Open book with medical illustrations held by a person on a wooden surface

Essential Knowledge in Your Pocket

The ultimate pocket-sized medical resource!

Developed by and for busy healthcare professionals like you, who need fast, reliable, and easy-to-use resources

Reviewed and approved by a team of medical experts to ensure the quality of each book

Used by doctors, nurses, and medical students worldwide (100+ countries!)

What our readers say

Pocket First Aid, life-saving actions

Save time using our Method!

In Compendium Medicine we use the same concise, visual and schematic description of the various medical specialties. Everything is geared towards overview and structure, facilitating study and practice. We call this the Compendium Method ©.

Fixed layout

All our medical specialties are presented in the same, recognisable way and each has its own colour and icon. The pockets have a fixed chapter structure. The table of contents of each pocket tells you exactly which topics are covered. The symbols in the corner of the page show what kind of information is being discussed.

Cardiology anatomical illustration - Cross-section of the heart

Illustrations

The figures provide at-a-glance insight into topics like anatomy or the typical patient. They are also intended for study and practice, such as checking whether you can identify the letters in a picture without looking at the caption.

Icons used in the telegram-style explanation of each condition

Conditions

Each condition in this pocket starts with a full-sentence definition followed by a telegram-style explanation. For each condition, the following icons (as applicable) are discussed. These visual cues that convey specific attributes or features of the condition are also useful when studying. You can cover the text and quiz yourself.

Table gynaecology - types of abnormal menstruation

Tables

We use tables to arrange the information in a clear and structured manner, with columns representing different conditions and rows indicating features or characteristics. Centered formatting for matching features makes it easy to identify similarities and differences.

A pocket-sized book titled 'Pocket Radiology' by Compendium Medicine

"I love the use of tables to compare and contrast different imaging findings, it makes it a lot easier to remember!"

- Med student from Australia about the Radiology pocketbook

Diagram pocket Cardiology - acute care in case of bradycardia

Diagrams

Diagrams help you reason clinically, starting from a particular symptom, using the green and red arrows as signposts. Always remember that the full differential diagnosis may consist of additional diagnoses.

Frames from pockets - referring to other chapters, mnemonics and an alarm.

Icons & frames

Throughout this pocket you will find highlighted frames.


Fun fact: our founders are Dutch, and in the Netherlands, we refer to a mnemonic as a “donkey bridge”. That’s why the symbol for mnemonics in our books is a donkey.

Punctuation marks used in Compendium Medicine

Punctuation marks

The punctuation in our books also focuses on overview and ensures that the subject matters are covered concisely and effectively.

Abbreviations

We make extensive use of abbreviations, medical terms and symbols for scientific units and quantities.

Index

The pockets include a comprehensive and easy-to-use index. It contains all the topics covered in the books so you can quickly navigate and find the information you are looking for.

Appendices

In the pockets, you will find space for your notes, additional information, reminders, or insights. In addition, handy appendices have been added; these contain specific information that you would like to have at hand and are therefore located at the back of the pockets.

Veerle and Romee in white coats with the pocket Radiology

A must-have for every medical student and professional