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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
This was an amazingly well written, inspiring account of the "imperfect science" called medicine. I would read it again and again as it shows you all sides of a story. I loved it!
informative
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
fast-paced
Not so much a memoir as a series of essays, Complications tackles the difficult and infrequently discussed areas of medicine.
Medical Errors: Gawande does a great job of discussing both the personal experience and the science behind medical errors and their causes. He speaks with physicians who have made grave errors, and even one who was removed from the hospital for a history of sloppy work. He does an excellent job of humanizing the people we expect to be in-humanly perfect in their work. To think that your physician may be less than perfect is something most people simply cannot accept. He doesn't go into quite as much self-reflection as Dr. Henry Marsh does in his memoir Do No Harm, and I would potentially recommend that book over this from a storytelling perspective.
Uncertainty: Perhaps even more importantly, Gawande pulls back the curtain on how much guesswork and simple "gut feeling" goes into making medical decisions. Especially when many options are informed by science but there is no clear winner, often the human considerations may take over. The care we give to patients based on maximizing days lived may not be the same as the care we give if we choose to maximize the quality of those days. Gawande explores the issues that arise when a patient may not understand or fully grasp that distinction.
Each section of the book is a mix between well-presented case reports and some discussion of the literature. I found that this structure worked fairly well, but that the book as a whole felt somewhat disjointed. I think each chapter functions quite well by itself, and will definitely be keeping an eye out for any further essays Gawande publishes. Fundamentally, the information presented is interesting and valuable, but I never really felt grabbed. I found myself rushing to finish before my library loan ended rather than because I was drawn to it.
Complications was first published in 2013 if the goodreads page can be believed, but many of the stories felt dated. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the picture he paints of the hospital feels more like 20-30 years out of date rather than 10.
All in all, a good read, but not the top of my recommendations list.
Medical Errors: Gawande does a great job of discussing both the personal experience and the science behind medical errors and their causes. He speaks with physicians who have made grave errors, and even one who was removed from the hospital for a history of sloppy work. He does an excellent job of humanizing the people we expect to be in-humanly perfect in their work. To think that your physician may be less than perfect is something most people simply cannot accept. He doesn't go into quite as much self-reflection as Dr. Henry Marsh does in his memoir Do No Harm, and I would potentially recommend that book over this from a storytelling perspective.
Uncertainty: Perhaps even more importantly, Gawande pulls back the curtain on how much guesswork and simple "gut feeling" goes into making medical decisions. Especially when many options are informed by science but there is no clear winner, often the human considerations may take over. The care we give to patients based on maximizing days lived may not be the same as the care we give if we choose to maximize the quality of those days. Gawande explores the issues that arise when a patient may not understand or fully grasp that distinction.
Each section of the book is a mix between well-presented case reports and some discussion of the literature. I found that this structure worked fairly well, but that the book as a whole felt somewhat disjointed. I think each chapter functions quite well by itself, and will definitely be keeping an eye out for any further essays Gawande publishes. Fundamentally, the information presented is interesting and valuable, but I never really felt grabbed. I found myself rushing to finish before my library loan ended rather than because I was drawn to it.
Complications was first published in 2013 if the goodreads page can be believed, but many of the stories felt dated. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the picture he paints of the hospital feels more like 20-30 years out of date rather than 10.
All in all, a good read, but not the top of my recommendations list.
Well, I'm glad I read this AFTER my major surgery, yuk yuk yuk.
V good. V early 2000s non-fiction. About the human fallibility of doctors, and how we turn a blind eye to that when we think of medicine. Everyone wants expertise, no one wants a doctor still learning the ropes.
Favorite chapter was maybe on gastric bypass surgery? Also that flesh-eating bacteria, wow. I felt unsatisfied by the chapter on "bad" doctors - aka, when doctors just... get burnt out? Tired? Overwhelmed? It felt too mushy. Maybe that was the point.
Anyway, def fun. What is Atul Gawande up to these days?????
V good. V early 2000s non-fiction. About the human fallibility of doctors, and how we turn a blind eye to that when we think of medicine. Everyone wants expertise, no one wants a doctor still learning the ropes.
Favorite chapter was maybe on gastric bypass surgery? Also that flesh-eating bacteria, wow. I felt unsatisfied by the chapter on "bad" doctors - aka, when doctors just... get burnt out? Tired? Overwhelmed? It felt too mushy. Maybe that was the point.
Anyway, def fun. What is Atul Gawande up to these days?????
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Medical content