Field of medicine: General interest and patient education.

Format: Softcover book.

Audience: Women requiring health care who have no medical background or training.

Purpose: Intended as a resource to help women make health care decisions.

Content: Written by female physicians and health care providers, this is a comprehensive reference text on all aspects of women's health. The 39 chapters are organized into four sections. The first, "Being a Savvy Consumer of Health Care," sets the stage by identifying federal initiatives, outlining critical health issues, and familiarizing the reader with the changing health care system. The second, "Keeping Yourself Healthy," provides a wealth of information about healthy living, including nutrition, exercise, stress, and potentially hazardous environments. It includes chapters that deal with violence, mental health, aging, and sexuality. "Reproductive Health," the third section, is broadly based and covers such topics as genetics, fertility, pregnancy, breast feeding, sexually transmitted diseases, and AIDS. The bulk of the chapters make up the fourth section, "The Healthy Body-Symptoms, Diagnoses and Treatments." It is this section that will help readers interpret their symptoms, understand their disorders, and learn about common procedures.

Highlights: Although the text emphasizes health maintenance through disease prevention and health promotion, it also helps readers understand how disease affects the body and how and when to obtain medical care. The section on the healthy body covers a wide range of common conditions and disorders that are not woman-specific, making this text useful for other family members. Several of the chapters give resource lists that help the reader find more information or assistance. The chapter on accidents and emergencies is a practical, easy-to-follow guide for prevention and first aid. The text is well presented visually, with illustrations and tables that are easy to understand and interpret. The bulleted sections provide visual variety and highlight topics of special concern, such as ways to quit smoking, asthma triggers, and signs of sexual abuse.

Limitations: The book delivers both more and less than it promises. The Table of contents is less useful than the appendix for locating information on particular topics. The body systems approach makes sense to the authors, but it is less logical for nonmedical readers. Although designed for women, it is not a resource for all women: The sophisticated language may be a barrier for some. In some areas, the text falls short; for example, the discussion of hormone replacement therapy is scattered over several chapters and ultimately proves disappointing. This text was published in 1995, so some of the prevention guidelines, such as those for thyroid screening, do not reflect the most current recommendations.

Context: With the abundance of self-help and self-health books available, the usefulness of one more is questionable. Yet this text fills a niche. For general knowledge, the breadth of topics makes it a better choice than more narrowly targeted, in-depth texts. Despite its title, the book goes beyond the boundaries of concerns or issues specific to women. On the other hand, unlike encyclopedic endeavors, the volume of material is manageable. Its sense of persons as health care consumers and decision makers is unmistakable, and the content generally hits the mark with just enough material to inform but not overwhelm.

Reviewer: Joyce E. Dains, DrPH, FNP, Baylor College of Medicine, Dallas, Texas.