specialties

As someone who has used this series for the medical care of my children, myself, my wife, and my elderly mother, I can see no reason that anyone would not want to use it. It's obviously not perfect but it seems that the process of picking out a physician is otherwise pretty random - I would much rather have imperfect information than none. The review entitled "mostly trash" should be disregarded. That reviewer mistakenly notes that the doctors were chosen from a random sample of half (20,000) of all doctors. In fact 20,000 were SURVEYED - which is a very high and very impressive number (for example only 1000 people are typically surveyed in nation-wide opinion polls). Consider also that one usually picks a physician based on the opinion of ONE other doctor. Unfortunately, however, the book is getting pretty out of date. Note to publisher: Please print 2nd Edition!

How Doctors are chosen is the real barometer of this books integrity.......As one with a personally distressing visit with one of the Doctors listed, who ironically told me to stay off the Internet and don't do so much reading, I feel these books do NOT deliver. Get referrals from health care workers, such as RN's, technicians, etc., who see the Doctors at work everyday and KNOW who to avoid and who to recommend. Ask ER personnel, anyone at a facility in whom you come in contact. It's the best method for uncovering the best Doctors.

Took a look at this book at a local bookstore before I bought it, and was glad I did. The first half is filled with alot of common sense information, ie. make sure the MD is Board Certified, experience matters, etc. But, what really makes the book trash, is that the author in the middle of the book tells you how he arrived at his list. He took 39,000 doctor's, and then RANDOMLY cuts the list in half to 20,000. Why?? Who knows. Maybe he didnt want to take the time to thouroughly research who is good, and who isnt, and didnt want to offend, but just wanted to write a book that has a great title, and is a commonly used search term. Either way, it could very well be that the best pick of a given specialty is world-renowned, but wasnt lucky enough to be chosen RANDOMLY from the initial 39,000. You might in fact get a good doctor from this book, but he/she very well might not be the best, had he/she been "lucky". Isnt the point of the book to select the best, and not someone who just got lucky?? Im surprised that a publisher went along with this premise, but it just goes to show you, that titles do sell, and not to judge a book by its cover.