ACQ Vol 12 No 2 2010

Resource reviews

Speech pathology resources

McFarland, D. H. (2009). Netter’s atlas of anatomy for speech, swallowing, and hearing . St Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. ISBN: 978 0 323 05656 4; pp. 261; A$100.80; www.elsevier.com.au Annabel Grant

Tanner, D. (2008). Case studies in dysphagia: Malpractice litigation ; Oxfordshire, Plural Publishing. ISBN 978 159 756 325 3; pp. 109; US$59.95; www. pluralpublishing.com Asher Peet

This book addresses an area of increasing concern to the dysphagia clinician – the possibility of being a target for litigation during your practice. Dennis C. Tanner, a professor of health sciences in Speech-Language Sciences and Technology at Northern Arizona University, who has extensive clinical and academic experience, writes of his knowledge in this field. The volume contains an overview of

This first edition text brings together Netter’s rich full-colour illustrations of the structures associated with speech, language, and hearing. The text is divided into an introduction section, followed by five chapters (the respiratory, phonatory, articulatory, auditory, and nervous systems). There is also a companion website (evolve learning system). The introduction section gives a succinct

overview of the terminology and vocabulary required prior to beginning a study in anatomy. Descriptions of planes and sections, spatial relationships, and anatomical movements are backed up with illustrations in which highlighted terms are used to draw attention to relevant concepts. What follows are over 200 pages of detailed colour illustrations and corresponding anatomical and physiological information. The atlas format means that for many of the illustrations, the corresponding text is on the facing page for quick reference. The respiratory, phonatory, and articulatory system sections have summary tables for the relevant muscle origins, insertions, actions, and innervations. The final section on the nervous system summarises the cranial nerves that are significant to speech, mastication/ swallowing, and hearing. This text would be particularly beneficial for undergraduate students and their instructors, given the potential for enhanced learning with the companion website. Instructors will find the PowerPoint images ready for download a quick way to enhance their teaching. The high quality video clips show cadaver dissections of the head, neck, chest, and abdomen with a commentary to help identify the structures as they appear. The book was shown to undergraduate students in speech- language pathology who recently completed a course in anatomy and physiology. They commented that the book was certainly “aesthetically pleasing”. The students felt that the atlas wouldn’t replace their current anatomy textbook which had more detailed explanations of physiology compared to the bullet pointed information in the atlas. The final negative aspect was that they felt the soft cover format may not be sturdy enough for student life. Students will benefit from the resources on the evolve website, however, where they can view video clips of cadaver dissections, watch animated clips, view the image collection, download self-test questions, and complete labelling exercises to further develop their understanding. In summary, clinicians or researchers would likely find the text a useful and valuable reference.

swallowing and dysphagia, issues in dysphagia malpractice litigation, the experience of the expert witness, and case studies of real life litigation. The benefits of this text are that it presents an interesting insight into the way that malpractice suits are carried out. It presents the positions of both the plaintiff and the defence in an easy-to-understand format with good use of tables and summaries. The reader therefore gains an understanding of the “preponderance of evidence” that a defendant must provide. That is, that they have acted appropriately, within commonly accepted standards of competent practice. It also enables the clinician to be forewarned about issues that are commonly targeted as being inadequate in clinical practice, and how a court or an expert witness may view these. The book does have limitations, however. One of these is that it is of somewhat limited applicability to an Australian practitioner, being based on knowledge of the US legal system, and US standards of practice. ASHA guidelines are heavily quoted, as the legal system demands criteria of commonly accepted practice on which to judge a practitioner’s actions. The US also differs in the registration of the speech pathology profession, and the ability to become a “board-recognised specialist in swallowing disorders” (although it is highlighted that holding these qualifications in no way proves that you have acted within standards of practice for the purpose of a case). Another limitation is that the overview of swallowing and dysphagia is somewhat simplistic. While it must be acknowledged that the book has been written in accessible language so that a range of health professionals may benefit, there is some information that I must consider inadequate or misleading. Some examples are: “ Silent aspiration occurs when there is pooling of food or liquid anywhere in the pharynges but usually at the level of the pyriform sinuses or the vallecula” (italics in original, p. 11); “Aspiration occurs when the patient inspires during or following the swallow” (p. 11). In one case, it is also stated that placement of a gastric tube would have “eliminated the potential for aspiration or choking”, which does not allow for the possibility of aspiration of colonised saliva, bodily secretions or refluxed

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ACQ Volume 12, Number 2 2010

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au