Readers will be familiar with the Computers for Dummies series of books that approach learning computer skills in a style and with content that, humorously and practically, takes the jargon out of learning to use this ever-expanding technology. This book uses an essentially similar approach to a specific bit of this technology of immediate relevance to health professionals: the database. It styles itself ‘A Simple Guide …’ and, like the varnish, it does what it says on the tin—it is a simple guide. So, if you are the kind of person to whom learning how to work a complex computer programme is time-consuming but largely intuitive, this book is not for you. You will find it naïve, patronizing and altogether irritating. If you are willing to learn, but find computer concepts difficult, it is helpful and practical without unnecessary clutter, and will take you through the learning cycle in a style that supports self-learning. If, like me, you are somewhere between those two extremes, you will find much of value to fill in the gaps and improve your understanding of how databases work and how to get the best out of them. The book is aimed at all health professionals, not only doctors. It assumes computer literacy to European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) standard, a good starting point, as it is soon to be expected of every NHS employee that they be ECDL-level competent. It is worked in the style of Microsoft® Access 2000, the standard issue database in the NHS. It covers database design and implementation including simple data modelling, normalization, tables, forms, queries and reports, and it shows how to integrate the database with a word processor to produce letters for mailing. It should not be read in isolation; having the database open and working through the examples carefully is an essential part of the process. It makes much use of screen dumps to illustrate steps, and uses line drawings to illustrate theory. It also links to a website where the author has placed some templates and worked examples of the material in the book. The emphasis is firstly on good selection of information to be collected, and secondly on the relationships between the different data entities. A careful analysis of the nature of the data items and the linkages which govern their relationship to each other is encouraged, and simple line drawings explain clearly how these are usually depicted. The process by which each of these components is then fitted together as the database is built is then described step-by-step, with screen dumps illustrating how each step looks. If the reader follows the text faithfully, the quicker-minded will soon encounter moments where he or she thinks, ‘Wait a minute, if I do (X) without also doing (Y), am I not (creating this or that snag)?’ If that thought is parked, one finds the author himself drawing attention to it later on, in a manner that encourages the reader to develop a problem-solving approach to database design. The book is aimed at a wide NHS audience. The examples used are therefore disappointing, being chosen almost entirely from general practice. This is a pity, because non-GP staff may extrapolate only with difficulty from these examples to their own needs, unless they have some of the mental agility that would make the book redundant. I suspect it was written with GPs in mind, but was deemed by the publishers to be non-viable unless offered to a wider audience. This is unfortunate. The other feature that can annoy is the presence of a cartoon character called Smart Alec, who makes remarks and gives examples from within interjected text boxes. He fits with, and helps considerably to deliver, the light-hearted, fun style in which the book is written, so is easy enough to tolerate if the content of the book is found to be of value. The ‘light’ tone of the book is also emphasized by some rather banal humour which, I have to say, left me cold. Is it worth buying? If you want to build a database, have never done it before, and need a step-by-step learning approach which you can take at your own pace, this book has much to offer; be prepared to groan at the few banalities, and bear with the ‘for Dummies’ style. Otherwise, no. Value for money? I reserve judgement.
Read full abstract
Mar 17, 2022
Ronald Bieber 
Open Access
