By Atul Gawande, 2008
I recently purchased this book for a friend of mine, and sneeked a read-through before passing it on. The variety of topics addressed was impressive, ranging from the need for healthcare professionals to be more diligent about hand-washing, to medicine of the battlefield, to the standardization of care in obstetrics.
Gawande’s surprising (and somewhat reassuring) message is that above-average performance in any area of medicine is not dependent on being a genius or on technical expertise, but rather on the persistent desire to do diligence, do good, and do better.
Of particular help to me was the final chapter, in which Gawande makes five broad suggestions on how to be a positive deviant from the norm.
