30 pages • 1 hour read
Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
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Introduction Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Introduction Summary
As a young medical resident, Atul Gawande was assigned to periodically check on a woman who had been admitted to the hospital but whose exact diagnosis was not understood. While Gawande diligently followed the patient’s monitoring schedule, the senior resident did not. Instead, he gave the woman extra, unscheduled attention, which led him to be in the right place at the right time when a critical health issue arose. He saved her life.
Introduction Analysis
In the Introduction to Better, Gawande begins with the above story to set the stage for three themes he will explore in the book: diligence, doing right, and ingenuity. He especially hones in on perseverance (in this case, the senior resident had to fight to get the patient the surgery she needed) and concludes that this trait is paramount to success, not only in the public health sector, but for everyday life as well.
The Introduction also serves to set reader expectations: Gawande will present ideals to strive for—to be better—both in life and medicine. He will pull back the curtain on aspects of medicine typically available only to doctors, making transparent the practice of medicine in the hope of providing patients with a better understanding of what awaits them when they need medical care.
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By Atul Gawande
