TOG Ratings ★★★★★
TOG ratings ★★★★★
DOI: 10.1111/tog.12587
2019;21:220–1
The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
http://onlinetog.org
APP REVIEW
Figure 1
Aim: Th is app gives free access
to thousands of real medical
cases across 185 specialties
worldwide. It allows the user
to share cases, recognise rare
conditions in their patients and
get feedback from specialists.
Operating system: Android
and iOS 10.0 or later, compatible
with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch.
Usability: The app has features
such as ‘case of the week’ and
alerts for cases in your chosen
specialty. It is easy to use and
to send messages to other
professionals. Registration is
quick and easy (professional
verification requires an
institutional email address).
Cases are pictorial, e.g. an
image of a rash or an ECG with
a short history, allowing users
to comment on diagnosis and
treatment.
Recommend to colleagues/
patients? Yes, to colleagues as
a learning resource. Note that
not all cases are necessarily
presented with the ‘correct’
diagnosis – instead the app
should be used as a platform
to seek opinions (some cases
are posed as multiple choice
questions).
Cost: Free
Reviewer: Cathy Malone
MRCOG, ST7 in O&G, Antrim
Area Hospital, Antrim BT41 2RL,
Northern Ireland
TOG rating:
220
BOOK REVIEW
Eponyms and Names in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 3rd edition
Author: Thomas F. Baskett
ISBN 9781108421706 / Hardback / 521 pages / £99.99 / Cambridge University Press
The new title of this successful book of biographies gives little hint of the magic inside. The first two
editions, published in 1996 and 2008, were called On the Shoulders of Giants, but when Cambridge
took over RCOG Press in 2013, other books had appeared under that name. Hence the prosaic ex-
subtitle for the third edition – the last, says its author.
Tom Baskett, a Belfast graduate and Professor Emeritus of obstetrics and gynaecology in Dalhousie,
is an award-winning historian who knows how to engage his readers. His preface quotes fellow
Canadian Marshall McLuhan: “Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and
entertainment doesn’t know the first thing about either”. I wish I’d heard that years ago.
But there’s more here than a new title and preface. There are many new pictures and names.
Michael Robson and Charles Rodeck from our own era enter just ahead of fellow newbie
Eucharius Rösslin from the 16th century. Kurt Semm now snuggles down beside Ignac
Semmelweiss. Alphabetical order makes it easy to fi nd what you’re looking for, but the
juxtapositions make it hard to put the book down again.
Midwives past and present have been added along with pioneers of oral contraception. Existing
entries have been expanded, and the huge bibliography shows how much research the author has
done in libraries over the past 30 years. Eat your heart out, Wikipedia. This book is a masterpiece.
Reviewer: James Drife MD FRCOG FRCPEd FRCSEd FCOGSA FFSRH, Emeritus Professor of
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leeds, UK
TOG rating:
BOOK REVIEW
Obstetrics: Evidence-Based Algorithms, and Gynaecology: Evidence-Based Algorithms
Authors: Jyotsna Pundir and Arri Coomarasamy
ISBN 9781107618930 and 9781107480698 / 338 and 324 pages / 2016 /
Paperback / Cambridge University Press
There are very few easy-to-read textbooks in obstetrics and gynaecology, especially for those
more visually oriented. These two beautifully written books cover all the basics of general
obstetrics and gynaecology extensively through their combined 150 chapters, with topics ranging
from amniotic fluid abnormities to precocious puberty. Each chapter is laid out in the format of
a colour-coordinated flowchart, starting with prevalence and pathogenesis and fi nishing with
management options and a short note on ‘What not to do’.
Having completed the MRCOG exams years ago, I wish I had these books back then, as the
content is perfect for exam preparation. Each chapter is well organised, complete and most
importantly fun to read. With this book at hand during the stressful exam preparation
period, you can easily read through an otherwise boring topic before bedtime and retain the
material. Although the books comprehensively cover the topics through guidelines and latest
evidence, they should not be used to replace revision of latest guidelines, as no textbook should.
Nevertheless, some sections of the books include essential material for the exam that are poorly
covered by guidelines and other textbooks. Examples include the sections on infections in
pregnancy, reproductive medicine, sexually transmitted diseases and gynaecological oncology.
It was such a pleasure for me to have the chance to review these magnificently constructed books.
I highly recommend them to all trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology, in the UK and beyond.
Reviewer: Jane Ding BMBCh MPhil PhD MRCOG, ST6 Trainee, Queen’s Hospital, Rom Valley
Way, Romford RM7 0AG, UK
TOG rating:
© 2019 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
BOOK REVIEW
Medicolegal Issues in Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Editors: Swati Jha and Emma Ferriman
ISBN 9783319786834 / eBook / 387 pages / £79.50 / Springer International Publishing
This is an extremely interesting, informative and practical book about current clinical
management in obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G), the clinical risks associated with each area
within the specialty and the ensuing harm – litigation – that may ultimately occur.
It is comprehensive, as it covers most specialist areas in O&G and is 387 pages in length, but being
Write for
composed of 70 chapters, it is easy to dip in and out of the sections relevant to the reader’s own
specific interest. TOG ratings
I felt the introductory chapters were particularly interesting in terms of understanding the legal
process, which is appropriate given the medicolegal focus of the book. I would consider the
chapters including ‘Why Doctors get Sued’, ‘Consent After Montgomery’, ‘Leading Cases’ (with
an explanation and summary of the legal processes and arguments, including liability, breach
of duty and causation that underlie litigation), ‘The Claim journey’, ‘GMC’ and ‘The Coroner’s
Court’ very valuable for all clinicians in our specialty to read in order to gain an understanding
of how the legal and medical worlds merge in this process of litigation. Rather than ignoring it, Have you recently read a
understanding the process makes risk management more relevant. book or used an app, website
One of the book’s major strengths is that the clinical chapters are written by experienced clinicians or e-learning resource to
and experts in their fields, who combine experience and common sense to provide insights into
the current standard management of certain conditions, focusing on where the risks lie and what
help your O&G practice?
can be done to reduce them. Most admit that there is no way to avoid bad outcomes and litigation
in every aspect of O&G but specify ways it can be minimised. I learnt a lot.
Those who practice obstetrics will be very aware of the issues of consent, team working and,
especially in emergencies, good documentation to improve outcomes and reduce litigation. The
Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training (PROMPT) and Managing Obstetric Emergencies Submit your review to
and Trauma (MOET) courses have highlighted these needs.
tog@rcog.org.uk
In contrast, having not been a gynaecologist for many years, I found that the gynaecology chapters
highlighted the challenges of benign gynaecology. Throughout the chapters the same messages to be considered for the
came through: next TOG ratings
• the requirement for detailed discussion of options, including medical management before
considering surgery
• the need to have appropriate surgical skills when undertaking surgery
• laparoscopic surgery carries more risks when not conducted well and is therefore subject to
more litigation ‡%RRNUHYLHZVZRUGV
• litigation occurs commonly when poor outcomes occur in low-risk procedures.
Gynaecological oncology, as expected with cancer, highlights the issues related to delay in
diagnosis. The cervical screening programme has been extremely successful, but early ovarian ‡:HEVLWHUHYLHZV
cancer remains a challenge, particularly so for GPs. Sequential screening is recommended to ZRUGV
enable some differentiation of nonspecific symptoms in order to determine who needs referral.
Each clinical chapter succinctly runs along the theme of:
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1) current evidence-based practice and standards
2) clinical governance issues including useful statistics for specific outcomes and risks
3) reasons for litigation
4) how to avoid litigation.
In addition, each chapter includes one or two clinical short case reports to illustrate the points and
highlights that where there is variation in practice, it is revealed by variation in outcomes. Summary
key points are at the end are helpful to summarise the main themes and to refer back to.
In conclusion, this book is an extremely useful summary update on current clinical management
across each area of O&G, and with the first section on the legal process related to litigation it
becomes an extremely useful, practical book to read and have access to. I found each chapter
simple to read with a pertinent message to reflect on.
Reviewer: Pippa Kyle MB ChB MD FRCOG FRANZCOG CMFM, Clinical Professor, University of
Otago and Subspecialist Maternal Fetal Medicine, Christchurch Women’s Hospital, New Zealand
TOG rating:
© 2019 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 221