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Summary: Are All Doctors Perfect?
Review: Well, not exactly. All doctors aren't perfect. Atul Gawande's book, "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on An Imperfect Science" clearly explains why doctors aren't perfect. The fact is that all humans make mistakes, therefore doctors make mistakes. Since I'm intending on going into a medical field, this book makes me realize how much effort you have to put forth in order to receive a medical education. Atul Gawande gives you an opportunity to take a journey through his medical training and it shows the rigours of a surgical residency. Think how scary it would be performing surgery on a patient for the first time? If I were the patient I would be petrified because I wouldn't want the surgeon to make a mistake, risking my life. His incredible experiences with gastric bypass surgery, the case of the pregnant woman, the dead baby mystery, the case of the red leg, and many others kept me completely captivated with this book. The book is written in such a way that you never want to put it down. It's very intense, scary, and breathtaking, since you don't know what's going to happen with his patients. "Complications" is a must read, especially for those heading into a medical field.
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Summary: an imperfect review
Review: When I entered medical school, friends and relatives sent numerous articles about medicine from a wide variety of sources. While many were interesting, Atul Gawande's "Final Cut" from The New Yorker caught my attention. His writing style invited me into the world of autopsies, historically and currently, with all of the underlying questions that they entail. While autopsies are not generally considered standard dinner conversation material, I found myself discussing the article with friends both in and outside of the medical community.Needless to say, having the chance to read Gawande's Complications, which includes "Final Cut", as part of my medical training was wonderful. Gawande addresses many issues of medicine from an informed perspective, and gives us a window into a world most of us will never see. Yet, the issues affect us all as patients. In particular, his essay "Education of a Knife", exploring the unspoken and often unknowing consent patients give to have physicians in training 'practice' on them, generated a lot of conversations between my classmates, as we saw bits of his descriptions within our own experiences with patients. Other chapters took on less specific topics, using illustrative case histories to illuminate chronic pain, the limitations of our scientific/medical knowledge and abilities, the culture of medical professionals, and even the important issue of when things go wrong. All of these essays stand well on their own, but together they make for a powerful collection. While Gawande offers no specific answers or even strong opinions on the topics, his thorough descriptions invite the reader to ponder the issue for themselves, and linger long after the final page has turned. Gawande, as a surgeon, has seen a great deal of the system, and has found a way to share that with the rest of us. This fact, perhaps, makes this collection of essays one of the best parts of my medical education, and I guarantee it is worth reading and thinking about for anyone.
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Summary: Surgery: Noble but Imperfect Medicine
Review: Complications: by Atul Gawande
A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science Surgery is often perceived as the most respected of all the medical professions, but one surgeon's bravely written insiders essays paints a bittersweet picture of the medical practice of surgeons. In fact, "practice" is the operational word in describing what makes for a "good" surgeon - and Dr. Atul Gawande describes how the surgeon needs plenty of opportunities to wield the scalpel before he or she feels as competent as they look when they use one. "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" by Atul Gawande is a personal collection of spell binding first person medical stories. Gawands presents the reader with a physician who's as creative with prose as he appears to be with surgical sutures. Gawande is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker Magazine. Usually retrospective physicians in a reading group I participate in were unusually animated about "Complications" and validated some of Gawande's stories with similar versions of their own.
"Complications" is not a medical "who-done-it"; nor is it a non-fiction version of the popular television show "ER". It's about one surgeon's practice, but the stories are, to a certain extent, similar to the shared experiences of all physicians, regardless of their specialty. A surgeon must have a good medical education, lots of practice doing procedures that develop proficient skills and a fair amount of good luck.
Sometimes surgery helps patients to physically recover but the psychological side effects cannot be measured as easily as physiologic symptoms. One essay brings that point home titled, "Crimson Tide", about a girl who seeks a surgical cure for uncontrollable blushing. In this case, the patient felt her spontaneous blushing was holding her back as a television news anchor because it affected her job performance. After her successful surgery obtained in Scandinavia, she discovered she was self conscious about having it done in the first place, even though it cured her blushing! Essays in "Complications" begin with real people, identities protected, who somehow, either positively or not, are affected by medical treatment. One essay is about the conditions of physicians themselves, titled "When Good Doctors Go Bad". Gawande is certainly a terrific storyteller. Too bad the surgical profession has taken hundreds of years to finally support one of their own to tell their stories "in their own words". "Complications" also received an impressive distinction as a National Book Award Finalist.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommend "Complications"
Review: As a second year medical student, I found the book "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" by Atul Gawande to be quite deserving of my time. Gawande's writing style makes for a fast-paced and intellectually satisfying read. He makes pertinent points about many areas of medicine, particularly that physicians are fallible and don't always have the answers. The book focused on Gawande's training as a surgeon, and also dealt with patients whose problems presented a unique challenge. Another aspect of the book dealt with M&M, or Morbidity & Mortality Conferences. These meetings are attended by physicians to discuss the cases that went wrong during the previous week, and see what could have been done different in order to rectify the situation. Gawande was privy to one of these meetings, as a mistake made by him was reviewed at the M&M conference. The attending physician took responsibility for Gawande's action, as he was head of the team. This situation provided insight into both the training of a future surgeon, and the difficulties physician's face during their training years. Overall, this book was a fascinating read. I highly recommend it for both the health care professional and for those individuals who are interested in the process of training future physicians.
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Summary: Essay Collection from Surgeon, New Yorker author
Review: This book is basically a collection of essays Gawande has published in the <i>New Yorker</i>, where he is a staff writer, along with a few from <i>Slate</i>. His writing style is similar to that of Malcolm Gladwell, Jerome Groopman, and other <i>New Yorker</i> authors of the David Remnick era - intelligent and clear. Gawande is a surgical resident, so he is experienced enough to have insight into the medical profession and practices of surgeons, but still new enough in the field to bring a keen critical mind and the clarity of a relative outsider's perspective. Also, his compassion is one of his distinct qualities and shines through in the writing. If you are a regular New Yorker reader, you probably have already read all of these essays. The brilliant essay about why doctors make mistakes is included, as well as memorable essays about when good doctors go bad, and how the practice of autopsy goes in and out of fashion. The only one that was new to me was the one about a surgeons' convention, which was entertaining but not crucial reading. It is nice to have them all in once place, but unless you are a completist or a rabid Gawande fan, I'd recommend getting it from the library or waiting for the paperback.
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Summary: A "Must Read" Written By A Harvard Surgeon
Review: If you have ever been a surgical patient, or expect you might become one in the future, I highly recommend that you read Dr. Atul Gawande's "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science". If you are a medical student, I highly recommend that you read the book twice - once for you and then again for your patients. Gawande, as a seventh year Harvard surgical resident, offers reflective insight regarding his observations and experience as a surgeon. From failed attempts to insert a central line as a new resident, to his pride of attending his first medical conference with more senior house personnel, readers easily share in his frustrations, delights, and challenges. This book will encourage you to appreciate the ethical dilemmas surgeons face as they evaluate new procedures and self-police their own performance and that of their peers. Gawande reveals that even surgeons are mystified by the amazing human body and sometimes cannot explain how or why our bodies react the way they do to surgery. This book should not be mistaken for a gruesome account of risky surgical procedures performed late at night by sleepy-eyed residents. Gawande's descriptions of his patients and their surgical cases are detailed, but he provides them as intellectual case-in-points rather than the yellow journalism of blood and guts shown on TV and in the movies. This book will make you think...sometimes harder than you want to...it may even make you realize that surgery is not perfect and neither are even the best surgeons. A real page turner and a fast read. Don't cheat yourself by skipping over this one!
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Summary: Some insight into the mysteries of medicine
Review: This book describes the imperfect science that is medicine. From the training of up and coming doctors to the burnout that befalls those on top of their game, Atul Gawande deftly explains the power and fallibility that comes with wearing a white coat. His stories talk about some of the wonders and mysteries of medicine. Gawande also explores the delicate process of how doctors balance their need to train with respecting their patients' rights to quality health care. This author also raises some interesting questions that are part of everyday medicine and presents the challenges of being in a demanding profession. His stories are delivered in an unbiased manner that is both provocative and entertaining. I enjoyed the style of this book and the issues that were addressed. This book also made for good small group discussion and I would recommend it to students who are pursuing careers in medicine.
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Summary: A Must-Read Book
Review: This is a clear, well-written and thought-provoking consideration of the humanity of the people who provide us with medical treatment and services. Well-balanced, insightful and a truly educational experience. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
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Summary: Excellent Depiction of the Good and the Bad of Medicine
Review: Gawande's style is enthralling and straightforward. His book is broken into short stories that share the beauty, mystery, honesty, and challenge of medicine. I appreciated that Gawande presented his stories in a straightforward manner without shading the information for or against medicine. They leave you with a sense of wonder and reflection. Most of all, they provide the reader with an appreciation for what is means to be a physician and what the world of medicine is really entails. I think this book is an excellent selection for anyone who is in the field of medicine, considering the field of medicine, or has experienced the field of medicine. It is a truly enjoyable read with much to offer.
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Summary: New relationship with Doctors
Review: This book has a great benefit both for those in the medical profession and those outside it. Gawande explores the relationships between doctors and patients by taking us through his own experiences in his medical training. We can see through Dr. Gawande's eyes the tensions that develop between doctor and patient, and between doctor and self. Time and again we are shown the dangerous ease in which patients stop being people and become "cases". Dr. Gawande conveys in a moving way his regret that medicine can so easily alienate and isolate both doctor and patient.
The topics of bedside teaching and morbidity and mortality conferences are handled in a way that allows the reader to see some of the difficulties encountered by both the student physicians and teaching physicians. This may help the non-medical professional see through the aura of infallibility that so harmfully surrounds medicine as a profession, and help them to realize that physicians are, in fact, only human.
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