The full title of this book is "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science".
In this collection of essays, Dr Gawande gives the reader a glimpse of how medicine looks from a doctor’s perspective. This book was written when the author was a surgical resident. It is not an expose of the flaws in medicine, but it does not hide them of make excuses for them either. It is a sympathetic treatment of the difficulties faced by both patients and health care professionals.
Parts of this book may be difficult for the squeamish. Each essay contains a case study, often with vivid descriptions of illnesses and treatments. The writing is straightforward and clear. The material is accessible to readers without a medical background, but not dumbed down or condescending.
In the opening essay, Dr Gawande candidly recounts his experience of the learning to perform procedures on living, suffering patients in the emergency room. Anyone who has felt jitters on a new job will empathize with his anxieties and insecurities as he works to master the hands on skills needed for his profession. Other essays deal with the topics of medical errors, specialization, incompetent doctors, and the role of technology, experience, luck and intuition in diagnosis.
I found this book fascinating. It reinforced my opinion that that health care must be a collaboration between doctor and patient, and that there is far more art than science to it than most medical professionals are comfortable admitting.
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Comments: 3
Here's a story about it. I'd just read the chapter in which he talks about how all surgeons have to learn each procedure and you really want to be sure yours has done the procedure a lot of times before they do it on you. At that time I was meeting with a surgeon to discuss a possible procedure and asked him how many times he'd done it. I mentioned the article and asked if he knew of it.
Turns out that at the time Gawande was a resident on my surgeon's service, basically his assistant, and although he agreed with the piece, he often wished it hadn't been written.
I almost decided to go ahead with the surgery just because Gawande would likely be on the team and I'd probably meet him. I didn't though.
Btw, I'm tagging you Pat.