Better

a surgeon's notes on performance

No cover

Atul Gawande: Better (2008, Picador)

273 pages

English language

Published Dec. 22, 2008 by Picador.

ISBN:
978-0-312-42765-8
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
166378208

View on OpenLibrary

5 stars (2 reviews)

Explores the efforts of physicians to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of insurmountable obstacles, discussing such topics as the ethical considerations of lethal injections, malpractice, and surgical errors.

6 editions

fascinating discussion on improving surgical practices, possibly applicable to fields (including software, I'm not kidding)

5 stars

I read the author's Pulitzer Prize winning book Being Mortal and found this work similarly fascinating, and probably with lessons applicable to other fields on how to systematically improve practices. Of course the stakes are high in medicine, in particular, surgery, so the message is more compelling delivered with the author's humility and honest self-doubt (not something you often see doctors express).

avatar for pwithnall

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Internal medicine
  • Clinical Medicine
  • Quality of Health Care
  • Professional Competence
  • Miscellanea
  • Case studies
  • Medicine
  • Medical Ethics
  • Personal Narratives