Board Basics (2019)

Despite some important limitations, Board Basics (2019) is still the best single volume internal medicine review book for internists. (I reviewed a previous edition of this book elsewhere so I will restate the review and provide applicable relevant changes).

Board Basics (2019) is loaded with essential and hard-to-find charts, lists, tips and answers to Board review questions.  For example, on page 349 there is a table devoted to the mimics of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD). The table provides essential clinical vignettes, along with pertinent radiologic and laboratory findings. Glomerulonephritis, biliary disease, dementia and many other conditions are similarly well-treated.

The book tells you what to “do”—that is, the action one is to take in clinical settings—and which answers to select on the American Board of Internal Medicine Certification (or Maintenance of Certification) Exam. In fact, there are many charts based on the “if you see this… diagnose this” or “think of this” and “do this.” This is a very helpful way to prepare to answer questions and make definitive decisions both in clinical practice and on examinations. In addition, the “Don’t Be Tricked” pointers are extremely useful. They identify wrong answer choices (“decoys”) and tell you which answers not to choose on the test or in clinical practice.

The book has some noteworthy limitations. There is no index. This is huge drawback for a book that covers such a huge amount of subject matter. In addition, some topics are surprisingly curt. For example, there is still no guidance on the management of acute heart failure (e.g., IV nitrates, diuretics, BiPAP and blood pressure control). Similarly, the role of electrocardiography in the evaluation of patients with syncope is distilled to a vague sentence and a half. (“ECG: Done in all cases. The finding of an arrhythmia and conduction block may establish the diagnosis, but a normal ECG does not rule out a cardiac etiology.” Page 160). Fortunately, outright errors are very few and far between, which is a remarkable achievement for a Board review book with this level of detail and depth.

Overall, Board Basics (2019) by the American College of Physicians is a very good internal medicine board review book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is preparing for the Internal Medicine Boards. It may very well be, as the authors have claimed, “the best Board prep tool that you will find anywhere.”