Family Practice Library

Abstract

Most physicians, after they finish their formal training, continue to line their shelves with books and journals. During training teachers guide the selection of the printed word, but after graduation choice is frequently aimless. Books bought on impulse often remain on the shelf; and journals, valuable during training, later stack up collecting guilt. The printed word is a physician’s most valuable resource, one which he/she should have a system for selecting and using. This chapter presents several principles for guiding family physicians in building a personal library and suggests a list of books and journals based on the author’s application of these principles. Although the reader may find the list helpful, the author does not pretend in his own practice. This type of reading requires a maintenance of sophisticated skills and is costly in terms of time. Other physicians accept the judgment of the editors of reputable journals and focus on results and conclusions in their reading. A third group of physicians may eschew entirely original research articles and subscribe to educational digests, which present generally accepted research findings in a teaching format. Although information is secondhand, it is often more readable and practical.