Book Review: Naturopathic Standards of Primary Care
Stacie Deyglio, ND
Naturopathic Standards of Primary Care
Dr. El-Hashemy designed Naturopathic Standards of Primary Care to provide core knowledge and practical instruction on the range of essential skills naturopathic primary care physicians must adhere to, as outlined by the naturopathic licensing and accrediting entities that govern the profession. Basing his work on AMA, CMA, and NABNE guidelines, Dr. El-Hashemy supplies complete curricula for competency and proficient understanding of primary care clinical knowledge and reasoning skills.
Given that primary care standards direct the entire systematic process of symptom recognition, laboratory investigation, procedural diagnosis, proper follow-up, and case management for naturopathic physicians, this book provides a vital resource to students in clinical practice, students sitting for licensing exams, and those out in the field in primary care practice. Acquisition of such competencies allows students to proceed to clinical rotations, independent medical practice, or further postgraduate studies. The book is “designed to present and clinically appraise the reasoning behind current best practices (medical, naturopathic, surgical and otherwise), external evidence, and patients’ preferences to allow for the generation of contemporary standards of care” (pg.vii).
The book is developed in three main parts. Part one includes primary care principles, which include clinical practice guidelines, charting guidelines, diagnostic tests evidence based medicine, and test quality/validity. Part two encompasses applied clinical skills as related to the major organ systems of the body presented in mutually exclusive modules. Part two has been designed to present current research and conforms to the standards of above mentioned medical boards and associations. Part two, “functions to prepare naturopathic medical students for their licensing board examinations by posing typical exam questions with well reasoned answers, and offers the naturopathic primary care practitioner with a convenient clinical handbook for common presentations” (pg.59). Both parts one and two include current peer reviewed publications. Lastly, Dr. El-Hashemy includes a comprehensive part three of the book, which includes case based review questions. In this section, emphasis is placed on problem-based case studies and small-group learning experiences that simulate actual primary care clinical settings. This text is ideal for students of naturopathic medicine but also for any practicing naturopathic doctors seeking a primary care clinical handbook.
Stacie Deyglio, ND received her baccalaureate degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the College of Mt. St. Vincent in New York. Her personal health issues paved the way to discovering naturopathic medicine in 1999. Resonating with the philosophy and principles of naturopathic medicine, Dr. Deyglio graduated from the University of Bridgeport, College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2003. As a medical student, she was involved in student government, fundraising and the generation of two successful student-run health fairs. Dr. Deyglio’s interests include relating integrative therapeutics to the health of pediatric and geriatric populations. Currently residing in Phoenix, Dr. Deyglio is an avid bookworm, and is actively creating her practice.
