How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick In America (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I hated this book in the first third, but the latter chapters were excellent. It was almost like a different person wrote them. The first third is hampered by Dr. Brawley's obnxious self congratulating tone. Some of the chapters were disjointed, with flashbacks to his childhood and adolescence, the relationship to the topic at hand not always clear. In addition, there are several inconsistencies that bothered me. For someone who asserts that he is more careful than other doctors, for example, bragging about how he reads the "thirty-plus-page insert" for drugs ("Few doctors read the entire label before prescribing a drug. I do."), I am surprised he did not catch the obvious inconsistencies.For example, in chapter 1 we meet Edna Riggs, a woman whose "breast fell off." She noticed her tumor 9 years before coming to the ER. She had insurance then. The authors go on to describe the circumstances that led her to ignore the tumor all these years. It's a compelling story. What bothered me is that in subsequent chapters, there were several references to how Edna Riggs couldn't get a mammogram - Chapter 7 "I can't stop wondering how many mammograms these resources could have bought for people like Edna Riggs."Chapter 9 "No mammogram for Edna Riggs"But Edna Riggs could have had a mammogram. She had insurance. What she needed, among other things, was a job that would give her the time off. But lack of insurance to pay for a mammogram was not what led to her situation. The book gets much better if you can make it through the earlier chapters. It gets so good that having completed it, I think it's a must read for every patient and physician. Certain chapters even brought me to tears. I might just recommend skipping to the latter sections if the tone of the first bothers you too much. It's not necessary to have read that section before moving on. Interesting information regarding the harm that medical care can inflict on the patient. Always remember, first and foremost, medicine is a money making industry. It can be useful but as in any field what you don't know may harm or kill you. In addition, the medical professional you are trusting may or may not know much more about what they are recommending than you do. Sometimes it's better/easier to die of the disease than to die from the treatment. This is a book that everyone should read.
What do You think about How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick In America (2012)?
Fabulous, insightful read. Really lays bare what is wrong with the American health care system.
—mehkai
Excellent book. A must-read for any savvy healthcare consumer.
—nrodriguez663
