and they have set up a “Virtual Bookstore” through which you can browse and select books and other items, and they will ship them directly to your door. (Login has just under 2 million titles available – including hundreds of thousands of ebooks- so clearly, even in ‘old-normal’ times, they’ll have a much wider selection of medical books than we’ll have on our shelves.)
And of course, you can also connect with us directly at the bookstore. There are some non-book medical items that may not appear on the website’s keyword search, and there are many titles that, while we may not have in stock at the moment, we can bring in without trouble (frequently in as little as 2-4 business days). And, if it’s not something we carry, we might be able to point you towards someone who does.
In the meantime, wash hands, wear masks, keep distance, etc. You know the drill.
In instructive lesson in math and pandemics…
We all know that there are never enough donor organs available for the people who need them, and even among donated hearts, seven of ten go unused – partly because of the limitations imposed by transporting the organ ‘on ice.’ So, Massachusetts-based medical device company, TransMedics decided to remove the ice from the equation entirely and … keep the heart beating during transport.
Hearts would be the highest profile option here, but the technology extends to other candidate organs as well, and in all cases such “living organ transplants” not only extend the time window between donation and reception, but they also allow surgeons a chance to assess the donor organ’s function outside the body. As the company puts it, “Hearts beat, lungs breathe, kidneys produce urine, livers produce bile.”
You can see the technology in action in this video:
The RxFiles is an academic detailing program providing objective, comparative drug information to clinicians. The program began in 1997 as a service for Saskatoon family physicians.
In 2000, the program was expanded to provide service to physicians throughout Saskatchewan. Efforts to keep drug selection tools up to date resulted in the publication of the RxFiles Drug Comparison Charts book, beginning in 2001. The book has become a practical tool for evidence based and clinically relevant drug use information throughout Canada.
The new 2017 edition is available in three sizes. (The pages are identical in all three versions – the only difference is the size of the type.)
Oversize (12 x 16 inches) is $120.00.
Standard (9.5 x 11 inches) is $89.00.
and Pocket Size (5.5 x 7 inches – with magnifying lens, the type is very small) is also $89.00.
All three sizes are carried in-store, or you can order online and have the books shipped to you through this link.
First released in 1966 by John Willis Hurst (who had served as the cardiologist of President Lyndon B. Johnson), Hurst’s The Heart is now it’s 14th edition, and has become one of the most widely used medical textbooks in the world.
From the Publisher:
5 STAR DOODY’S REVIEW!
“This is an outstanding choice for those who strive for a firm foundation in cardiovascular medicine, as well as an up-to-date and user-friendly source that addresses every discipline in the field. The updates and enhancements to this edition have made the book easier to use.”–Doody’s Review Service (reviewing previous edition)
Cardiology’s cornerstone text and your first place to turn for the latest developments that promise better patient care
Hailed for its authority, currency, and ability to translate the latest research and advances into real-world clinical application, Hurst’s The Heart is the field’s landmark text and cardiology’s longest continuously published reference book. Written to meet your ever-changing clinical information needs, this trusted classic offers a solid foundation in cardiovascular medicine and complete coverage of all major cardiovascular topics.
Within its pages, you will find succinct, visually appealing summaries of all the major new trials and guidelines, along with tips for optimizing outcomes and health quality. The Fourteenth Edition has been completely updated to reflect the latest technical, therapeutic, and clinical advances, while still maintaining a strong focus on quality patient care.
HERE’S WHY THIS IS THE BEST EDITION YET:
– NEW CHAPTERS include Arrythmogenic Cardiomyopathy; Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation; Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease; Left Ventricular Noncompaction; Evaluation and Management of Acute Heart Failure; Carotid Artery Stenting; and Race, Ethnicity, and Cardiovascular Disease
– NEW SECTIONS include Metabolic Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease and Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease
– More than 1,500 full-color illustrations and 500 tables (many new to this edition)
– The wisdom, experience, and authority of approximately 300 expert contributors
Hurst’s The Heart is now available in store or online for delivery directly to your door through this link.
We’ve just received our annual allotment of the 2017 Toronto Notes packaged with the Clinical Handbook and STAT Notes, as well as a handful of the standalone Clinical Handbooks. Without question the most anticipated annual release of any publication we carry, this primary print resource in preparation for MCCQE I and USMLE II objectives covers 30 medical specialties in over 1300 pages.
From the Publisher;
The Toronto Notes 2017 ebook features a colour layout. The ebook is a searchable, digital version of the main book, which contains a hyperlinked table of contents, linked subtable of contents in each chapter and linked index. It also allows for note-taking and bookmarking. The ebook can be placed on more than one device. For more information on whether your device is compatible, please click on “Will this ebook work on my device?” tab.
About the Book:
Toronto Notes for Medical Students is proud to present the 33rd Edition of the highly successful Toronto Notes textbook series. This 2017 edition features a new layout across all 30 chapters for enhanced readability, with newly updated in-text icons and illustrations. Content updates across the main text, figures, graphics, and evidence based medicine sections further enhance preparation for the Canadian and American medical licensing exams.
Toronto Notes for Medical Students 2017 includes exciting new changes that will further help health care professionals with examinations, general knowledge, and ultimately preparing for their medical licensing exams. This year, the Toronto Notes 2017 package includes:
Toronto Notes 2017 Key Features:
• A concise textbook with in-depth coverage of 30 medical specialties
• Up-to-date Evidence Based Medicine highlights, including DSM-5 criteria
• Our website features online resources, including a Colour Atlas, ECGs Made Simple
tutorial, Heart Sounds tutorial, Essentials of Medical Imaging, over 50 Practice OSCE
stations and much more
• A Clinical Handbook highlighting common clinical management scenarios and
helpful tips on clerkship basics – perfect size to carry on the wards
• A downloadable, searchable E-book with hyperlinks that allows note taking and
bookmarking, compatible with both smart phones and tablets, for only $20 with the
purchase of a print copy – now available with colour illustrations
• Stat Notes: The ultimate guide to managing on-call issues, this pocketbook features a
step-by-step approach for 30 common ward scenarios
The 2017 edition will be selling for $174.95, and is available in store, or can be ordered online for delivery to your door through this link.
Meanwhile, we still have some copies of the 2016 package on hand, which will now be discounted to $141.50, and is available in store or through this link while supplies last.
The British Medical Journal, in a tradition dating back some 30 years, features some unusual research in its annual Christmas issue – research that is entirely sound from a scientific viewpoint, but perhaps a bit skewed from every other viewpoint.
Past offerings have addressed such phenomena as “Head and neck injury risks in heavy metal: head bangers stuck between rock and a hard bass,” investigated those in the health professions by testing “…the hypothesis that, on average, male surgeons are taller and better looking than male physicians…,” and fearlessly tackled such touchy subjects as, “The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute.”
This year, the BMJ’s groundbreaking research asks “Is caviar a risk factor for being a millionaire?,” investigates “Nominal ISOMERs (Incorrect Spellings Of Medicines Eluding Researchers),” stays on top of current (or hopefully, already ‘over’) fads with, “Gotta catch’em all! Pokémon GO and physical activity among young adults: difference in differences study,” and risks unleashing pre-Christmas anarchy by Dispelling the nice or naughty myth: retrospective observational study of Santa Claus.
And finally, in a meeting of the performing and the medical arts, “A Christmas Renaissance,” touches upon Shakespeare’s ‘dramatic’ use of (among other things) uroscopy, amputation, hysteria, dementia, syphilis, midwifery, gout, poisons, homeopathy, fistulas, nursing, epidemics, death, toothache, sphygmology, and of course, constipation. O brave new world! That has such science in’t!
Happy Holidays.