Book Review: How Doctors Think
March 4, 2008 by Jacqueline L. Jones
Whether you’re a patient or a physician frustrated by the challenges of understanding an illness and choosing the proper treatment, How Doctors Think is the book for you.
Dr. Jerome Groopman, an internationally acclaimed researcher, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and award-winning journalist, explains common errors in thinking that prevent physicians from making an accurate diagnosis. According to Groopman, these errors result in the misdiagnosis of 15 to 25 percent of all patients, with more than 50 percent leading to harm or death.
With candor seldom displayed by members of his profession, Groopman illustrates his case with numerous stories from leading physicians, examples of how aggressive marketing by medical product manufacturers can mislead physicians and patients alike, and personal experiences as a physician who has misdiagnosed and as a patient who has been misdiagnosed.
From beginning to end, the book addresses common barriers to good communication between patient and physician. It ends with tactics a patient can use to overcome those barriers and facilitate needed care.
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007, a New York Times Notable Book and Bestseller, and 2007 winner of the Quill Award, How Doctors Think recently was released in paperback. Both the hardback and paperback are available from the Chronic Illness Care and Prevention Shop on this site.
[...] Jacqueline L. Jones always has something good to say. I like this one posted earlier today. Follow the link for the whole thing.Jerome Groopman, an internationally acclaimed researcher, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and award-winning journalist, explains common errors in thinking that prevent physicians from making an accurate diagnosis. … [...]