Article Outline

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a field that is rapidly changing and presents health care providers with challenges given its chronicity and complexity. This handbook is meant to be (1) a handy guide for trainees who need a clinically oriented reference or health care providers who need to access clinical information quickly and easily, or (2) a user-friendly resource for those not medically trained who interact with IBD patients on a regular basis. However, the language is somewhat technical for those without some formal medical training and not necessarily appropriate for those in the pharmaceutical industry or health care administration, as suggested by the editors in the preface.

This is a 20-chapter, multi-authored, paperback book, sized to fit in a coat pocket or easily on a desk without taking up space. It is a manageable 177 pages, with references at the end of each chapter. The authors comprise a variety of levels of expertise, from full professors to residents in training and are predominantly clinicians within the field of IBD. Not all the chapters follow the same format, which is understandable given the wide range of topics covered. The book is comprehensive in its scope, including but not limited to chapters on medications, surgery, extraintestinal manifestations, and nutrition. The print is very small, to accommodate the smaller size of the book, but can be difficult for the reader, particularly one that simply needs some quick information. The photos are unfortunately in black and white and thus not as helpful as they were intended to be. The diagrams and tables, however, are appropriate and useful.

There are some novel chapters that make this book intriguing. I particularly like Chapter 1 by Siegel and Sands on how to start a relationship with an IBD patient, because it includes a checklist of appropriate questions and a sample medication list, but I am not sure that the majority of readers have the interest or resources to initiate a database for these patients. Chapter 7 has practical recommendations on immunomodulators, which is a feature that would have been very helpful in other medicine chapters as well, given that this book is designed to be a quick reference. There is a chapter specifically on pouchitis and one that is written for nurses; the last chapter is a practical guide to disability for patients, chapters not otherwise found in other, shorter books or guides.

The radiology chapter, although instructional, could have been more helpful if there had been discussion about radiation doses of the various modalities so as to put in perspective for clinicians the risks and benefits of each test. There is some contradictory information found within the book; for example, in Chapter 9 the surgeons state that an ileoanal pouch procedure is contraindicated in Crohn's disease, but in the pouchitis chapter (Chapter 16), it is acceptable in some circumstances.

Bottom Line: Access to the Internet or a computer is not always feasible, and a small pocket guide or handbook that is comprehensive and clinically oriented has some value. The print is small and can be hard to read and some of the chapters are data dense, which would have made tables or take away points helpful. Given these limitations, it is still much more user friendly than alternatives like the accepted tome, the Kirsner textbook of IBD. I would recommend the purchase of this book for trainees who are interested in the field of IBD, and those allied health staff who may have a special interest in caring for this kind of patient.