Patientcareandtraininginthemanagementofsexuallytransmitted infectionshasinrecentyearsseentremendouschanges.Awider rangeofpathogenshasbeenidenti?ed,testsstreamlinedwiththe introduction of newer technologies, evidence-based behavioural interventionsintroduced,andnewtherapeuticagentsandvaccines developed.Atthesametimetherehasbeenapushtowidenaccess to sexual health services and the development of protocol-based managementwherepatientsareoftenledthroughstandardizedh- tories and management guided by ?ow charts all performed by membersofamixedskilledandvariouslyexpertmultidisciplinary team.Observingthisprocessasanoutsidereitherasastudentor postgraduate trainee can be quite bewildering and much of the subtletyguidingmanagementbuiltintotheprocessescanbelost unless one is working with expert clinicians who understand the theoryandscienceunderlyingthesestrategiesandareabletoc- veythistothetrainee. Book Title, Sexually Transmissible Diseases in Clinical Pr- tice, provides a valuable resource to trainees in Sexual Health Medicine. It mimics the consultation process and although not an authoritative textbook on the subject provides the theoretical underpinningformanagementexplainedinanaccessiblewayvery much akin to sitting in on expert consultations in both common and some rarer conditions. It will also help trainees to prepare for Case Based Assessments (CBD) such as those required for trainingprogressiontowardsCCTinGenitourinaryMedicineand guidepreparationfortheclinicalOSCEcomponentoftheDiploma ExaminationinGenitourinaryMedicine. RajPatel 2009 v Preface Thisbookisaimedatseveralgroupsofhealth-careprofessionals whoareinvolvedinthecareofindividualswithoratriskofse- allytransmissibleinfections. With the relentless increase in the prevalence of the sexually transmissible infections in industrialized countries, and greater patients'expectations,mostspecialistclinicsareunderconsid- ablepressuretoprovidea?rst-classservice.Onemeansofimpr- ing the performance of such clinics, particularly in the United Kingdom, has been to extend the role of the nurse practitioner. Thishasprovedamostsatisfactorysolutioninmanyclinics.Itis hopedthatthisbookwillproveusefulintheearlytrainingofthe nursepractitionerthroughthepresentationofaseriesofcommon clinicalscenarios. Problem-based learning has become the preferred teaching method in most universities, and it is hoped that undergraduate studentswill?ndthematerialpresentedheretobemorethana- quatetocomplementtheirclinicaltraininginthemanagementof sexuallytransmittedinfections.
Sexually Transmissible Infections in Clinical Practice is a problem-based handbook for dealing with commonly-encountered scenarios at the Sexual Health Clinic or the Family Physician s office. Including 35 cases, it covers a rich variety of complaints, and equips the reader with the confidence to deal with cases in STIs.
The presentation of each case is followed by questions designed to prompt the reader towards a refined differential diagnosis. Explanatory text instructs the reader on the relevant history to attain from the patient, the interpretation of laboratory results and the treatment of the complaint. Augmented by tables and illustrations, this book is suitable both for teaching and for quick reference in the clinic. For those who require more in-depth information on the epidemiology, pathogenesis and details of the micro-organisms involved in the infections, references to textbooks and review articles are provided.
This book will prove very useful for students of medicine and dermatovenereology. It will also provide a helpful refresher for family physicians and practice nurses who wish to become more involved in sexual health, and for family planning doctors and nurses who are being increasingly called upon to manage STIs.
Alexander McMillan, MD, MRCP, FRCP, has 27 years experience as Consultant Physician in Genitourinary Medicine at the Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust. An experienced teacher as well as practitioner, he is a Senior Lecturer in Genitourinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.
