The first two chapters cover history taking and the interview, data collection and recording. The last two chapters deal with the physical examination, equipment and techniques, and the head-to-toe examination procedure. Each chapter opens with a synopsis of key learning outcomes and concepts. The book contains extensive photographs that illustrate the content clearly and comprehensively.

Professor Marlene Viljoen is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the North West University. She held the position of Deputy Vice President of the South African Nursing Council (SANC) and was Chair of the Educational Committee of the same for several years. Nokuthula Sibiya teaches at Prince Mshiyeni Nursing College and Durban University of Technology and is involved in developing modules on health assessment and physical examination.

History taking and physical examination is the second edition of the popular and practical Nursing Assessment: History-taking and the physical examination. This edition was written after extensive consultation with a wide range of health care practitioners to meet the needs of, amongst others, undergraduate and post-graduate nursing and pharmacology students and those training in these fields.

The unit manager must be able to deal with a wide range of tasks in the course of the day. These could range from compiling a duty roster, writing a unit procedure, compiling an emergency plan, preparing an annual budget or answering a legal question. The unit manager must also be able to manage a team of healthcare professionals, be able to lead and motivate the team, and organise the unit so that it functions effectively and in line with the institution's vision and mission. In addition, the unit manager must be able to keep control of supplies and equipment in the unit, which must be kept in good working order and replaced when necessary. All of these aspects are covered in Introduction to health services management for the unit manager, fourth edition.