Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande

From Goodreads:

The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. In his new book, Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable. Gawandes gripping stories of diligence, ingenuity, and what it means to do right by people take us to battlefield surgical tents in Iraq, to labor and delivery rooms in Boston, to a polio outbreak in India, and to malpractice courtrooms around the country. He discusses the ethical dilemmas of doctors participation in lethal injections, examines the influence of money on modern medicine, and recounts the astoundingly contentious history of hand washing. And as in all his writing, Gawande gives us an inside look at his own life as a practicing surgeon, offering a searingly honest firsthand account of work in a field where mistakes are both unavoidable and unthinkable. At once unflinching and compassionate, Better is an exhilarating journey narrated by arguably the best nonfiction doctor-writer around (Salon). Gawandes investigation into medical professionals and how they progress from merely good to great provides rare insight into the elements of success, illuminating every area of human endeavor.

Aaron read Atul Gawande's first book, Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, right after we first got married. I read about three sentences over his shoulder and promptly commandeered it for myself.

I loved Complications (gave it 5 stars on Goodreads) and I was vaguely aware that he had written another and kept thinking I should go find it but never got around to it. Fortunately, I found it on my in-laws vast and well stocked shelves (it's like living in a library while we're here) and added it to my stack for our two week stay.

Gawande has a knack for writing about something that could be incredibly dry and dull in a way that makes you WANT to read about it. Also, it's so different and refreshing to hear a physician admit that he makes mistakes. And that ALL doctors make mistakes, despite the best of intentions. Both his books discuss how imperfect and imprecise a science medicine is and while it's frightening to have him admit it, it's also strangely reassuring.

Also, Complications gave me a long lasting and irrational fear of necrotizing fasciitis. So there's always that.

Better isn't QUITE as good as Complications, which was a lot more of his personal experiences, but it was still excellent and worth reading. I loved his section on childbirth seeing as it's the only thing in both his books that I've actually experienced, and the chapter on doctors and executions opened my eyes to a serious moral dilemma I had no idea even existed. If he came out with another I'd read it in a heartbeat. I keep coming away from his books with a lot more respect and understanding for medicine and I think that's something we all could use.