What I like about his books, in addition to the incisive writing, is his unflinching willingness to confront many of our most tightly held myths about medical practice. He also happens to be a Harvard-trained surgeon, and he is now a Harvard Medical School faculty member (a real low achiever!). Gawande is a 2006 MacArthur Fellow, a recipient of one of those national “genius awards” handed out annually to somebody who makes a major difference in our society. My interest continues with his latest book, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance, published by Henry Holt and Company.ĭr. This book became a finalist for the 2002 National Book Award. My fascination with his work started in 2002 with the publication of his first book, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science. Gawande's investigation into medical professionals and how they progress from merely good to great provides rare insight into the elements of success, illuminating every area of human endeavor.I have to admit it I’m a real fan of Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, and his insightful best-sellers. And as in all his writing, Gawande gives us an inside look at his own life as a practicing surgeon, offering a searingly honest firsthand account of work in a field where mistakes are both unavoidable and unthinkable.Īt once unflinching and compassionate, Better is an exhilarating journey narrated by "a writer with a scalpel pen and an X-ray eye" ( Time).
He discusses the ethical dilemmas of doctors' participation in lethal injections, examines the influence of money on modern medicine, and recounts the astoundingly contentious history of hand washing.
Gawande's gripping stories of diligence, ingenuity, and what it means to do right by people take us to battlefield surgical tents in Iraq, labor and delivery rooms in Boston, a polio outbreak in India, and malpractice courtrooms around the country. In his new book, Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do.
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