Preface

Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine (HPIM), the premier medical textbook for students and clinicians, provides a comprehensive resource for understanding of the biological and clinical aspects of quality patient care. Harrison’s Manual of Medicine aims to fulfill a different need: As a concise, fact-rich resource for point-of-care, the Manual presents clinical information drawn from the 20th edition of HPIM, covering the key features of the diagnosis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of the major diseases that are likely to be encountered on a medical inpatient service and in the clinic.

First published 30 years ago, the Manual is well established as a trusted resource for rapid access to clinically practical information. With each edition, it is updated by experts and has become ever more useful with the rapid expansion of medical knowledge and the increasing time constraints associated with heavy patient-care responsibilities in modern health care settings. The Manual’s popularity and value reflect its abbreviated format, which has proven extremely useful for initial diagnosis and management in time-restricted clinical settings. In particular, the book’s full-color format allows readers to locate and use information quickly. In addition, numerous tables and graphics facilitate decisions at the point of care.

Although not a substitute for in-depth analysis of clinical problems, the Manual serves as a ready source of informative summaries that will be useful “on the spot” and that will prepare the reader for more in-depth analysis through more extensive reading at a later time. Of note, McGraw-Hill’s Access Medicine website (www.accessmedicine.com) provides online access to both the Manual and Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, making it very easy to seek additional information when needed. The Manual is also available in a variety of eBook and app formats.

Like previous editions, this latest edition of the Manual is intended to keep up with the continual evolution of internal medicine practices. To this end, every chapter from the prior edition has been closely reviewed and updated, with substantial revisions and new chapters provided where appropriate. The Editors learned much in the process of updating the Manual and we hope that you will find this edition uniquely valuable as a clinical and educational resource.