Pulmonary Pathophysiology for Pre-Clinical Students

Reviewed by Steven Cole, Clinical Instructor, Mount Hood Community College on 5/17/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The section on pneumonia needed to be more extensive. More information should have been provided on such a common pathophysiology. Due to pneumonia’s complexity, the different diagnosis types were dispersed throughout the text rather than consolidated.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text appeared to be well-researched and accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I would recommend this text to undergraduates studying respiratory therapy in a pathophysiology class. It was a good review for me, and I enjoyed reading it.

Clarity rating: 4

I found this text easy to read and understand.

Consistency rating: 4

The graphics of the histology slides were all in color and easy to see.

Modularity rating: 4

The text needs to include basic and succinct definitions of disease processes. This is a significant issue, as not having definitions or a glossary can make understanding difficult. Emphasizing this more would significantly improve the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Many different mechanisms can cause pneumonia, and it should have its own section, similar to the section on ARDS. Additionally, the chapter on pleural effusions should have been placed earlier in the book and include more detail.

Interface rating: 4

The text needs more pictures and color diagrams. While there are many histology slides and x-rays, no patient pictures exist. For example, it would be appropriate to show a picture of a patient with ARDS, typically someone on a ventilator for over a week, or a picture of a pediatric patient with RSV.

The graphics could be better. Having a graphic artist redo them would make this text more accessible and easily understood.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The writing is approachable without the overuse of acronyms common to medical texts. It is easy to read and not overly dense, with a good sentence flow that forms a progressive picture of disease processes. Chest x-rays are helpful tools to demonstrate disease processes, but as black-and-white images, details can be hard to discern. Using a high-gloss grayscale helps present x-rays with more clarity. I recommend this for the PDF version.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

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Comments

I enjoyed reading this text. While it desperately needs definitions and better graphics, it was an excellent refresher for me. I recommend this text for undergraduate respiratory care students studying pathophysiology. The writing is clear and easy to understand. It’s a much better text than the current standard, Egans, which in some ways is better suited as a doorstop than a textbook.