Understanding the Book" Better: A Surgeons Notes on Performance"

The book entitled “Better: A Surgeons Notes on Performance,” which is written by one of the great practitioners in general and endocrine surgeon named Atul Gawande primarily tells about the faces of different difficulties and struggles that most of the doctors and other medical personnel are experiencing in attending to the medical needs of the people and in delivering the highest quality in healthcare service.

Born in Brooklyn, New York City in the 1965, Atul Gawnde is now one of the prime surgeons in the United States.

He is now serving as an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

In his book, the author Atul Gawande, explores the subject as to how the doctors and practitioners in medical industry manages to stay in proper posture and good shape to perform well despite of the presence of fatigue, imperfect abilities and scarcity of resources. Thus, this book provides and draws a clear picture as to how the success in medical occupation is being measured and achieve by striving and working double time to get better results and performance in portraying every critical work responsibility.

Moreover, though this book directly encourages the doctors and most of the medical practitioners to do better and that the author, Atul Gawande, primarily aims to render definite and helpful insights particularly for the use of medical doctors and in the field of medicine towards achieving success and enhancement, this may also serve as one of the many reliable readings that cater to a bigger array of audience and readers who endeavors to do better with their own personal undertakings.

Supported with the corresponding evidences and data, this book, and the author, rendered specific information that could extensively help not only the medical professionals but as well as the common people in enhancing the quality of their work and capabilities for the better.

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Critical Analysis Certainly, it can be said that the author’s way of presenting data and information is divided into different parts.

These divisions directly tackle the three main struggles towards success, according to the author’s personal standpoint and actual experiences as widely celebrated surgeon in the United States. These sections are diligence, doing right and ingenuity, which are the main areas that the author, Atul Gawande, has rendered his concentration in enlightening and tackling both the most common medical errors and determining the specific areas of growth as well as the ways in improving the frequent task of medical doctors towards the betterment of their job.

As per the author’s primary approach and strategy in presenting his ideas and standpoint with regard to the main topic and principal objectives of the book, it is observable and apparent that Atul Gawande has provided transparency and reliability on this aspect, as he mostly based all the presented information through his own experiences and observation as one of the professionals in the field of medicine as a general and endocrine surgeon.

Widely known as one of the most famous nonfiction doctor-writer in the United States, Atul Gawande utilized most of his encounter and/or interviews with his colleagues and reference to many of the recent development and issues in the field of medicine in supporting the reliability of his book “Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance,” as reading that explicate how diligence, doing right and ingenuity when united could do better not just in the medical practice but also with in larger human endeavors.

In a sense, it is apparent that the main advantage and magnificence of Atul Gawande’s book “Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance” is the approach that the readings actually presents as it lets the readers establish a true to the life feeling of what it is like to face the almost constant uncertainties of being a doctor or a physician.

Hence, Atul Gawande’s approach is not solely boxed in presenting ideas and enlightening the readers as well as his target audience but he also used an interactive way of creating a strong rapport with the readers in his writings and presentation, which is regarded as a more entertaining way in capturing and maintaining the attention of the readers. Hence, despite of his direct use of words and fearless discussion of different issues with regard to different errors in medical practice, Atul Gawande still provides a glimpse of sense of humor even in discussing the most troubling topics in the book.

Moreover, the said book of Atul Gawande also consists of numerous valuable essays that are mostly published in The New Yorker, where the author also works as a writer, which from a critical standpoint provides supplemental information and obliging approach that strengthens the validity of the books depiction with regard to the enhancement of medical practice and betterment of the entire system in the field of medicine.

As the author, Atul Gawande, tends focus more with an outward approach in his writing, the book’s strength is apparently dynamic as it presents beyond particulars that incorporates the significance and condition of the whole system towards the betterment of medicine. Right thing to do Among the three main cases that Atul Gawande has provided in book, it can be said that the notion of doing what is right among the medical practitioner is among the most significant factors in encouraging betterment in the performance of task by many of the doctors and professionals in the field of medicine.

From a personal point of view, this nonetheless remains as an area of concern that could be both treated as ground for improvement in the profession in light of the ethical considerations that has been found to be underlying the practice of health care professionals. Putting this in the context of the professional field, it is seen to mean a variety of things. In different situations, there are procedures that need to be done. There are medical standards that need to be followed.

It should be understood that these are put in place and established in order for the people to understand what the right thing to do is. In different professions, there are standards and requirements that are put in place in order for the professionals to see that they are acting according to what is officially seen as right by the books followed. However, there remains to be questions regarding the acceptability of this particular notion in behaving for particular situations.

It is understood that not every situation can be addressed through the standards and procedures that are laid before the medical practitioners that gives them the leeway in making their decisions. For example, medical practitioners who conduct the lethal injection procedure for the criminal system of the countries see that there are different ethical implications that are enclosed in their action. However, they intend to have a purpose in this particular medical undertaking for them to understand that it does not become easy to engage in such activity.

Moreover, it is seen that the decisions they make with regard to the lethal injection procedure is bound by their subjective understanding of what is right for the greater good. While there are implications to this as created by the advocacies of other groups, it remains that it is the right thing to do because of the intended outcome and the long-term plan it brings to the society. Moreover, it has been shown that in one case where doctors failed to detect and treat a tumor on the son of the author’s friend, the said person sued the people responsible for the said malpractice and won in the end.

Even if the father of the patient is also a doctor who knows the expenses related to medical malpractice, he chose to do the right thing, which is that to sue the individuals responsible for it. Moreover, it is shown that when ethical considerations blur the situation, deciding on what is right can sometimes be found in going along with the flow. This mean that by saying that the right thing means doing what is commonly done, then it is shown to be that the claim of the majority is oftentimes the right choice.

There could be personal biases for different situations and one’s own choice and preference may not always be according to what the majority wants. There are situations where the society dictates that a medical practitioner should act this way. However, the preferences are on the other side of the pole that makes it harder for them to go through the decision-making process. Once guided by what the majority says, the medical practitioner is assured that they are now able to rely on what the greater number has experienced.

Moreover, there are times when medical practitioners fail to do the right thing that results to their violation and failure to adhere to medical standards and the expectations of the people. This defeats their purpose of bringing about significant attention to the medical needs of their patients where they fail to do what is rightful for their situations whether this may be in terms of medical or health care needs. In light of this, there are expected consequences because of the actions they have done that have violated the rights of the individuals to appropriate medial care.

This is what is actually illustrated in the book, more specifically in the case of the doctor who had a son who has been the victim of a malpractice. The consequences have implications for the psychological and physical well-being of the patients, whichever is applicable, and the credibility of the medical practitioner who is involved in the wrongdoing. Condemnation of the failure to adhere to what is seen to be right is considered to be high in the society and this means that the consequences are as great especially for the legal perspective.

In the end, it can be said that this book shows practical viewpoints on the field of medicine. There are practical tings that need to be understood in the field of medical profession that goes beyond the complicated medical terminologies and procedures and this is well taken care of in the book of Gawande. The three cases presented shows that there are different approaches towards understanding the elements of medical practice. More focus is given on doing the right thing because of the relative complexity it brings to solving and addressing medical-related issues.

The sources, results, and the decisions made with regard to doing the right thing is portrayed in the experiences narrated by the author as the topics are presented in order to make the three elements clearer to the understanding of several people.

Works Cited

Gawande, Atul. Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance.

New York: Metropolitan Books, 2007. Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance. PopMatters. com.

Last Updated April 2007. 03 April 2009 <http://www. popmatters. com/pm/review/better-by-atul-gawande-md>

Updated: Oct 10, 2024
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Understanding the Book" Better: A Surgeons Notes on Performance". (2016, Aug 01). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/understanding-the-book-better-a-surgeons-notes-on-performance-essay

Understanding the Book" Better: A Surgeons Notes on Performance" essay
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