Tell us a little bit about your book – who is it aimed at and how will it help them?
MRI in Practice has been an essential book for technologists, radiographers and radiologists wishing to learn about MRI for nearly 20 years and is now a market leader. It covers fundamental topics that anyone practicing MRI needs to understand to get the most out of the MR system and interpret images correctly. In addition it has helped technologists in the USA prepare for the MRI registry examination.
What differentiates your book from others in the field?
It is written by clinical people for other clinicians and as such is geared very much towards the application of theory into practice. Specifically the authors are technologists/radiographers and therefore rather than present material in a highly technical or mathematical fashion, which is common of other books of this genre, we approach the theoretical concepts from the point of view of how technologists or radiographers make appropriate selections at the MR console or how radiologists interpret images correctly. We also use analogies to help the reader understand complicated theory by relating it to something a lot simpler. Finally the use of clear simple diagrams also assists the reader to understand difficult concepts.
What do you feel are the reasons for the success of MRI in Practice over the years?
The main reason I think is that it is written for clinicians by clinicians who can therefore speak the same language as the reader. The application of theory to practice is at the forefront of our approach. For the most part clinicians involved in MRI are not physicists and so unless they can see how the theory relates to what they actually do in practice, it is difficult to make sense of it all. The key is that the book uses simple language, analogies and clear diagrams that are always related to practice.
This has a special resonance for MRI clinicians (excuse the pun!). The book is also considered essential reading for preparation for the MR registry examination in the USA and, as so many undertake this examination and have found using the book has really helped them pass, this has undoubtedly increased the books popularity. Another reason for the books success is that it is used as course material on the MRI in Practice course that is taught by myself and co –author John Talbot to hundreds of people annually in 14 different countries around the world. The popularity of this course and its synergy with the book has meant that it is used all over the world and has been translated into other languages.
