Internal medicine can be a daunting subject for any medical student hitting the books or hitting the wards. Enter Case Files Internal Medicine, an excellent review book geared toward medical students studying for the internal medicine clerkship or USMLE Step 2. This book serves as a comprehensive — but by no means exhaustive — guidebook to common medical problems. The first section provides a brief overview on the proper approach to patients. Following this section is the real meat of the book: 60 fully-explained internal medicine clinical cases. Cases are presented in a random order, so as to simulate the real-life clinical environment. Following the page-long case presentation, the book provides a brief “answer” and then a far more detailed “analysis” of the condition presented. The analysis section for each case is certainly not as detailed as an internal medicine textbook, but it should give the reader a good working knowledge of the appropriate considerations and approach to each case as well as the relevant pathophysiology and treatment.
The format of this book allows for multiple methods of study. Readers looking to rapidly quiz themselves while preparing for exams can simply read the cases and receive quick feedback from the brief answers directly following each case presentation. Also useful for these readers will be the short question and answer section at the end of each case. For students desiring a more in-depth review, the analysis section of each case provides a great and more detailed overview. An extra index organized by disorder name in the back also allows the reader to focus on particular aspects of internal medicine. Details such as this make it obvious that the authors have tried to cater to the varying needs of their readers, and the vast majority of readers should be pleased with the results. The flexibility afforded by Case Files’ organization makes this book highly appropriate for both the student looking for an overview of internal medicine toward the beginning of study and the student wanting a quick review of the subject prior to the shelf-exam or USMLE Step 2.
The strengths of this book are its inclusion and comprehensive discussion of a broad range of internal medicine clinical cases and its flexible format allowing readers to tailor the text around their study needs. While the book is generally well-written, readers looking for a book they can quickly read cover-to-cover may find this book tiring or monotonous. But certainly this book does not aim to be read as a textbook, and it may not be surprising that it truly shines when used to review clusters of several cases instead of the entire text.
Overall, Case Files: Internal Medicine will serve as either a solid introductory text or an excellent review text for any medical student studying internal medicine. Its concise format should help make internal medicine an easier case to crack.