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Complications
- A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
- Narrated by: William David Griffith
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
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Summary
Atul Gawande offers an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge, where science is ambiguous, information is limited, the stakes are high, yet decisions must be made. In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur, why good surgeons go bad. He shows what happens when medicine comes up against the inexplicable: an architect with incapacitating back pain for which there is no physical cause; a young woman with nausea that won't go away; a television newscaster whose blushing is so severe that she cannot do her job. Gawande also ponders the human factor that makes saving lives possible.
At once tough-minded and humane, Complications is a new kind of medical writing, nuanced and lucid, unafraid to confront the conflicts and uncertainties that lie at the heart of modern medicine, yet always alive to the possibilities of wisdom in this extraordinary endeavor.
Critic reviews
"Diagnosis: riveting." ( Time)
"These exquisitely crafted essays, in which medical subjects segue into explorations of much larger themes, place Gawande among the best in the field." ( Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Complications
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- Amz
- 05-01-17
Top class
An absolutely brilliant listen. Highly recommended to those with an interest in medicine and surgery. It really describes a real picture of how things don't always go the way you plan in medicine yet, beautifully explains how professionals overcome and learn from difficult situations
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- Velile Nare
- 24-09-15
Raises questions about healthcare
This book raised valid points about health and social care practice. additionally, the book covers aspects of individual care and fallibility in the system. i especially enoyed the human aspect of this, the idea that we are prone to error. it is normal.
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- D. Brown
- 26-06-13
Surprising and shocking insights
Any additional comments?
This was a very well written book with some interesting, surprising and shocking insights into the medical industry. One thing Gawande makes very clear throughout the book: doctors are human and thus as fatally flawed as the rest of us! His use of real cases is underpinned by something more striking: his knowledge of his patients as people beyond the hospital. He is not afraid to speak against his peers and admit that there are failings in the medical system itself and with individuals and that there are mistakes made that shouldn't be.
Far from leaving me reticent about ever seeing a doctor again, I applaud Gawande's plain speaking and honest admissions. Sadly, we all make mistakes and this is a profession in which mistakes can be both epic and tragic; however, perhaps the bigger tragedy is that fear of being sued for simply doing one's job to the best of one's ability but making a rare error is enough to prevent full open and frank discussion with colleagues and the patients' families to ensure that such mistakes are more easily avoided in the future.
In a world of 'Where there's blame, there's a claim' mentality, shouldn't we be assigning some blame to 'ambulance chasers' whose willingness to destroy someone's reputation and perhaps career for the sake of making money could deprive a hospital - and society - of another competent, well-skilled doctor. Not only that but they make it practically impossible for doctors to learn from the errors of others, so great is the fear of admitting 'I made a mistake'.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Temitope Ajenifuja
- 08-04-20
SHORT AND SWEET
I could relate with this book quite easily.
I enjoyed it.
Performance was quite good.
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- Davide V.
- 10-01-20
Honest, compassionate and insightful
A painfully honest account of the limits of medicine. I really appreciated how the author manages to reach uncomfortable conclusions without resorting to easy crowd pleasing, e.g. on the use of technology in diagnosis (which he admits can outperform doctors). All without ever losing a deeply human and compassionate point of view. I wish there existed more books (and perhaps more people?) like this.
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- Suke
- 25-09-19
Fantastic book
Shame about the music at the end of chapters. Annoying and cloying and unnecessary. Otherwise Gawande is brilliant.
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- Sabsus
- 13-10-22
best book on medical matters I ever read. great
loved it . great writings by clear genius thinker. will start on the 2nd book on complications
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- Colm
- 02-07-16
Great Read, especially for med students
Great Read, especially for med students.
word word word word word word word word word (min. 20 words)
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- Miss H.
- 14-09-16
great insight
Really enjoyed listening to this book. Easy to listen too with interesting stories. The book covered valuable points.
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- Liz
- 13-07-16
an honest appraisal of a surgeons work
This book is an honest appraisal of the work of a surgeon and of medicine in general. Atul is refreshingly honest about what being a surgeon is and the reality of medicine in general. The truth that thry don't have all the answers and make mistakes is honest. The fact that they learn by mistake and error and this statistically shows clearly when a new different technique is practiced it negatively affects the death rate. The honestly about companies having to standardise equipment so all dials go the correct way and the reality that they are human and make mistakes but No one confront a these mistakes shows the truth behind the curtains of the doctors world.
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