Professor Nandini Chatterjee, editor in chief of the McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine South Asia Edition, joins Professor Roman Jaeschke to discuss the concept of a “living” textbook and unique features of different versions.
Roman Jaeschke, MD, MSc: Good morning. My name is Dr Jaeschke. I’m from Hamilton in Canada, from McMaster University. For the last few years, actually, we have been working with Professor Pal and Professor Chatterjee to develop a South Asian version of our educational resource [McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine]. We are very grateful for this opportunity to work with physicians from India.
Professor Chatterjee, we were talking about unique features of the McMaster Textbook. Professor Pal mentioned GRADE, simplicity, comprehensiveness, and for whom it is [see McMaster Textbook: What’s unique about the South Asian edition?]. We are striving to achieve a few more things. We are striving to achieve a “live” textbook. Could you comment on that?
Nandini Chatterjee, MD: A “live” textbook is one in which the content is under continuous review. It is updated on a day-to-day basis. So the book keeps growing in terms of its relevance and the up-to-date knowledge that is coming everyday into today’s world.
Roman Jaeschke: Okay, so we have the “live” textbook. It’s obviously difficult to print it every time we make an update. Where does the electronic version of the textbook fit into it? How is it available in your country?
Nandini Chatterjee: The electronic version can be accessed through a mobile application or the readers may visit the website of the McMaster Textbook and get access to it. There are certain characteristics of the e-version which are special and not in the print version.
First of all, some chapters could not be put into the print version because of lack of space and were later incorporated into the e-version. Also, the author [readers] can get access to certain lecture videos or reviews in the e-version. Another very important thing regards the evidence-based medicine, which helps in decision making. In the e-version, a person can get references, or even meta-analyses, by accessing PubMed directly from the website of the McMaster Textbook.
Roman Jaeschke: So that’s the “living” edition and electronic version. We put into our textbook 30 years of experience as teachers and educators and people trying to help frontline clinicians to keep up with literature. That was our goal in Canada and in North America, and in the Western world, so to speak. Do you think the physicians in India will benefit from it? How do you think they will benefit from having access to it?
Nandini Chatterjee: The modern generation—not only in India, but all over the world—are getting savvy with the electronic way of gathering wisdom and knowledge. The print versions, they have these limitations. Each and every practitioner who needs a ready reckoner for his day-to-day practice will be able to access this book as the e-version and be benefited. He can get access to the most updated evidence-based practice guidelines. And on the one hand, as the print version is a pocket book, small book, which can be used as a ready reckoner, any person who’s wanting some in-depth knowledge about a particular topic can access the e-version, where he will get fast information about all the latest developments on the subject.
Roman Jaeschke: Let’s hope that we will achieve this level of satisfaction for our readers. I’m very grateful for you joining our effort. It’s our joint project now. Let’s see how much we can do for our users. Thank you very much.
Nandini Chatterjee: Thank you.
