Free Access to Essential Family Medicine Resource: Lecture Notes in Family Medicine (Third Edition)

The highly sought-after book, “Lecture Notes in Family Medicine (Third Edition) 2017” by Emeritus Professor Nandani de Silva, is now available as a free e-book on the PGIM Library website’s E-Resources section. This release has brought immense benefits to medical students, postgraduate trainees in family medicine, family physicians, primary care physicians, and family medicine teachers. For over two decades, hard copies of this book have been in high demand in Sri Lanka and South Asia.

Thanks to the recent publication of the e-book under a creative commons license, medical professionals and students worldwide can now access this invaluable resource in Family Medicine for free and share it with others.

You can find the book at the following link:

Lecture Notes in Family Medicine (3rd Edition – Free Download)

Let’s delve into the history of this remarkable book. Professor Nandani de Silva, the founder Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Kelaniya and the first Chair in Family Medicine in Sri Lanka presented the concepts, principles, and processes of family medicine in a reader-friendly manner in the first edition, published in 2000. The book aimed to help medical students grasp the uniqueness of family medicine as a clinical discipline and understand how family practice is both an art and a science.

The book covers various topics, including illness behavior, the doctor-patient relationship, clinical decision-making, patient-centered care, communication skills, counseling skills, breaking bad news, care of the elderly, palliative care, ethical issues in family practice, and more. Its focus is on providing a solid foundation, leaving the vast clinical content to be learned during clinical attachments. In response to the demand from postgraduate trainees and primary care physicians, subsequent editions (2006 and 2017) included additional chapters on relevant and advanced topics, with several reprints in between.

The College of General Practitioners of Sri Lanka has played a pivotal role as a central hub for the sale of the book at a reasonable price. The College also benefited from the donation of 10% from the sale of each book, contributing steadily to the College funds over the years.

Professor Nandani de Silva has been a prominent figure in the field, having served as the President of the CGPSL, Vice President, Honorary Secretary, Council member, Chairperson of the Medical Education Committee, and Chairperson of the MCGP Board. Her contributions have been recognized through numerous accolades, including the M.P.M. Cooray Gold Medal, Felicitation Award for Academic Excellence, WONCA Fellowship, and the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners (UK).

In addition to her achievements, Professor Nandani has undertaken significant activities to strengthen the recognition of family medicine/general practice as an academic discipline in Sri Lanka. As the Chair of Family Medicine at the University of Kelaniya, she delivered a keynote speech at the Regional Scientific Group Meeting on developing a Core Curriculum for South Asia organized by WHO in 2003. She conducted two Family Medicine Teacher Training Workshops for GP teachers of the College in 1996 and 2001. Additionally, she served as the Editor of the SLMA CME Bulletin for doctors in the periphery through distance education from 2002 to 2006. During her tenure as Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka, Professor Nandani initiated a CPD online program for general practitioners from 2008 to 2015.

While being an executive member of the Working Party on Education of WONCA (World Organization of Family Doctors), she co-authored the WONCA Global Standards for CPD for Family Doctors and was also involved in developing the Global Standards for Postgraduate Family Medicine Education.

Professor Nandani’s expertise in medical education spans various areas, including teaching communication and counseling skills through video recordings, small group learning techniques, qualitative research, and the design and delivery of online courses. Her contributions have greatly advanced medical education and training in Sri Lanka.

I encourage all medical professionals and students to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to access “Lecture Notes in Family Medicine (Third Edition)” for free. It is an indispensable resource that will undoubtedly enrich your understanding and practice of Family Medicine.

Please feel free to share this news with your colleagues and peers. Together, let’s celebrate the availability of this valuable resource and promote the field of Family Medicine worldwide