New Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine edition?

[Bobblehead]

Anyone know what the difference between the premium and non-premium editions are besides the $100 price difference. The Elsevier site is a bit short on explanation:

http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781437707311
Premium edition $299

http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781416066453
Non-premium edition $189

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[michaelrack]

From what I heard at the annual sleep meeting, both versions allow you on-line access, but only the premium edition allows you access to the continuously updated materials. With the regular edition, you only have on-line access to the original text.

 

[neurologist]

And I believe the "continuous updates" are only good for the life of the new edition, so when the next (? 5th) edition comes out in another 5 years or so, the updates stop and you have to buy the newest edition.

 

[Bobblehead]

Yes, updates only for the life of the version. My current 4th edition access will stop when this 5th edition gets released. I emailed Elsevier and they sent back a rather cryptic message:

If you are in the USA you would want to refer to the following websites respectively.

This link is for the book and the online version of book that gets continually updated.
http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781416066453&_requestid=411281

This link is for the book that comes with the Enhanced expert consult online version of the book which is has an interactive website and is far more robust.
http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781437707311&_requestid=410462

So per this CSR the cheaper version still gets updated, consistent with the 4th edition where the online edition received updates. Too bad they're not selling an online only edition of the 5th edition.

I'll try to call them when I get time to clarify the second edition and what this "interactive website" is and why it's "far more robust" than the cheaper version. Still, between here, Sermo, AASM there hasn't been a good online site I've found for sleep medicine and I'd expect the same of a site where you have to buy the more expensive book.

 

[Bobblehead]

I called Elsevier today and the story changed again. The take-home is that the premium edition is continuously updated and the non-premium is not as indicated above. This conflicts with the initial email I received but does match up to the somewhat cryptic description on the website.

Additionally the "interactive website" portion provides the following: videos, downloadable images, and self-assessment questions and patient education handouts in multiple languages.

Time to hope Borders stocks this and offers up one of their unrestricted 40% off coupons sometime after release.