A lifeline for the busy GP, the Oxford Handbook of General Practice covers the whole of general practice. It includes hands-on advice and allows rapid access to information to help with any day-to-day problems which might arise in general practice. The general practice section has been revised to include the new General Medical Services contract and appraisal and revalidation. There are new chapters on complementary medicine, chronic disease management and elderly care and increased emphasis on evidence based medicine, sports medicine and practice in a multicultural society. Pointers to further information for GPs and advice and support for patients, which can be easily accessed from the GP surgery, are included throughout. The layout of the handbook has been redesigned with the use of colour-coding to aid quick reference and additional flow charts, tables and diagrams have been included to make information easier to access.