• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

MD authors detail the deficiencies of medicine

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, April 4, 2007

Two new books are part of a trend of physicians who detail for the public the deficiencies of medicine, according to a March 20 article in The Washington Post.

Historically, physicians were urged to conceal medical errors for fear of lawsuits. However, research scandals, spiraling healthcare costs, and other factors have spurred greater scrutiny of and revelations from healthcare practitioners regarding imperfections in physicians' and hospitals' performance, the article asserts.  

The books highlighted in the article--Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, by Atul Gawande; and How Doctors Think, by Jerome Groopman--aim to provide insight into the practice of medicine by "exploring two of today's knottiest problems: how to make sense of individual stories of illness in an era that prizes statistical knowledge and how to empower patients to advocate for themselves in the doctor's office," according to the article. 

The article further states that it is unclear whether examining the mistakes and imperfections of healthcare will spur patients to become better medical consumers and thus receive better care.

To access the full article, go to: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031602051.html