Do you work in healthcare or are you studying to become a nurse, healthcare assistant (IG), support worker, doctor's assistant, or another healthcare profession? If so, you deal with an enormous amount of information every day — from vital signs and clinical reasoning to medication, handovers, learning objectives, and medical abbreviations.

Remembering everything is nearly impossible. That's why many healthcare professionals and students use a care pocket book, nursing pocket guide, or pocket cards as a practical reference during work or clinical placements.

ANGGGILAVPK develops practical care products for healthcare professionals and students. The Dutch healthcare brand was founded by registered nurse Angila Sultani and grew from a recognisable problem on the work floor: important information needs to be quickly accessible when you need it.

But which care pocket book suits you?

Quick answer: which care book do you need?

Looking for one all-round nursing pocket book for work or placement? Then the Handig Boekje by ANGGGILAVPK is the most complete choice in the range.

This compact A6 book includes information on vital signs, lab values, ABCDE, EWS, FAST, ECG, SBARR, SOAP, NRS, wound care, medical calculations, clinical reasoning, and the nursing process.

If you frequently work with medications or want more support with pharmacology, the Medicatie Boekje by ANGGGILAVPK is a fitting addition.

For healthcare students, the Leerdoelenboek, Medicatie Notitie Boekje, Logboek, and Flashcards have also been developed to make various parts of training and placement easier and more structured.

What is a care pocket book, pocket card, or nursing pocket guide?

A care pocket book or nursing pocket guide is a compact reference tool containing information you regularly need during work or training.

The terms care book, pocket book, pocket guide, and pocket cards are often used interchangeably. The goal is the same: quickly finding important information without having to flip through a large textbook.

A good care pocket book is therefore:

• compact enough to fit in a coat pocket;

• clearly structured;

• focused on information you actually use in practice;

• quick to consult during a shift or placement;

• suitable for both learning and refreshing knowledge.

For students, such a book can provide extra support during early placements. For experienced healthcare professionals, it can serve as a practical memory aid.

The Handig Boekje: nursing knowledge literally in your coat pocket

The best-known care book from ANGGGILAVPK is the Handig Boekje.

The Handig Boekje is a compact A6 reference guide for healthcare professionals and students. It consists of 32 pages and was developed to make commonly used nursing information quickly accessible.

What's in the Handig Boekje?

Among other things:

• vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and blood glucose;

• important lab values;

• ABCDE methodology;

• EWS;

• FAST test;

• AVPU and GCS;

• ECG explanation;

• DOS checklist;

• SBARR;

• SOAP methodology;

• NRS pain score;

• TIME model for wound assessment;

• the 5 Rights of medication;

• medical calculations and formulas;

• clinical reasoning;

• the nursing process;

• STARR reflection;

• assertiveness and feedback;

• practical attention to mental health.

This means you don't need to carry a separate pocket card for every topic.

View the Handig Boekje in our webshop.

Why is the Handig Boekje so popular among healthcare professionals and students?

The Handig Boekje is now used daily by 100,000+ healthcare workers and students.

This is mainly due to the combination of content and format.

1. Many nursing topics in one book

Instead of various separate cards, the book covers multiple topics you may encounter during a normal workday or placement.

Think of an abnormal blood pressure reading, preparing a SBARR handover, calculating medication, or quickly reviewing the steps of ABCDE.

2. A6 format

With a size of approximately 10.5 × 14.8 cm, the Handig Boekje fits in most coat and uniform pockets.

This means you can carry it during your shift without needing to constantly reach for your bag, phone, or laptop.

3. Developed from nursing practice

ANGGGILAVPK was founded by registered nurse Angila Sultani.

The idea for the Handig Boekje arose during her own nursing studies and placements, from the need to have important information organised in one place.

The product is therefore not just intended as study material, but specifically as a practical tool for situations that students and healthcare professionals encounter on the work floor.

4. Suitable for different stages of your career

A first-year nursing student will likely use the book differently from someone who has been a nurse for ten years.

A student might regularly look up normal values, ABCDE, or clinical reasoning. An experienced nurse might use the same book to occasionally refresh a score, formula, or methodology.

That makes it suitable for both healthcare students and working healthcare professionals.

5. Built to be used frequently

The Handig Boekje is made from laminated paper and is water- and impact-resistant. This is important for a tool that is regularly kept in a coat pocket or bag and used during placements and shifts.

The Medicatie Boekje: a pocket book focused on medication

Medication is a major component of many healthcare training programmes and professions. At the same time, there are an enormous number of medicines, drug groups, forms of administration, and points of attention.

That is why ANGGGILAVPK has also developed the Medicatie Boekje alongside the Handig Boekje.

This A6 pocket book consists of 27 pages of practical medication information. The content has been reviewed by multiple independent pharmacists.

What's in the Medicatie Boekje?

Among other things:

• drug names and drug recognition;

• forms of administration;

• injection techniques;

• medication during pregnancy;

• the Opium Act;

• medication safety;

• safe prescribing;

• commonly used medication abbreviations;

• various drug groups;

• therapeutic drug monitoring;

• vital observations;

• antidotes;

• the pain ladder;

• medical calculations;

• explanation of the Farmacotherapeutisch Kompas.

The Medicatie Boekje is particularly useful for nurses, healthcare assistants (IG), doctor's assistants, and healthcare students who regularly work with medication.

View the Medicatie Boekje in our webshop.

Handig Boekje or Medicatie Boekje: which should you choose?

It depends on what you're looking for.

Want one book you can use across different situations? Start with the Handig Boekje.

Want extra support with medication on top of that? Then the Handig Boekje and the Medicatie Boekje complement each other well.

Which care book is useful for a nursing student?

For an MBO or HBO nursing student, we recommend starting with the Handig Boekje.

During a nursing placement, you need to learn an enormous amount in a short time. You'll encounter new conditions, protocols, vital values, medication, clinical reasoning, reporting, and communicating with other healthcare workers.

You don't need to know everything off the top of your head straight away.

A pocket book can help you quickly look something up and gives you a fixed reference tool you can keep using across different placements.

Depending on what you encounter during your training, you can supplement this with:

• the Medicatie Boekje for medication knowledge;

• the Leerdoelenboek for placement and learning objectives;

• the Logboek to record experiences and feedback;

• the Medicatie Notitie Boekje to learn the medicines used on your own ward;

• Flashcards to practise anatomy.

Are the care books only suitable for nurses?

No.

ANGGGILAVPK's products are developed with nurses and nursing students as a key target group, but various books are also useful for other healthcare professionals and training programmes.

Think for example of:

• MBO nurses;

• HBO nurses;

• nursing students;

• healthcare assistants (IG);

• healthcare assistant (IG) students;

• support workers;

• doctor's assistants;

• other healthcare professionals who regularly use basic nursing information.

Which information is relevant naturally varies by profession, training, organisation, and scope of practice.

Why still use a physical care book when you can look everything up online?

A phone and online resources are incredibly valuable in healthcare. Yet a physical pocket book serves a different purpose.

You don't need to open an app, you don't need an internet connection, and you have the most important information in one fixed place.

Especially when you regularly want to check the same basic information, that can be very convenient.

A pocket book obviously does not replace current protocols, professional guidelines, local working agreements, or your own clinical judgement. For patient-related decisions, always use the applicable guidelines and protocols of your organisation.

A care book is intended as a practical supportive reference tool.

Care products developed by someone from within healthcare

ANGGGILAVPK is a Dutch healthcare brand that grew from nursing practice.

Founder Angila Sultani is a registered nurse who developed the first Handig Boekje after noticing during her own training and placements how much information students need to retain simultaneously.

From the Handig Boekje, the range has expanded to include various tools for study, placement, and work.

In addition to care books, ANGGGILAVPK also offers planners, flashcards, notebooks, bags, water bottles, and practical care accessories.

The mission remains the same: giving healthcare professionals and students practical tools that provide more overview, confidence, and job satisfaction.

Frequently asked questions about care books and pocket cards

What is a good care book for nurses?

A good care book contains information you regularly need during your daily work and that can be found quickly. The Handig Boekje by ANGGGILAVPK combines vital signs, lab values, ABCDE, EWS, FAST, ECG, SBARR, SOAP, wound care, medical calculations, and clinical reasoning in one A6 pocket book.

Which pocket book is useful for a nursing student?

For MBO and HBO nursing students, the Handig Boekje is a good all-round choice. It contains both practical nursing information and methodologies that regularly come up during studies and placements.

Which pocket cards are useful during a nursing placement?

Frequently used topics during a nursing placement include vital signs, ABCDE, EWS, FAST, SBARR, SOAP, NRS, lab values, ECG, and medical calculations. These topics are brought together in the Handig Boekje by ANGGGILAVPK.

Which book is useful for learning about medication?

For general medication knowledge, the Medicatie Boekje was developed. If you want to learn the specific medicines used on your own placement or work ward, you can use the Medicatie Notitie Boekje to record these in a structured way.

Is the Handig Boekje suitable for MBO nursing?

Yes. The Handig Boekje is intended for both MBO and HBO nurses and nursing students.

Does the Handig Boekje fit in a nursing uniform?

The book is A6 format, approximately 10.5 × 14.8 cm, and is designed to be easily carried in most coat and uniform pockets.

Where can I buy ANGGGILAVPK care books?

The care books and other tools for healthcare professionals and students are available via the ANGGGILAVPK webshop (www.angggilavpk.com).

View all care products by ANGGGILAVPK.

Which care book suits you?

If you're looking for one practical reference guide for different situations during your work or nursing placement, the Handig Boekje is a logical starting point.

If you also want to go deeper into medicines, the Medicatie Boekje is a valuable addition.

And if you're mainly dealing with learning objectives, anatomy, learning medication, or recording feedback? Then ANGGGILAVPK has developed separate tools for each of those needs.

After all, you don't need to know everything off the top of your head.

The most important thing is knowing where to find reliable information when you need it.

Discover all care books, pocket cards, and other care products by ANGGGILAVPK.