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smitha_r's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Pros: It was a really eye-opening read and most of the content was fascinating, I have a higher than most familiarity with doctors and the medical system and the technical information was easy for me to digest. I also work in a field where checklists are used often, so it was a nice thought-experiment to imagine how it would relate to my real life.
Cons: I listened to this via audiobook and did not care for the narrator's voice š It was a bit too deep for me (I know, silly critique but I found it grating) and I noticed the barest hint of an accent when he said words like "garahhhhge" and "dahctor" that also threw me off every now and then. I also think by the end, the content was repetitive and didn't need so much detail/explanation.
Started out strong but my attention waned by the end!
Cons: I listened to this via audiobook and did not care for the narrator's voice š It was a bit too deep for me (I know, silly critique but I found it grating) and I noticed the barest hint of an accent when he said words like "garahhhhge" and "dahctor" that also threw me off every now and then. I also think by the end, the content was repetitive and didn't need so much detail/explanation.
Started out strong but my attention waned by the end!
llanirev's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting, but not very useful.
Mainly contains a bunch of stories on aviation and surgery that demonstrate that they benifit from using checklists. Expected more from this book.
Mainly contains a bunch of stories on aviation and surgery that demonstrate that they benifit from using checklists. Expected more from this book.
meaghanjohns's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a must read. Gawande's discussion of the checklist as it relates to medicine (among other fields) is fascinating, and he makes a strong argument for the use of this tool in the medical profession. If this was my only takeaway, I would still have selected 5 stars.
But Gawande goes even further. The most important aspect of his book is how it encourages the reader to question how we can use checklists and the principles described (systems, discipline, communication, team building) to improve all other professions and, ultimately, our world.
This is a business book. This is a leadership book. This is a game changer.
But Gawande goes even further. The most important aspect of his book is how it encourages the reader to question how we can use checklists and the principles described (systems, discipline, communication, team building) to improve all other professions and, ultimately, our world.
This is a business book. This is a leadership book. This is a game changer.
book_concierge's review
4.0
Book on CD read by John Bedford Lloyd
Subtitle: How to Get Things Right
Gawande became well-known for his original book of essays Complications: A Surgeonās Notes on an Imperfect Science, in which he outlined some of the difficulties faced by modern-day surgeons despite the very best training and equipment. He wrote it while still a resident in training, and followed it up a few years later with Better: A Surgeonās Notes on Performance where he described more of his observations and shared his thoughts and questions for continued improvement. THIS book is his third.
He explains how a tool used in many industries to ensure that complex procedures are carried out in a ābest practicesā way consistently might be (and has been) applied to the complexities of modern medicine. What is this tool? A checklist.
I loved his earlier books partly because I am a total geek about medicine. So this book was slow to get my attention because he wrote about pilots and construction managers in some detail before getting around to applying that checklist tool to medicine. But when he began to relate the world-wide study undertaken under the auspices of the World Health Organization, I began to feel his enthusiasm for the subject, and his (and othersā) excitement over the early results.
Still, for me at least, it seemed to be missing some of the āspecial sauceā that his earlier works (and his later work: Being Mortalā) had. I expect that this is partly due to the fact that this book is much more clearly aimed at the medical professional, and was, therefore, less personal to me. Still, you can bet Iāll be asking my surgeon / anesthetist / nurse about their use of a checklist the next time I have to have any surgical procedure!
John Bedford Lloyd did a fine job of narrating the audiobook, although I think the book might be best appreciated in text format.
Subtitle: How to Get Things Right
Gawande became well-known for his original book of essays Complications: A Surgeonās Notes on an Imperfect Science, in which he outlined some of the difficulties faced by modern-day surgeons despite the very best training and equipment. He wrote it while still a resident in training, and followed it up a few years later with Better: A Surgeonās Notes on Performance where he described more of his observations and shared his thoughts and questions for continued improvement. THIS book is his third.
He explains how a tool used in many industries to ensure that complex procedures are carried out in a ābest practicesā way consistently might be (and has been) applied to the complexities of modern medicine. What is this tool? A checklist.
I loved his earlier books partly because I am a total geek about medicine. So this book was slow to get my attention because he wrote about pilots and construction managers in some detail before getting around to applying that checklist tool to medicine. But when he began to relate the world-wide study undertaken under the auspices of the World Health Organization, I began to feel his enthusiasm for the subject, and his (and othersā) excitement over the early results.
Still, for me at least, it seemed to be missing some of the āspecial sauceā that his earlier works (and his later work: Being Mortalā) had. I expect that this is partly due to the fact that this book is much more clearly aimed at the medical professional, and was, therefore, less personal to me. Still, you can bet Iāll be asking my surgeon / anesthetist / nurse about their use of a checklist the next time I have to have any surgical procedure!
John Bedford Lloyd did a fine job of narrating the audiobook, although I think the book might be best appreciated in text format.