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The The Cleveland Clinic Intensive Review of Pediatrics: An Instruction Manual (CLEVELAND CLINIC INTENSIVE REV)
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Customer Reviews
Rating:  - Excellent review book
I purchased 6 different review books, and this was hands-down my favorite. It is very clearly written, and it provides a bit of background/pathophys to help things make sense but then focuses on what is most important to know. It is true that it is not complete (and I can't help thinking that the ideal peds board review book has yet to be written), but no review book will be--there is enough info in here, and it is sufficiently focused on what is important for the Boards, that if you learn what's here then you should be in good shape.
Rating:  - Hmmm...
Interesting that a relative small-medium sized pediatric program publishes a review book. Most likely just cause they have the "Cleveland Clinic" name....
Interns...buy this book for a general, brief intro to residency and read it prior to your rotations. As board review, inadequate. Don't let the name fool you.
Rating: - Most bang for your buck
Having just taken my board exam, I can see that this book had the most bang for the buck. No other review sources gives you pictures, radiographs, graphs, EKGs and questions in a single book. And the content is definitely representative of the exam -- I recognized one picture because it came directly from this text!
The questions in this book very similar to the actual exam, including those pesky "all of these are true EXCEPT" questions. There are detailed explanations provided for the answers. And this is the only text that gives sample growth charts (also something that shows up on the exam) and actually gives a useful table of developmental milestones (since the boards will inundate you with development questions and will frequently make you split hairs -- other review books are inadequate for milestones).
The coverage of nutrition, sports medicine, and ethics is inadequate. I wish they had a side by side table of all the types of anemia and their associated indices (plus the normal ranges for those indices) -- I don't know why none of the board review books have this considering its importance.
To be honest, because I bought far too many review books, I didn't end up using this as much since it seemed too much like a text and seemed overwhelming. I ended up primarily using a more portable book in bullet-format (Last Minute Pediatrics). But part of the reason it looks so big is because it is actually three books rolled into one -- a review book, a question book, and an atlas. Looking back, I can see that it was a good resource and I feel comfortable recommending it as a sole review tool if you don't mind reading a paragraph format. I'd recommend this to anyone considering Medstudy -- this is a better value and has much better pictures.
This is definitely not a standard pediatric reference text, nor it is meant to be. The boards are are more likely to test you on Waardenburg syndrome than on reflux.
Pros:
*Representative context
*Excellent pictures, sample growth charts, and EKGs -- guaranteed to get you a few easy points on the exam
*Practice questions with similar format to exam and in-depth answers/explanations
*Good value (considering comprehensive content)
*Pathophysiology explained (also tested on boards)
*Single book for content, questions, and pictures
*Superb table with developmental milestones -- a major component of exam
*Feel like you are actually learning by reading it rather than memorizing endless lists or silly mnemonics
Cons:
*Looks and reads like a text
*Least up to date review book (published in 2003)
*Not easy to skim (mostly in text form, rare bullet points)
*Some topics inadequate: sports medicine, nutrition, ethics
Rating:  - Honestly, I wouldn't take this book for free
This book is billed as a study guide for the boards. I am basing my review on this fact. If you are a medical student then this may be a sufficient pediatric source. Maybe...
I thought the Cleveland Clinic name would give this book some essence of quality. But I was sorely disappointed. I am currently studying for the pediatric boards, and I have found this book to be the most useless of all my sources. I will cite some examples here, but to enumerate all the faults would take too long.
The endocrinology section only reviews thyroid, PTH, and adrenal disorders. There is no mention of diabetes mellitus! The only time the words "Diabetes mellitus" are used in this book are in a small table entitled "Risk Factors for Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Children"
The nephrology section has only three parts: fluids and electrolytes, proteinuria and hematuria, and hypertension. That's it. Where's the ONLY mention of renal failure in this book? As one of the secondary causes of peptic ulcer disease. That's it. How about urinary tract infections? Mentioned only in passing as a cause of hematuria. No management discussion whatsoever on either of these VERY IMPORTANT topics.
Gastroenterology - more glaring deficiencies. GE reflux, one of the most common conditions in infants - NOT EVEN MENTIONED. It's not even in the index. Peptic ulcer disease? Again - nothing.
On the positive note, the parts it does cover are well written and easily understood. It just has too many (WAY too many) important topics absent to be deemed a reliable source. There's even two pages covering "approach to an adolescent" ... which is strange considering this is supposed to be a short BOARD REVIEW book.
Consider "Pediatrics - Just The Facts" as an alternative review book that is about the same size as this one. For a review book, it is way and above The Cleveland Clinic Review. Good luck.
Rating:  - Concise Review Book is a Great first start!
This is a new book, published in 2003, a companion of sorts to the Intensive Review of Internal Medicine built as a study guide for the Pediatrics Board Exams.
The book is broken down into 5 major categories, including General Pediatrics, GI, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Neonatology, Cardiology, Allergy, Neurology and Child Development, Genetic and Metabolic Diseases, Adolescent Medicine, Infectious dissease and Immunology, Hematology-Oncology, Pediatric Surgery and Board Simulation. In addition the book includes a small set of color thumbnails for photos of common pediatric diseases and skin conditions.
Overall, the readability of the book is excellent and many of the topics are explained very clearly, for example, the endocrine chapter explains the spectrum of adrenal diseases in under 5 pages, highlighting the important points of Adrenal Cortical Deficiency, Adrenal cortical failure, etc. Each major topic includes epidemiology, pathophysiology, history and physical, diagnosis and treatment sections that makes each section very readable.
The chapters are subdivided into major topics, that cover topics in short, succint, easily digestible paragraphs, and are supplemented by many graphs, tables and charts. I did find a few of the graphics in the cardiology chapter a bit dated, and it would have been nice to have seen a more consistent graphic style throughout the book. In addition, since most of the photos are in black and white, some of the finer details are difficult to see, especially chest x rays and skin findings.
Some chapters seem more geared toward patient care than board review (which doesn't mean they not well written) and spend more time in detail that is not likely to be emphasized on the boards. It would have been nice to have included "boards pearls" or "hot topics" or "frequently tested material" more heavily highlighted in a book that is written for board review. Most of us are looking for a "First Aid for the Boards" type of book for Pediatrics, and this doesn't quite fit that mold. (There is probably no easy "shortcut" type book on the market,yet)
At the end of many of the chapters and sections are a handful of review questions to grill you in the basic subject areas. While most of these test relevant material, the question style is not exactly in line with the style of the Pediatric Board Exam.
That being said, this book makes a terrific general study guide. There is currently no other book available that does so much in as little space. You're not going to be able to read or carry around a Nelson's when you study for the boards, so this book is good for the major topics of each subspecialty.
In addition, this book provides many easy to read a chapters that highlights many important subspecialty areas. More available on the Medfools website. This quality makes it a great "pre-read" before each subspecialty elective in pediatrics that you may complete during a Pediatrics residency.
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