Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing, 12th edition (Harding, Kwong, Hagler and Reinisch; Elsevier, 2022) arranges 69 chapters into 12 sections that run from core concepts to body systems, and it’s easiest to study one section at a time with a chapter self-quiz after each reading. Below: a section map, the 11th-to-12th changes, where the 2026 13th edition fits, and a 15-week schedule.
Key takeaways
- The 12th edition (Elsevier, 2022) has 69 chapters in 12 sections. The single volume is ISBN 978-0-323-78961-5; the 2-volume set is 978-0-323-79242-4.
- Elsevier lists three new chapters, including Supporting Ventilation and a chapter on LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse patients.
- The 11th edition’s critical-care section is gone: shock, respiratory failure and emergency care moved into other sections, and most chapter numbers rose by one to five.
- The 13th edition (2026, ISBN 978-0-443-12179-1) is the newest, and Elsevier’s posted contents list shows the same 69 chapters, in the same order, as the 12th.
- NCSBN’s 2026 NCLEX-RN test plan gives 11–17% of items to Physiological Adaptation and 13–19% to Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies.
About Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing
Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems is Elsevier’s adult-health textbook for med-surg courses in ADN, BSN, RN-to-BSN and accelerated BSN programs. Mariann M. Harding has been lead author since the 11th edition, which is why students also search for Harding Lewis medical surgical nursing.
Sharon L. Lewis led earlier editions, including the 10th edition (2016), which Elsevier lists as Medical-Surgical Nursing with no name in the title. From the 11th edition (2019), her name moved into the title.
Authors, editions and ISBNs
Confirm your edition by the ISBN-13 on the copyright page, not the cover. These are the main print numbers from Elsevier’s product pages.
| Edition | Year | Authors | ISBN-13 | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 2016 | Lewis, Bucher, Heitkemper, Harding, Kwong, Roberts | 978-0-323-32852-4 | 1,776 |
| 11th | 2019 | Harding, Kwong, Roberts, Hagler, Reinisch | 978-0-323-55149-6 | 1,712 |
| 12th, single volume | 2022 | Harding, Kwong, Hagler, Reinisch | 978-0-323-78961-5 | 1,824 |
| 12th, 2-volume set | 2022 | Harding, Kwong, Roberts, Hagler, Reinisch | 978-0-323-79242-4 | 1,880 |
| 13th | 2026 | Harding, Kwong, Hagler, Reinisch | 978-0-443-12179-1 | 1,792 |
The 12th-edition eBook has its own ISBN, 978-0-323-79232-5. Our guide on how to find the ISBN of a book shows where to look in print and digital copies.
2-volume vs single set
The 2-volume set is the same 12th edition split into two books. Elsevier’s contents lists for both show the same 69 chapters, so chapter numbers line up either way. The differences are physical: 1,824 pages in one volume versus 1,880 across the 2-volume set, which also lists Dottie Roberts as an author.
Lewis Medical-Surgical Nursing 12th vs 11th Edition: What Changed
The 12th edition added three chapters, folded the 11th edition’s critical-care section into the body-system sections and renumbered most chapters. Elsevier’s 12th-edition page also cites a stronger focus on the nursing process, clinical judgment and Next-Generation NCLEX preparation.
- New chapters: chapter 2 became Social Determinants of Health, replacing health equity and culturally competent care. Chapter 6 (LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse patients) and chapter 28 (Supporting Ventilation) are flagged as new.
- Thirteen sections became twelve: the 11th edition ended with a specialized-settings section (chapters 65–68). In the 12th, shock and sepsis close the perfusion section, respiratory failure and ARDS close the ventilation section, and emergency care joins the perioperative section.
- Retitled chapters: Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia became Dementia and Delirium, and most titles dropped the old Management prefix.
| Topic | 11th | 12th |
|---|---|---|
| Fluids, electrolytes, acid-base | 16 | 17 |
| Respiratory failure and ARDS | 67 | 32 |
| Heart failure | 34 | 38 |
| Dysrhythmias | 35 | 39 |
| Shock and organ dysfunction | 66 | 42 |
| AKI and CKD | 46 | 51 |
| Diabetes | 48 | 53 |
| Stroke | 57 | 62 |
If you own the 11th but are assigned the 12th, this table finds most high-yield topics, though not the new chapters or revised content.
Where the 13th edition fits
The 13th edition (Elsevier, 2026) has the same four authors as the 12th single volume. Its page describes three new chapters and more emphasis on social determinants of health and clinical judgment. Yet the contents list posted there, like the one for the 13th-edition study guide, shows the same 69 chapters in the same order as the 12th, with only minor wording changes. Confirm chapter numbers against your syllabus before relying on them.
Unit-by-Unit Chapter Map
Lewis’s 12 sections are often called units, and each body-system section opens with an assessment chapter. Section names below are shortened.
| Section | 12th | 11th | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Concepts | 1–6 | 1–5 | New LGBTQ+ chapter |
| 2. Comfort and coping | 7–11 | 6–10 | Renumbered |
| 3. Homeostasis | 12–17 | 11–16 | Renumbered |
| 4. Periop, emergency | 18–21 | 17–19 | Emergency added |
| 5. Sensory, skin | 22–26 | 20–24 | Renumbered |
| 6. Ventilation | 27–32 | 25–28 | New chapter; ARDS added |
| 7. Transport (blood) | 33–34 | 29–30 | Renumbered |
| 8. Perfusion | 35–42 | 31–37 | Shock added |
| 9. GI | 43–48 | 38–43 | Renumbered |
| 10. Urinary | 49–51 | 44–46 | Renumbered |
| 11. Endocrine, reproductive | 52–59 | 47–54 | Renumbered |
| 12. Neuro, musculoskeletal | 60–69 | 55–64 | Dementia retitled |
| Specialized settings | none | 65–68 | Split up |
How to study each section
- Section 1 (ch. 1–6): make one page of teaching and history-taking principles; exams test them inside disease scenarios.
- Section 2 (ch. 7–11): pain returns in almost every later unit, so learn its assessment and opioid safety checks properly once.
- Section 3 (ch. 12–17): do chapter 17 twice, a week apart; fluids and acid-base drive later renal, endocrine and burn questions.
- Section 4 (ch. 18–21): draw perioperative care as a timeline, from preoperative checks to which complications appear when.
- Section 5 (ch. 22–26): lighter, except burns; link burn fluid shifts back to chapter 17.
- Sections 6–8 (ch. 27–42): read each assessment chapter first, then compare related disorders side by side in one table.
- Section 9 (ch. 43–48): sort by location (upper GI, lower GI, then liver, biliary tract and pancreas).
- Section 10 (ch. 49–51): budget chapter 51 like two chapters; it ties fluids, electrolytes, drugs and dialysis together.
- Section 11 (ch. 52–59): spend most of your time on chapters 53–54; the reproductive chapters suit shorter sessions.
- Section 12 (ch. 60–69): split neuro (60–65) from musculoskeletal (66–69), and focus on early signs of deterioration.
For a routine that works on any disease, our med-surg nursing study guide lays out a reusable seven-step pattern.
High-Yield Chapters for Med-Surg Exams
Unless your syllabus says otherwise, put extra time on chapters 17, 31–32, 36–39, 42, 51 and 53. They combine dense physiology, many drug classes and frequent prioritization decisions.
NCSBN’s 2026 NCLEX-RN test plan points the same way, assigning 11–17% of items to Physiological Adaptation, 9–15% to Reduction of Risk Potential and 13–19% to Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies. For course grades, your instructor’s exam blueprint comes first.
Cardiovascular
Spend the most time on chapters 36–39 (hypertension, coronary disease and ACS, heart failure, dysrhythmias) and 42 (shock, sepsis and MODS). Build one table with a row per condition and columns for priority assessment, diagnostics, drug classes and what to report. Sort heart failure signs into fluid overload versus poor perfusion, and practice rhythm strips in short daily sets.
Respiratory
Chapters 31 (obstructive pulmonary diseases) and 32 (respiratory failure and ARDS) carry the most weight, and the new chapter 28 has no 11th-edition match. Read assessment chapter 27 first, since priority questions often hinge on a change from the patient’s baseline. Pair it with acid-base practice from chapter 17.
Endocrine
Start with chapter 53 (diabetes), which mixes long-term teaching with acute emergencies and many drug choices. Build your own insulin table (onset, peak, duration) from the chapter’s drug content. For chapter 54, study disorders as mirror pairs, such as too much versus too little thyroid hormone or cortisol, so one side teaches you most of the other.
Renal and fluid balance
Chapter 17 is the foundation, and chapter 51 (AKI and CKD) tests it hardest. For AKI, track urine output, fluid status and potassium through each phase. For CKD, link each lost kidney function (fluid, electrolytes, acid-base, blood pressure, red cell production) to the complication it causes.
Lab ranges and drug parameters vary by laboratory and program. Follow your program’s textbook and your instructor’s reference ranges, not a number you found online.
A 15-Week Study Schedule for Lewis
Read three to six chapters a week, quiz yourself on each chapter within two days, and take a cumulative mixed quiz in weeks 4, 9, 12 and 15. It covers all 69 chapters; if your course assigns fewer, keep the order and drop the rest.
That structure follows the two techniques rated highest in a 2013 review led by John Dunlosky, practice testing and distributed practice, as summarized by the Association for Psychological Science. Rereading and highlighting were rated low.
Reading load per week
Dense cardiac, renal and endocrine weeks carry three chapters; lighter ones get five or six.
| Week | Chapters | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–6 | Concepts, teaching, health history |
| 2 | 7–11 | Stress, sleep, pain, end of life |
| 3 | 12–16 | Immunity, infection, cancer |
| 4 | 17–21 | Fluids, perioperative, emergency |
| 5 | 22–26 | Eyes, ears, skin, burns |
| 6 | 27–32 | Respiratory |
| 7 | 33–36 | Blood, heart assessment, hypertension |
| 8 | 37–39 | Coronary disease, heart failure, rhythms |
| 9 | 40–42 | Valves, vessels, shock and sepsis |
| 10 | 43–48 | GI, nutrition, liver |
| 11 | 49–51 | Urinary and renal |
| 12 | 52–54 | Endocrine and diabetes |
| 13 | 55–59 | Reproductive |
| 14 | 60–65 | Neurologic |
| 15 | 66–69 | Musculoskeletal |
Chapter self-quiz checkpoints
- Within 48 hours of reading, answer 15–25 questions on the chapter without notes, and read every rationale.
- Log each miss in one line: the topic, why the right answer is right, and why yours was wrong.
- Each weekend, re-quiz only the logged topics, mixed together.
- In checkpoint weeks, take a mixed quiz from every chapter so far, weighted toward your log.
- Before the final, compare your mixed-quiz scores and review the weakest sections.
A chapter-matched question set is the quickest way to find what didn’t stick. Pick the one that matches your ISBN.
- Test Bank for Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing, 12th Edition by Harding — the 2022 edition (978-0-323-78961-5); the 2-volume set has the same 69 chapters.
- Test Bank for Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing 11th Edition Harding — for courses still on the 2019 edition and its 68-chapter numbering.
- Test Bank for Medical-Surgical Nursing, 10th Edition by Lewis — for the 2016 edition by Lewis, Bucher, Heitkemper and colleagues.
Each test bank is matched to one edition and ISBN-13. Check the number on your book before you buy.
How to Use Lewis’s Case Studies and Clinical Judgment Features
Treat each feature as a retrieval prompt: cover the answer, commit to your own, then check. NCSBN’s test plan frames clinical judgment as six steps: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action and evaluate outcomes.
- Check Your Practice boxes ask you to analyze patient data and choose interventions. Write the two most important cues and your first action before reading on.
- Bridge to the NCLEX Examination questions mix standard and alternate formats. Try a few before reading, then finish the set after.
- Focused Assessment boxes become flashcards: condition on the front, what you’d check on the back.
- Pathophysiology maps are flowcharts. Redraw one from memory, and the gaps show where your understanding breaks.
For longer cases, Elsevier’s Study Guide for Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing (12th edition) adds case studies for dozens of diseases plus NGN-style items, with answers in the back. On the NCLEX, a case study is six items about one client, and the 2026 test plan includes three. Our guide to Next Generation NCLEX question types walks through each format.
Edition-Matched Practice: Picking the Right Study Aid
Match any study aid to the ISBN on your copyright page, because practice questions follow one edition’s chapters and content.
- 12th edition (single volume, 2-volume set or eBook): any 12th-edition aid lines up.
- 11th edition: use 11th-edition material.
- 10th edition: different title and chapter order from both later editions.
- 13th edition: don’t assume 12th-edition material is an exact match. If you can’t find your edition, use our textbook request page.
Our medical-surgical test banks sit within the wider nursing test banks category. A test bank is a self-assessment study aid with rationales, not your instructor’s exam and not a substitute for reading, so use it for self-quizzing within your school’s academic-integrity policy. Our roundup of med-surg nursing textbooks compares the Lewis medical-surgical nursing textbook with other common titles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest edition of Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing?
The 13th edition, published by Elsevier in 2026 with the same authors as the 12th single volume: Mariann M. Harding, Jeffrey Kwong, Debra Hagler and Courtney Reinisch. Its hardcover ISBN-13 is 978-0-443-12179-1. Programs switch editions on their own schedule, so study from whichever edition your syllabus lists.
Is the 11th edition still usable?
It works for reading, but it isn’t a page-for-page match for the 12th. Most chapter numbers shift by one to five, three chapters are new in the 12th, and the critical-care chapters moved into the body-system sections. Ask your instructor whether older editions are acceptable, and pair an 11th-edition book with 11th-edition practice material.
How many chapters are in Lewis 12th edition?
The 12th edition has 69 chapters in 12 sections, followed by three appendixes that include basic life support and laboratory reference intervals. That’s one more chapter than the 11th edition, which had 68 chapters in 13 sections. Elsevier lists the single volume at 1,824 pages.
Is Lewis good for NCLEX prep?
Lewis builds the adult-health knowledge the NCLEX-RN draws on and includes NCLEX-style review questions, but it’s a course textbook, not a licensing-exam review book. The NCLEX-RN covers every client-needs category, including psychosocial integrity, in 85 to 150 items within five hours. Use Lewis during med-surg and a dedicated review resource closer to the exam.
What is the difference between Lewis and Brunner?
Both are full adult med-surg textbooks with 69 chapters, organized differently. Lewis’s 12th edition groups chapters into 12 sections by type of clinical problem. Brunner & Suddarth’s 16th edition (Wolters Kluwer, October 2025) uses 16 units and opens with principles and patient-management concepts such as pain, fluids and shock before the body systems. Your program usually makes the choice.
Bottom line: start with your ISBN
Find the ISBN-13 on your copyright page and match it to the edition table before you buy anything or follow a chapter number. Then put week 1 of the schedule in your calendar, read chapters 1–6, and quiz yourself on each within two days. Book your first mixed quiz for week 4 now, so it actually happens.
Sources & further reading
- Elsevier — Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing, 12th Edition
- Elsevier — Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing, 11th Edition
- Elsevier — Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing, 13th Edition
- Wolters Kluwer — Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, 16th Edition
- NCSBN — 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan (PDF)
- Association for Psychological Science — Which Study Strategies Make the Grade?
