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Books for DNB Geriatric Medicine.

The official NBE curriculum list, reproduced exactly, plus the editions residents actually read in 2026 — with recommended journals, a year-wise reading plan, and the references you'll need for your thesis and practical.

5Titles in the NBE list
9Current-edition picks
6Journals listed
3 yearsReading plan included
Official list

Books NBE lists in the DNB Geriatric Medicine curriculum

These 5 titles are reproduced as they appear in the National Board of Examinations curriculum document for Geriatric Medicine — spelling and abbreviations included. Treat this as the syllabus anchor.

  1. Brocklehurst's Text Book of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. Eds. TC Tallis, HM Fillit
  2. Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine. Ed: J. Grimley Evans Source: Oxford University Press (OUP)
  3. Hazzard's Principles of Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology: Editors- Jeffrey Halter, Joseph Ouslander, Mary Tinetti, Stephanie Studenski, Kevin High, Sanjay Asthana, William Hazzard
  4. Practice of Geriatrics: Editors - Edmund H. Duthie Jr., Paul R. Katz, Michael Malone
  5. Text Book of Geriatric Medicine. Published by Indian Academy of Geriatrics
Read this before you buy. NBE curriculum documents are revised infrequently, so several entries name editions that are now years out of date, and a few titles are out of print. Use this list to know what NBE expects you to have read, then buy the current edition listed in the next section.

Source: NBE DNB Geriatric Medicine curriculum

What residents actually use

Current editions, and what each one is for

The books most residents actually buy. These are the editions in circulation now, with a note on whether each is something you read cover to cover, keep as a reference, or open only for the viva.

  1. Hazzard's Geriatric Medicine and GerontologyHalter, Ouslander, Studenski et al. · 8th edition · core referenceThe primary comprehensive text; most theory answers on geriatric syndromes and ageing biology are built from it.
  2. Brocklehurst's Textbook of Geriatric Medicine and GerontologyFillit, Rockwood, Young · 9th edition · core referenceRead alongside Hazzard's for frailty, comprehensive geriatric assessment and rehabilitation depth.
  3. Oxford Textbook of Geriatric MedicineMichel, Beattie, Martin, Walston · 3rd edition · core referenceStrong European perspective on function, ethics and end-of-life care; useful for seminar preparation.
  4. Harrison's Principles of Internal MedicineLoscalzo, Fauci, Kasper et al. · 22nd edition · foundationGeriatric Medicine is an internal-medicine specialty; the general medicine base is examined heavily.
  5. Textbook of Geriatric MedicineIndian Academy of Geriatrics · India-specificOnly Indian-context text covering national programmes, local epidemiology and social-care realities.
  6. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: GeriatricsWilliams, Chang, Ahalt et al. · 3rd edition · practical/wardQuick bedside decision support for polypharmacy, delirium, falls and pressure injury on rounds.
  7. Practice of GeriatricsDuthie, Katz, Malone · supplementaryNBE-listed and still useful for problem-oriented approaches to common presentations.
  8. Oxford Textbook of Old Age PsychiatryDening, Thomas · 2nd edition · subspecialtyDementia, depression and behavioural symptoms form a large share of geriatric practice and viva questions.
  9. Beers Criteria (AGS) and STOPP/START criteriaAmerican Geriatrics Society / O'Mahony et al. · latest edition · guidelinePrescribing-appropriateness tools residents are expected to apply and quote in medication-review cases.
Printed in our shop

Geriatric Medicine books we print most often

This is the geriatric medicine reference residents send us to print most often.

We print files you send us. We do not host, sell or supply book PDFs — send us a file you are entitled to print and we print and bind it.

Journals

Journals NBE lists for Geriatric Medicine

Journal club and the “recent advances” parts of the theory paper come from here. You do not need to read all of them — pick the two Indian journals and one international one and follow them properly.

BMC GeriatricsAge and AgingNew England Journal of MedicineLancetJournal of the Indian Academy of GeriatricsJournal of Association of Physician of India
Reading plan

What to read, and when

Three years is less time than it sounds. The order below is what works for most DNB Geriatric Medicine residents — broad and readable first, reference-level later, revision and drilling last.

Year 1

Build the base

Consolidate internal medicine from Harrison's while learning the framework of comprehensive geriatric assessment from Hazzard's; practise the bedside tools daily until fluent. Register the thesis protocol.

Year 2

Go deep, collect thesis data

Read Hazzard's and Brocklehurst's systematically by syndrome, add Old Age Psychiatry for dementia and depression, and start regular journal club from Age and Ageing, JAGS and BMC Geriatrics.

Year 3

Revise, drill, submit

Revise from Hazzard's plus the Indian Academy of Geriatrics text for India-specific content, drill long cases and ethics/communication stations, work through past papers, and submit the thesis before practicals.

Thesis

References for your thesis

Protocol, methodology and reporting standards examiners expect you to have followed.

  • ICMR National Ethical Guidelines (2017), including research in vulnerable populations
  • NBEMS Thesis Protocol Submission Guidelines
  • Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) reports
  • National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) operational guidelines, MoHFW
  • CGA instruments: MMSE/MoCA, Barthel Index, Katz ADL, Lawton IADL, GDS, MNA, Tinetti/TUG
  • STROBE and CONSORT reporting statements
  • Methods in Biostatistics - B.K. Mahajan
Practical & viva

What the practical actually tests

Books and material specifically useful for the clinical, spotter and viva stations.

  • Long case: multimorbid older adult with functional decline - full comprehensive geriatric assessment
  • Geriatric syndromes: falls, delirium, dementia, incontinence, immobility, pressure ulcers, malnutrition, frailty, sarcopenia
  • Bedside tools: MMSE/MoCA, clock-drawing, GDS, MNA, Barthel/Katz, Timed Up and Go, orthostatic BP
  • Polypharmacy and deprescribing: applying Beers and STOPP/START to a real drug chart
  • Ethics and communication: capacity assessment, advance directives, goals-of-care stations
  • Interpretation of investigations in the elderly - atypical presentations, altered reference ranges
  • Rehabilitation, assistive devices, home-safety assessment and discharge planning
  • National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly, elder abuse, and social/legal aspects of ageing in India
Frequently asked

DNB Geriatric Medicine books — questions

Which books should I read for DNB Geriatric Medicine?

The titles on this page are the ones residents and departments actually use, each with the edition in circulation now. Start with the first one listed and add the references as your reading deepens.

Which single book should I start with in first year of DNB Geriatric Medicine?

Hazzard's Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology by Halter, Ouslander, Studenski et al. is the usual anchor. The primary comprehensive text; most theory answers on geriatric syndromes and ageing biology are built from it.

Are the editions listed here current?

Yes — we list the edition in circulation now for each title. Editions move quickly, so confirm the current one before you buy or print.

Do I need to buy every book on the list?

No. Most residents own three or four and use the department or library copy for the rest. That is exactly why printing selected chapters from a PDF works out cheaper than buying volumes you will open twice.

Can you print these books for me?

We print from the PDF you send us. Send the file on WhatsApp with your page count and whether you want colour, black and white or mixed, and we print, bind and deliver anywhere in India. We do not supply copyrighted book files.

How much does it cost to print a set of notes?

Black and white is 50 paise per page, colour is Rs 1 per page, and binding is Rs 40 per copy. A 400-page mixed set with binding usually works out around Rs 300 plus delivery.

Printing your DNB Geriatric Medicine reading?

Send the PDF on WhatsApp — colour Rs 1/page, B&W 50p/page, binding Rs 40. Printed, bound and delivered anywhere in India.

Other specialties

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