New Book Announcement
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
How Doctors Think arrives on book shelves on March 19, 2007! It is a journey into the medical mind, showing how doctors arrive at the correct diagnosis and why sometimes they detour and fail to. Many of the examples are my own errors, lessons from hard experience. The aim in writing the book was to contribute to a better understanding for both laymen and medical professionals of what it takes to succeed and how to avoid misdiagnosis and misguided care. As we near this release date, some of the initial reviews have been coming out. Take a look at what the critics are saying.Publisher's Weekly Review:
I wish I had read this book when I was in medical school, and I'm glad I've read it now… I have never read elsewhere this kind of discussion of the ambiguities besetting the superspecialized—the doctors on whom the rest of us depend: "Specialization in medicine confers a false sense of certainty." Every reflective doctor will learn from this book—and every prospective patient will find thoughtful advice for communicating successfully in the medical setting and getting better care…This passionate honesty gives the book an immediacy and an eloquence that will resonate with anyone interested in medicine, science or the cruel beauties of those human endeavors which engage mortal stakes.
Kirkus Review:
A revealing, often disturbing look at what goes on in doctors' minds when treating patients, plus some advice to patients on how to work with their doctors to improve that process. Oncologist and New Yorker staff writer Groopman (The Anatomy of Hope, 2004, etc.) draws on conversations and interviews with other doctors, research in the field and his own experiences as both doctor and patient to unravel the question of how doctors reach a diagnosis and decide on a treatment. While the clinical algorithms and practice guidelines that medical students are taught and that are promoted by hospital administrators and insurance companies are useful in many cases, he argues that they discourage doctors from thinking creatively when symptoms are vague and test results inconclusive. A highly pleasurable must-read.
Advanced Feedback:
"Jerome Groopman has written a unique, important, and wonderful book about a central paradox of modern life: even though diagnosing an illness is often as much art as science, we want our doctors to speak with scientific surety. Groopman gives a rationalist's tour of the doctor’s thought processes -- or lack thereof -- and yet, unlike many rationalists, he never veers toward cynicism. You’ll never look at your own doctor in the same way again -- for better or worse."—Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, authors of Freakanomics
"A sage, humane prescription for medical practitioners and the people who depend on them."—O: The Oprah Magazine
"In this splendid and courageous book, Dr. Jerome Groopman lifts the veil on possibly the most taboo topic in medicine: the pervasive nature of misdiagnosis. His engrossing narrative exposes all of the subtle mental traps---the snap judgments and stereotypical thinking, the premature conclusions and herd instinct---that dangerously narrow the vision of too many physicians."—Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton, Titan, and The House of Morgan
"A cogent analysis of all the wrong ways his fellow practitioners are trained to approach the patients they treat.”—ELLE Magazine
New TV Show
Friday, February 23, 2007
It's time to venture into television once more. Hollywood Reporter has announced a new medical drama based on The Anatomy of Hope. There promises to be a great team working on this HBO production, including Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams as producer. Tom Schulman, who won an Oscar for Dead Poets Society, and Rafael Yglesias of From Hell, have been the writers working on the project so far. The series will focus on the affect of hope in seriously ill patients. It promises to be quite a show. More details to come.Avoiding Misdiagnosis
Monday, February 12, 2007
It's interesting and telling that some of the issues discussed in How Doctors Think are also starting to be more carefully considered in the world of medicine. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine presented a case study of a patient that was originally diagnosed incorrectly due to anchor heuristics. As the study explains,Heuristics are learned shortcuts that all clinicians use to improve the efficiency of the diagnostic process. Unfortunately, they can also lead to diagnostic errors…The anchoring heuristic occurs when the estimation of the likelihood of a diagnosis is based heavily on initial test results or on a previous diagnosis.
Calfee, Carolyn S. et al. Anchors Away. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:5049.
This trend toward analyzing thought processes and how patients are diagnosed and therefore treated is a very promising one. It isn't that this shortcut approach to diagnosis is wrong. Recognizing a pattern of symptoms can lead to early action and save lives. This speed and efficiency is also vital in a profession that is notoriously short on time. However, as shown in the case study, this approach does have its drawbacks and once a wrong diagnosis has been made, it can be difficult to rethink the problem from a different angle. The most effective doctors use this shortcut method yet are also self aware enough to recognize possible pitfalls and consider alternative options.
Misdiagnosis most often stems from cognitive errors, meaning that the more consideration is put into the thought process that doctors use the more accurate treatment can become. So it is gratifying that more attention is being given and that publications such as the New England Journal are increasingly discussing this aspect of medicine.
Welcome!
Welcome to the new blog! This will be a place to discuss news about upcoming book projects as well as insights into today's world of medicine. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit again as more updates are added.
