Obstetrics and Gynaecology by Impey & Child: "...the only book needed to pass finals in obs and gynae"

"This is a great book...the only book needed to pass finals in obs and gynae" is how the StudentBMJ described this popular textbook. It's certainly no exaggeration, as this book covers every topic in sufficient detail for you to cover your final year objectives in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The book has been hugely successful since it's first publication and the reason is simple. Books are often described as "well written, easy to read and well illustrated", but "Lawrence and Impey" (as you will come to know it!) goes one step further. Every area of O&G for undergraduates is backed up with an introduction to the basic sciences which helps set the scene and the structure of the text encourages a management based approach to learning, which trains you to start to think about how you might manage patients that you are bound to see during your "on call" sessions. You will find the succinct summary boxes peppered throughout the chapters and at the end of chapters invariable when it comes to revising the key topics nearer to exams.

The "Management" sections at the end of the book lay down management approaches to common scenarios encountered in O&G including antenatal bleeding, placenta praevia and cervical cancer. These sections are particularly useful for revising for SBA type questions and OSCE stations.

Another part of the book that I personally found very useful was the section on contraception and family planning which is very well written and serves as a very good reference on the different types of contraception and their various nuances.

This is one of the first books that will be cleared off library shelves within an hour of O&G firms beginning, so it's worthwhile having your own copy to refer to and annotate as you go through your firm. I'll certainly be holding on to my copy for the foreseeable future.

MedStudentBooks Rating: 10/10