The study of pathophysiology provides a foundation of
essential information for you to apply in your specialty
area. It is a powerful tool to use in your care of patients
who come to you with a wide variety of dise
...
The study of pathophysiology provides a foundation of
essential information for you to apply in your specialty
area. It is a powerful tool to use in your care of patients
who come to you with a wide variety of diseases and
associated therapies. This textbook is intended to facilitate your learning, and we hope you find it both useful
and interesting.
Many aids to learning have been incorporated in the
design of this book, and are intended to maximize your
learning. So, before you begin your course, take a few
moments to read the preface to acquaint yourself with
the general format, guidelines for users, list of contents,
and special features. Then examine the tables and illustrations found on the insides of the front and back
covers, and the material in the appendices at the back
of the book. Glance over the introductory material in
Chapter 1 and several other chapters to check out the
organization and style of presentation, the type of illustrations, the special boxes, and the questions The numerous
figures and charts will be helpful in developing an
understanding of complex disease processes. Note that
review material to refresh your memory on key points
and prepare you for pathophysiology is available at
the beginning of each chapter. This quick review of
anatomy and physiology can save you “learning time”
and moments of frustration as you move through the
new information in pathophysiology.
Many new scientific and medical terms will be used
in this course. These are defined within the text and in
the glossary. Numerous cross-references are included to
help you better utilize this book and are particularly
helpful if you study topics in a different order than that
in the textbook. Perhaps in the practical component of
your program you may find it necessary to look up a
diagnosis in this textbook before you have studied the
topic in class. Each chapter is quite readable prior to a
A Note to Students
formal lecture. The tables and flow charts illustrating
disease processes provide useful summaries for you to
consolidate information following lectures or for review
purposes. The questions and case studies in each chapter
are helpful in preparing for examinations, and you may
use these as models to create specific applications in
your professional field or additional questions and
answers for self-evaluation (this technique is also an
excellent study tool).
As you proceed through this book, we suggest you
note any information that you think is significant in
your specialty area or is of special interest to you for any
other reason. Such relationships build more links in
your memory banks! Whenever possible, check the
current professional journals in your area for updates,
and add to your notes. Because professionals require a
specific knowledge base for safe practice, it is essential
to comprehend and be able to apply your course
material. We hope that this textbook expedites the
process and provides a stimulus to acquire additional
knowledge.
Additional resources are listed at the end of each
chapter and in the appendices. Also available to promote
productive study time are the Study Guide and the
Evolve web site (found at http://evolve.elsevier.com/
Gould/pathophysiology/). These provide a variety of
activities for review and self-evaluation developed specifically for this textbook.
We wish you success and much pleasure in your
chosen profession and welcome your comments and
suggestions, which may be forwarded to us through the
publisher.
[Show More]
