Internal Medicine is an important course that every medical student will have to master as much as possible. Not just medical students, but practitioners in several fields will have to make references to this specialty on a frequent basis.
This makes having a detailed textbook on internal medicine very important. However, it is not going to be that easy to get one. The market today is packed with so many choices that make picking the best Internal Medicine book a challenge especially if you’re ready to spend what’s necessary to get the best value for your money.
Best Internal Medicine Books: Our Top Recommendations
Some of these books cover the fundamentals of internal medicine as well as other ranging topics while others function as a reference that will come in handy for readers looking for a simple, portable option.
This list features a compilation of some of the best Internal Medicine Textbooks you will find on the market.
1. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine
Recognized by healthcare professionals worldwide, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine is one of the best Internal Medicine books on the market. The book spans over six decades and over 19 editions with information that makes it a useful reference book for practitioners as well as a learning tool for students.
Packed with the latest information, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine stays largely relevant with topics on cardiology, neurology, and other major organ systems including evolving topics like Ebola.
The pages are also filled with helpful graphics which should explain the core text to visual learners. While it is mainly branded as a textbook, the material also functions as a digital atlas populated with hundreds of beautiful photographs, imaging and radiographic inset, vivid pathological images, and anatomical drawings.
The entire text covers the fundamental principles of disease and classic approaches to differential diagnosis, pathogenesis, management and treatment with mentions of other ranging topics such as men’s health, and infectious disease.
While this book is considered one of the most comprehensive internal medicine books on the market, its high price point could be its biggest turn-off. However, the book is more likely to give you value for your money than many internal Medicine books.
- Author: J. Larry Jameson, Anthony Fauci, Dennis Kasper, Stephen Hauser, Dan Longo, Joseph Loscalzo
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education / Medical
- Current edition: 20th edition (August 2018)
- Pages: 4048
2. Goldman-Cecil Medicine
With more than 400 chapters of updated information, Goldman-Cecil Medicine stands as one of the leading sources of credible information on internal medicine. The book offers information from the minds of a number of influential practitioners in a fairly clear and concise manner that makes it quite easy to scan through and take relevant points.
The glossy pages provide information on all aspects of Internal Medicine including pathophysiology and disease management. Aside from the well-organized text are excellent graphics, algorithms, figures, and tables that make the information accessible.
Goldman-Cecil Medicine is available in print and on a variety of electronic devices with over 90 supplementary videos, heart sounds, and key references. There is also a digital companion which is a great adjunct to the textbook. The digital companion is updated as frequently as new, credible knowledge comes out and contains thousands of questions to help you prepare for certification examinations.
- Author: Lee Goldman MD, Andrew I. Schafer MD
- Publisher: Elsevier
- Current edition: 26th edition (September 2019)
- Pages: 2944 pages
3. Johns Hopkins Internal Medicine Board Review
For Internal Medicine physicians looking for a reliable resource well-versed in all aspects of Internal Medicine, the Johns Hopkins Internal Medicine Board Review is the one to consider.
Unlike other Internal Medicine books designed for regular learners, this material is structured to help with the board recertification process. It offers concise, yet comprehensive information covering a wide range of topics which are accompanied by review text, helpful tables, and algorithms and bolded key information to help reinforce knowledge.
Like many textbooks on Internal Medicine, this review course comes with full-color clinical images that extensively cover all the images types you will come across on boards including common skin findings, ophthalmology findings, x-rays, peripheral blood smears, and CT and MR images.
Additionally, the review course provides 1,000+ questions to help you assess your knowledge of every topic covered. There are also several exam-taking tips and tricks that boost your confidence and simulate your exam experience.
While the Johns Hopkins Internal Medicine Board Review is considered an efficient way to study for the boards, it is compact which means you might not get that detailed board review preparation experience you’re looking for.
- Author: Bimal Ashar MD MBA, Redonda Miller MD MBA, Stephen Sisson MD, Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Publisher: Elsevier
- Current edition: 5th edition (November 2015)
- Pages: 720 pages
4. Frameworks for Internal Medicine
Frameworks for Internal Medicine takes a unique approach towards explaining the concepts of Internal Medicine. This piece is designed to help students and other learners think like clinical professionals while understanding the differential diagnosis and mastering the methodology behind diagnosing the most common condition in Internal medicine.
The material is a visual resource using a case-based, Q&A-style format to build frameworks that will guide learners through the learning process. The frameworks will also come quite handing for differential diagnoses in clinical settings.
The framework presented in this material offers an organized, logical approach to differential diagnosis that is quite unique to the material. For the most part, it serves its purpose in making the concepts easier to understand and relate with. The cases in each chapter are built around 50 of the most commonly encountered clinical problems in the field of internal medicine giving you information that you can apply in the real world.
Students and residents will also find the digital form quite helpful. This acts as a mobile reference that can be consulted on the go.
- Author: Andre Mansoor
- Publisher: LWW
- Current edition: 1st edition (November 2018)
- Pages: 768 pages
5. Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine
When you find a piece from the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital, you should expect nothing but the best and that’s why this pocket handbook delivers. Considered the best pocket reference guide in the history of Internal Medicine, Pocket Medicine is that trusted companion that will fit snugly into your white coat pocket in the ward or your bag in the lab. It will give you quick access to key clinical information and solutions to common problems in internal medicine.
The handbook comes in a 6-ring binder format that covers a wide range of general and specialty internal Medicine concepts. Its pages are packed full of charts, algorithms, and lists to guide you through the text.
The book is also compact and concise which means finding information should not be a problem. In addition, it offers user-friendly tabs and a 2-color design to help you find information quickly. There are also references to landmark papers to help you intelligently answer questions all from trusted sources.
- Author: Marc S Sabatine MD
- Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
- Current edition: 7th edition (March 2021)
- Pages: 272 pages
6. CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment
Authored by some of the most innovative minds in the field of Internal Medicine, CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment (CMDT) is the go-to source for authoritative information that actually builds medical knowledge and expertise. This updated edition comes with the latest clinical developments in all facets of medicine and is fully focused on bedside clinical issues.
It spares no pages in explaining the latest guidelines, references, approved drugs, and provides evidence-based coverage of more than 1,000 diseases and disorders.
CMDT covers all core topics and conditions in internal medicine and serves as an adjunct for providers working in both outpatient and inpatient settings. It also throws in guidelines from related fields such as dermatology and neurology as well as a disease section that is offers updated information around ID topics such as HIV and Zika.
As typical, the material is packed full of charts and tables that mostly appear in the pharmacology section. The quick-access treatment tables feature indexed trades names that are constantly updated to keep up with changes in the industry.
Unfortunately, CMDT is only available in paperback version as a hardcopy which is not very durable for people that want to use it as a reference daily. There is also a kindle version for those that don’t fancy carrying an almost 2,000-page reference around.
- Author: Maxine Papadakis, Stephen McPhee, Michael Rabow
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education / Medical
- Current edition: 60th edition (September 2020)
- Pages: 1984 pages
7. Huppert’s Notes: Pathophysiology and Clinical Pearls for Internal Medicine
Starting out as a reference guide created by a single author, Huppert’s Notes: Pathophysiology and Clinical Pearls for Internal Medicine grew into the brainchild of a team of resident authors and has become a reliable and credible resource for students and professionals on the search for a comprehensive guide on Internal Medicine.
This material marries pathophysiology, and clinical medicine to provide a framework that approaches internal medicine concepts in a mechanistic fashion. This allows for easy assimilation of information and promotes retention.
- Author: Laura Huppert
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education / Medical
- Current edition: 1st edition (July 2021)
- Pages: 464 pages
