Atul Gawande is, undoubtedly, one of the biggest names in medicine today. He has written four New York Times Bestsellers and is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and the New York Times. It’s his books (Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal), though, that I would love to talk to him about. About a year ago, while searching for a new book to read, I came across the book Complications at the library. Since I am considering becoming a physician, I picked it up and started reading. Needless to say, I couldn’t put it down. The way he explained his training as a surgeon and the moments he has experienced have intrigued me. In the little free time I had, I finished reading the three other books he has written. They
The writing style of the author is quite interesting to me. Atul Gawande’s honesty, a major aspect of his writing style, beautifully highlights the good and bad of any medical profession. For example, Gawande’s argument over the use of patients for resident training
Popular television paint a glorified image of doctors removing the seriousness of medical procedures. In the non-fiction short story, “The First Appendectomy,” William Nolen primarily aims to persuade the reader that real surgery is full of stress and high stakes decisions rather than this unrealistic view portrayed by movies.
In the text, Gawande states, “I punctured a patient’s lung, for example-the right lung of a chief of surgery from another hospital, no less-and given the odds, I’m sure such things will happen again.” This shows how fatal errors can occur during a surgical procedure however, it is something that surgical residents have to grow accustomed to since mistakes like this are likely to reoccur. Gawande also mentions that when practicing on a patient, mistakes are bound to happen however, it is a part of learning. In the text, Gawande states, “She let me continue with the next steps, which I bumbled through. I didn’t realize how long and floppy the guide wire was until I pulled the coil of its plastic sleeve, and, putting one end of it into the patient, I very nearly contaminated the other.” This quote proves that although mistakes can happen, it is a part of the learning process. In this specific part, Gawande talks about how he nearly made a severe error however, he was able to learn from his mistake and complete the procedure successfully. This shows how practicing on patients is necessary for the advancement of the medical field. Therefore, although ethical and practical tensions may arise, practicing on patients is needed in order to save the lives of many in the long
At the end of the book the authors places a notes of source which include surgeries he’s observed or took part in, books he’s read about while trying to find answers to certain cases, and articles on clinical trials. He uses annotation the most through the book to explain his think or for clarity. While trying to prove that not all doctors are to be trust, he uses annotation to further explain himself. By stating “.. One doctor, who was sent to Neff after several episode of freezing in place in mid- operation, was found to have advanced parkinson's disease..” ( Pg. 101), Gawande addresses to the way of thinking to his reader in order to show that the pedestal surgery is up upon is not all what it entails to show. Essentially the use of annotations is meant to convince the intended audiences that surgery goes beyond what many think it is.
In her personal essay, Dr. Grant writes that she learned that most cases involving her patients should not be only handled from a doctor’s point of view but also from personal experience that can help her relate to each patient regardless of their background; Dr. Grant was taught this lesson when she came face to face with a unique patient. Throughout her essay, Dr. Grant writes about how she came to contact with a patient she had nicknamed Mr. G. According to Dr. Grant, “Mr. G is the personification of the irate, belligerent patient that you always dread dealing with because he is usually implacable” (181). It is evident that Dr. Grant lets her position as a doctor greatly impact her judgement placed on her patients, this is supported as she nicknamed the current patient Mr.G . To deal with Mr. G, Dr. Grant resorts to using all the skills she
Healing A Wounded Heart by William Orem story starts by, telling readers what happened during a quiet summer evening in 1893 and what happened right before Dr. Daniel conducted the surgery. While the story by K12 book, tells about the second year of the civil war in 1862 and why Dr.Daniel working at a hospital was special during this time. Daniel Hale Williams and Freedman’s Hospital By K12, gives readers more information on how he changed medical care. “One reason was that Dr. Williams insisted on cleanliness in the hospital. The operating rooms were scrubbed with antiseptic to kill germs and bacteria before each procedure. The staff was required to change their outside clothes and wear freshly cleaned clothes while at work in the hospital.
Dr. Atul Gawande’s article, “Overkill”, describes the harms of overtreatment and over testing to not only the patients, but the US health care system as well. He utilizes patient’s stories, his own personal stories, and expert analysis to inform the readers that the health care system is overdoing tests, over diagnosing, and performing procedures that are extremely expensive, but in the end does not improve the patient’s condition. Dr. Gawande’s argument is that the US health care system is engaging in expensive, unnecessary medical care when they should be adopting a slow medicine philosophy.
Diligence is a virtue. This is a theme Atul Gawande presents to the reader throughout Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance. In each story, Gawande provides insight on medical studies he has previously embarked upon. For example, in “The Mop-up” the author tells us about a time when he went to India to observe the efforts to eradicate polio. Gawande explains how he followed a supervisor around and how vaccinations were performed. Additionally, in another chapter he debates on whether physicians should take part in death sentences. Throughout his adventures Gawande provides numerous enriching personal accounts of controversial events and what it is like to be a doctor; each with diligence playing a key part.
Grey’s Anatomy portrays its doctors having significant courage and bravery when they go into surgery. An example of this is in the episode “Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response.” In this episode several acts of extreme courage are shown. Dr. ...
1. I think that the patient misunderstood the nurse’s intentions when he was moved from the ICU to the other places in the hospital because there was limited communication letting the know what will be happening. It seems that the patient was not familiar with the hospital, procedures and the people and because of that, the patient felt that all the interventions were to harm him. Even before the surgery, the surgeon visited the patient very quickly and told the patient this was a routine surgery. Although it may be routine, I think that it would be good to educate the patient about what will be occurring in each of the processes. In addition, when the patient was going for exams, the patient had to wonder what exam and why he was getting this procedure. Moreover, I think that he was not oriented to the time or place, and it does not seem like he was reoriented based on his responses.
He is the most famous and known American surgeon from his era. Although he did achieve great things in which has caused him his fame, there are some very dark, shocking tales that have been claimed to his background. Like all surgeons, he had to originate his career somewhere. He wasn’t always the great “Father of Gynecology” he is known to be. When he was still a rookie of a surgeon he had two patients whom he attended; both children. He is said to have killed them both (according to his biography) by removing their gums and furthermore not have finished and treated them afterwards. This was all before he became famous though. His fame began when he discovered a cure for a condition women embodied known as vesicovaginal fistula. He acquired the title “The Father of Gynecology” for the catholicon of the infection. In honor of his discovery, his name is now placed on hospitals, dormitories, and endowed
Change is Possible at Any Age It is always possible to be better; your best performance can be improved upon, no matter what you level of expertise is. In the article Personal Best, Atul Gawande (2011), a surgeon who specialized in endocrinology, talks about how he thought he was at the peak of his career, he had “hit a plateau” and “the only direction things could go from here was the wrong one” (p.1 & 2). He comes to find that with the help of a coach, there is room for growth and greater achievement. Gawande talks about how he came up with the idea of hiring a coach to watch him perform surgery after an experience he had playing tennis.
Poulos provided support to one of her patients during a stressful time when diagnosed with prostate cancer. She was diligent during his six week course of radiation treatment. The patient was monitored closely for any untoward symptoms that could interfere with his dialysis treatments. The fluid gains and/or losses between treatments interrupted his normal bowel function. She worked with the physicians to achieve a positive outcome for the patient. Ms. Poulos had another patient she worked closely with who had a few hospitalizations in this past year for ischemic colitis. Being a fragile older man the surgery team felt he needed to be treated conservatively. Taking care of this patient was challenging because it was difficult to keep his blood pressure elevated to prevent further ischemic issues however her diligence in caring for the patient lead to his success.
Consequently, YouTube documentaries on medicine and healing then became my logical next step in advancing my own learning. By binge-watching these videos, I’ve been introduced to the world of surgical procedures, such as rhinoplasty, gastric-bypass surgery, intraoperative brain mapping, and heart transplants. After viewing these stories, dissecting rats and cracking frog skulls in my Biology class seem awfully
In every chapter, the author usually starts with a detailed introduction of the patient’s condition. Then, he speaks about the medical history, art and cultural aspects. In some chapters the author explained the word origins of some medical terms which shows that medicine is a composition of different languages. Adventures in Human Being is an important book for medicine, because the author’s descriptive anecdote explains the medical problems that people face in the actual world. The book is based on real medical facts and records that Dr. Gavin Francis encountered during his time as a doctor. Likewise, he showed how medicine has developed over the past few decades. For example, In the past people used Electroconvulsive therapy as a source of punishment, however, it is now used to treat some cases of severe depression. Lastly, the author elaborated on the achievements, limitations of modern medicine and considers the view of other societies in