Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine (Pocket Notebook Series)

Not too much to say here, this is a must have and you see it in the coats of med student, interns, residents and attendings. New version out in October if you can wait.

This book will save the rear-ends of both you & your patients. I rarely find a topic which isn't covered in this book when I need it. The index is superb, and full, concise explanations are there to guide your diagnosis/workup. It fits nicely into my white coat, and I feel pretty vulnerable without it.. especially doing new admissions or consults. Get yourself this book and do everyone a favor.

This book is THE best book for medical school! Nothing compares to it! I used it for the clerkships and for the boards (score: 260) and will continue to use it in residency.

I've heard that this book is really only used in New England (obviously since it's published by MGH) but EVERYONE here uses it. The best recommendation for any medical book is how many people use it, and by far and away it was the book every resident had at my medicine site. The algorithms are wonderful, there's room in the back to add your own notes and the fact that it has rings and can open flat is a great touch. Plus it fits in the pocket of your white coat. The only problem my classmates and I have found is that the holes in the pages in some of the newest editions don't quite line up with the rings, which makes the pages a little hard to turn. But over all this was one of the best books I've bought for my clinical years.

I have little to add to what is already written. I bought the previous edition of this book in July 2003 as I was starting my Family Medicine residency. By end of the year it was the only book I still carried with me on inpatient medicine rotations. Prior edition didn't have a decent neuro section but I understand that has been fixed. I am now in private practice and the prior edition still sits in the top right drawer of my desk at the clinic and it goes in the car with me when I am on-call.