The second edition of A Practical Guide to Obstetrics is an encyclopedia of obstetrics and an excellent reference book for practising obstetricians and midwives in India. This book presents the most up-to-date information of practical relevance in a crisp and reader-friendly style.
The current edition of A Practical Guide to Obstetrics focuses on Indian data available for various clinical conditions. Since 2005, the Government of India, along with other agencies, has brought out guidelines for maternal healthcare. These are sound clinically and present the scope and purpose with clarity. However, a task force convened by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) found that Indian guidelines have weak documentation about their development process and are unclear on how they were adapted to local conditions. Recommendations in this book are based on Indian conditions, resources and ease of applicability. This should help practitioners to relate these to various clinical situations and be able to practice with confidence.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic changed the world in many ways. Obstetricians had to rapidly learn about the disease and its impact on both the mother and her baby. Practices had to be adapted that would also ensure the safety of healthcare providers. To address these challenges, the second edition of A Practical Guide to Obstetrics includes a chapter on COVID-19 and the current recommendations for preventing and managing the disease in pregnant women.
The book is well-illustrated with an ample number of photographs, figures and tables. Evidence-based facts are presented as bullet points. The use of lightbulb boxes for important pieces of information and thumbs up or down boxes to denote good and harmful practices makes it easy for the clinician to focus on the most crucial details.