Geriatrics At Your Fingertips 2003 5e

Book excerpt: The fifth edition of Geriatrics at Your Fingertips is a portable, practical and economical tool for professionals who provide primary care to older persons. Content focuses on the evaluation and management of the diseases and disorders that most commonly affect older persons in various healthcare settings. GAYF minimizes the time clinicians spend searching for the information that they need to make patient care decisions. Many of the care strategies are derived from guidelines published by organizations such as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association, among others. GAYF describes assessment instruments, recommended diagnostic tests, and management strategies that include non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic therapy. The design of the tables and lists of drugs facilitates appropriate prescribing. Generic and trade names are provided, as well as information on dosages, how the drugs are metabolized or excreted, and how each drug is supplied--with special emphasis on impact in older patients. Body system disorders (such as respiratory diseases), symptoms (like pain), and life-style issues (such as alcohol and tobacco abuse) are covered in separate chapters. At the end of the book are lists of telephone numbers and Web sites that serve as additional resources for specific information on general aging, end-of-life, legal issues and elder abuse, and specific health problems.