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pagesofthevalley's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
Leaving this unrated.
This was an interesting story of the profession of surgeons and doctors. On what they face in the current reality of healthcare.
This was an interesting story of the profession of surgeons and doctors. On what they face in the current reality of healthcare.
ptothelo's review against another edition
3.0
In full disclosure I picked up this book because I've been watching Grey's Anatomy and am totally fascinated by what goes on in surgery and in an hospital. This book covers a range of topics, from practicing as a resident to decision-making to the physiology and psychology of pain. Apparently what happens to you once you enter a hospital can really be a crapshoot (he was able to diagnose someone with flesh-eating bacteria despite the absence of obvious symptoms bc he had come across a case not too long before).
It was all pretty interesting reading. The most interesting thing was that the % of decisions that are wrong decisions or misdiagnosis hasn't really changed since the advent of technology because while those instruments help doctors see better, it doesn't necessarily impart experience or remove blindspots when it comes to making decisions based on that data.
Another intersting thing he did with the flesh-eating bacteria case is to weigh the doctors' recommendation based on experience vs. what they "should" have recommended to the patient based on a decision tree.
It was all pretty interesting reading. The most interesting thing was that the % of decisions that are wrong decisions or misdiagnosis hasn't really changed since the advent of technology because while those instruments help doctors see better, it doesn't necessarily impart experience or remove blindspots when it comes to making decisions based on that data.
Another intersting thing he did with the flesh-eating bacteria case is to weigh the doctors' recommendation based on experience vs. what they "should" have recommended to the patient based on a decision tree.
anoreveranna's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This book felt like a good essay that you would enjoy reading at late quiet hours. What the author has written, wasn't pure dump of information or an average memoir. It was a collection of questions and necessary amount of information to answer those questions or at least to try to. This book has made me look at medicine and medical care from a different point of view, not only as a provider of medical care, but also as a patient. I enjoyed reading it very much and would definitely reread it again and recommend it to anyone who's interested in the topic.
akrachel's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
rachelthecrook's review against another edition
3.0
I waited until after my surgery to read this book, which was a good idea, and was really looking forward to it. I wasn't as wowed as I thought I would be though. His writing is excellent but as other have mentioned, each chapter feels as if it could stand alone, with little connecting the book together as a whole. I also felt that the issues Gawande presented are the same as many other medical books I've read - like the fallibility of doctors, uncertainty making medical decisions - so the material felt unoriginal and a little dry to me. Still worth the read, though.
duparker's review against another edition
3.0
The writing is frank, and honest. In some ways this is really refreshing and welcome. In other ways it was a bit scary. Knowing that I'll have a some procedure or surgery in the future and knowing that there are honest mistakes made everyday in the OR is a smack of reality. I appreciated that the author wrote the book, and that a friend of mine recommended it, but I also had to put it down a few times to clear my head of images described in the text.
The chapters are frank and personal, and the revelations about complications that surgeons face are interesting and in many ways eye opening. We place surgeons on a pedestal and the text implies that right or wrong they need to remain there. The discussions about guilt and experience are really well written and overall this was a really enjoyable book (as long as there isn't surgery in your immediate future).
The chapters are frank and personal, and the revelations about complications that surgeons face are interesting and in many ways eye opening. We place surgeons on a pedestal and the text implies that right or wrong they need to remain there. The discussions about guilt and experience are really well written and overall this was a really enjoyable book (as long as there isn't surgery in your immediate future).
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
Complications does seem a bit all over the place in the terms of theme, more like a collection of pieces, musings over the ins and outs of being a surgeon, than a book that was written with a purpose in mind. The complications of the title, are a tenuous link. Yes, there are some bits about when procedures go wrong but it's also about the everyday complications of being a doctor.
One of my favourite pieces was about nausea. It's not often talked about but it's certainly something we've all experienced at some point. Whilst the memory of pain fades, the memory of sickness is much stronger. We'll often try again if something hurts us, maybe with a bit more caution, but how often do we stay away from a certain food or drink forever? Because the smell or thought of it, still turns our stomachs years later.
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
Posted: 04 Apr 2017 12:20 PM PDT
Medicine is, I have found, a strange and in many ways disturbing business.
Complications does seem a bit all over the place in the terms of theme, more like a collection of pieces, musings over the ins and outs of being a surgeon, than a book that was written with a purpose in mind. The complications of the title, are a tenuous link. Yes, there are some bits about when procedures go wrong but it's also about the everyday complications of being a doctor.
One of my favourite pieces was about nausea. It's not often talked about but it's certainly something we've all experienced at some point. Whilst the memory of pain fades, the memory of sickness is much stronger. We'll often try again if something hurts us, maybe with a bit more caution, but how often do we stay away from a certain food or drink forever? Because the smell or thought of it, still turns our stomachs years later.
As patients, we want both expertise and progress. What nobody wants to face is that these are contradictory desires.
In a few cases, it touches on the connections between physical and psychological; how we often need to treat both. And does the physical determine the psychological? I liked the case of the newsreader who suffered from extreme blushing. It also tries to explore the reasons we blush, like how maybe the blush triggers feelings of embarrassment rather than the other way round.
In parts beautifully written and also very honest. Yes doctors are fallible, mistakes are made. The only way for them to learn is to practice on people. One chapter focuses on how good doctors go bad, another on the need for autopsies. Some stories reminded me of House and the M&M sessions are something that exist in many professions, just not usually dealing with death. I would certainly try and read one of Atul's more recent books.
Most the books of this type I've read have been from surgeons at the end of their careers, so it's interesting having a resident level doctor write about their profession. It also makes a change reading about medicine from a US perspective, where there's not the shadow of an overworked and underfunded NHS in the background.
One of my favourite pieces was about nausea. It's not often talked about but it's certainly something we've all experienced at some point. Whilst the memory of pain fades, the memory of sickness is much stronger. We'll often try again if something hurts us, maybe with a bit more caution, but how often do we stay away from a certain food or drink forever? Because the smell or thought of it, still turns our stomachs years later.
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
Posted: 04 Apr 2017 12:20 PM PDT
Medicine is, I have found, a strange and in many ways disturbing business.
Complications does seem a bit all over the place in the terms of theme, more like a collection of pieces, musings over the ins and outs of being a surgeon, than a book that was written with a purpose in mind. The complications of the title, are a tenuous link. Yes, there are some bits about when procedures go wrong but it's also about the everyday complications of being a doctor.
One of my favourite pieces was about nausea. It's not often talked about but it's certainly something we've all experienced at some point. Whilst the memory of pain fades, the memory of sickness is much stronger. We'll often try again if something hurts us, maybe with a bit more caution, but how often do we stay away from a certain food or drink forever? Because the smell or thought of it, still turns our stomachs years later.
As patients, we want both expertise and progress. What nobody wants to face is that these are contradictory desires.
In a few cases, it touches on the connections between physical and psychological; how we often need to treat both. And does the physical determine the psychological? I liked the case of the newsreader who suffered from extreme blushing. It also tries to explore the reasons we blush, like how maybe the blush triggers feelings of embarrassment rather than the other way round.
In parts beautifully written and also very honest. Yes doctors are fallible, mistakes are made. The only way for them to learn is to practice on people. One chapter focuses on how good doctors go bad, another on the need for autopsies. Some stories reminded me of House and the M&M sessions are something that exist in many professions, just not usually dealing with death. I would certainly try and read one of Atul's more recent books.
Most the books of this type I've read have been from surgeons at the end of their careers, so it's interesting having a resident level doctor write about their profession. It also makes a change reading about medicine from a US perspective, where there's not the shadow of an overworked and underfunded NHS in the background.
yusrara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
sdowell's review against another edition
5.0
Dr. Gawande offers a very humble approach to medicine and I deeply appreciate it about his writing. I had several gut-checks while reading of what would I have done and why, and for that alone this book was a fantastic read. A must-read for anyone wanting to be a doctor/health hare provider or someone who wants to know what that profession would be like.