Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande
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Book Reviews of Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
Book Review: A different take on questions that confront a doctor
Summary: 5 Stars
I had the impression that a doctor is akin to a Sherlock Holmes fighting microbes. This book dispelled that notion. Through 13 well-chosen stories, Gawande highlights questions doctors are confronted with on a daily basis that are rarely seen by the outside world. The stories are split into three categories: (1) how doing simple things in a diligent manner solves many problems; (2) ethical questions that doctors need to face; and, (3) how being ingenious - and he takes pains to point out that it is different from being a genius - and doing the best one can, saves many lives. He comes across as an introspective person, willing to look inwards and recognize the flaws in his noble profession. Most importantly, many of these introspections lead to constructive suggestions and all of them are directed towards making healthcare better. Overall, a highly recommended read for anybody.Book Review: Organization, People and Process in Medical Practice
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a collection of previously published and some original essays. The core idea that connects these essays is the idea of better performance in medical practice. To explain this idea, author focuses upon the social and organization aspect, not on technical medical tools and techniques. The book focuses on processes and people to describe various ways of overcoming seemingly un-breakable barriers doctors face when doing their job. From the resource constrained polio eradication project to ethically difficult choices execution assisting doctors faces to plethora of mal-practice suites to compliance issues facing simple practitioner behaviors, it explores problems and quandaries doctors face in their "normal" day to day activities. The suite of essays is full of anecdotes, thought lines and candid self-reflections. These are well written and engaging essays.Book Review: How to Improve Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
In the book, 'Better,' Atul Gawande, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, offers five suggestions for "becoming a positive deviant."
Ask an Unscripted Question
Don't Complain
Count Something
Write Something, and
Change
Of these five, my favorite is Count Something. By taking charge of quantifying the effectiveness of my work, I can become and experiment of one and find ways to improve my own best performance.
I rely on counting something far more as a runner than I do at my workplace. How can I bring the lessons I have learned in improving my running performance to my job?
This book inspired me with stories of how health care facilities around the world have innovated in achieving their mission of improving performance - of becoming Better.
Book Review: Complications is better, better is still very good
Summary: 5 Stars
Gawande is a witty, practical, intelligent, and interesting writer who can relate and sympathize well with a wide range of people. On top of this, he is an innovator (see the recent article on [..] that describes his new protocols being applied in hospitals and drastically eliminating serious errors). I'm sure many professional writers wish they had half his talent. I think his first book Complications was better because it had more interesting stories and I was captivated about his admittance and depiction of MDs as fallible humans. With that said, Better is still a five-star read. My favorite part and the most valuable take away from this book is his last chapter, "For Performance" with five suggestions that everyone can use to better themselves, and as as result, better the world around them.Book Review: Appreciate life and do better!
Summary: 5 Stars
The title of this book is great. Gawande's notes on performance will provide a lot of information. He writes about malpractice headaches, insurance obstacles, medical resources in the war and how medical teams have helped so many soldiers. He also mentions a physicians role in the death penalty (that there shouldn't be one) and tells the reader a little about the history of executions. He also provides some history of childbirth and history of tools used. I found out about an inspirational woman named Virginia Apgar too by reading this book. The "fighting on" section did make me emotional and I'm so glad I wasn't somewhere public while reading it.
Every bit of the way Gawande provides nice advice for anyone, not just doctors, to do better.