Saunders Review of Family Practice. 3rd edition By Edward T. Bope and Michael D. Hagen. 367 pp. Philadelphia, W B Saunders, 2002. $59.95 (paper). ISBN 0/N7216–8821/N7.

This text is written as a companion study guide to Rakel’s Textbook of Family Practice. The book contains 67 chapters with titles identical to the 67 chapters in Rakel’s book and grouped under the same five categories of principles of family practice, family medicine in the community, communication in family medicine, practice of family medicine, and management of the practice. Each chapter typically contains 10 to 30 questions in formats similar to those found on the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP) certification examination, ie, multiple choice and multiple true-false. Each question is followed by the correct answer, a page reference from Rakel’s Textbook of Family Practice, and a critique, similar to the format used in the ABFP In-Training Examination Critique Book. The third edition adds an introductory piece by Lanyard Dial, “Preparing to Take the American Board of Family Practice Examinations.”

Saunders Review of Family Practice is unabashedly a preparatory text for the ABFP examination. My only serious criticism is that the new edition, which had been promised for months, was published too late to help those of us who took the recertification examination in July 2002. I had used the previous edition as a review when I recertified 6 years ago and found it extremely helpful. Both the content and format of the questions are extremely realistic. Even though the text can be used as a stand-alone review, it is especially powerful when coupled with Rakel’s Textbook of Family Practice, because the specific references make efficient guides to further study.

I found the book particularly useful as a review of those conditions I encounter infrequently in my practice and that require knowledge of specific facts I do not keep in my head but that tend to show up on the ABFP examination. After my study of the previous edition, I recall working through the ABFP examination and recognizing a number of answers I would have otherwise missed. Dr. Dial’s chapter on test-taking tips is much like the talk he has given at review courses sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians. I can personally attest to the value of several of his suggestions to survive the examination.

I have spent limited time using the other board-review texts or comparing Saunders Review of Family Practice with similar offerings on the market. From my experience, however, I have a hard time imagining a more useful choice for any family physician preparing to take the ABFP examination. When residents who are about to take the examination for the first time ask me for advice on how to prepare, Saunders Review of Family Practice is my standard recommendation.