Better

A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

By: Atul Gawande

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

National best seller

The New York Times best-selling author of Being Mortal and Complications examines, in riveting accounts of medical failure and triumph, how success is achieved in a complex and risk-filled profession

The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. In this book, Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable.

Gawande's gripping stories of diligence, ingenuity, and what it means to do right by people take us to battlefield surgical tents in Iraq, to labor and delivery rooms in Boston, to a polio outbreak in India, and to malpractice courtrooms around the country. He discusses the ethical dilemmas of doctors' participation in lethal injections, examines the influence of money on modern medicine, and recounts the astoundingly contentious history of hand washing. And as in all his writing, Gawande gives us an inside look at his own life as a practicing surgeon, offering a searingly honest firsthand account of work in a field where mistakes are both unavoidable and unthinkable.

At once unflinching and compassionate, Better is an exhilarating journey narrated by "arguably the best nonfiction doctor-writer around" (Salon). Gawande's investigation into medical professionals and how they progress from merely good to great provides rare insight into the elements of success, illuminating every area of human endeavor.

©2007 Atul Gawande (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"Surgeon and MacArthur fellow Gawande applies his gift for dulcet prose to medical and ethical dilemmas in this collection." (Publishers Weekly)

"Better is a masterpiece, a series of stories set inside the four walls of a hospital that end up telling us something unforgettable about the world outside." (Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point)

Good book

A different view of the medical profession. Well written and narrated. I found the book quite interesting and enjoyable.

great read and lots of lessons to be learned

I enjoyed listening to this book. the author has many insights and lessons to teach. great listen.

A MUST read . . .

for anyone interested in the current state of health care and the medical field, for professionals, and those like me who aspire to be a doctor in my next life.

Seriously, this is an excellent book that covers very interesting and surprising issues related to improving medical care and outcomes. A few of the things Dr. Gawande touches on are cleanliness, battle injuries, eradicating polio, doctors' salaries, hospital excellence (or lack of), and practice of medicine in impoverished areas of India. Each topic had surprising information and was compellingly interesting to me. The author's intelligence, clear-thinking, and caring came through as the book progressed. He has a great deal to offer medical professionals and also the non-medical, average person, too.

John Bedford Lloyd did a fabulous narration. I never felt that he was reading someone elses book. He read it like it was his own. His voice is simply wonderful, too.

Highly recommended if the topic is of interest to you.

Atul Gawande delivers. Very well written.

If you could sum up Better in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, eye opening, thought provoking

Which scene was your favorite?

Doctors of the Death chamber. This is the most interesting scene i've listened to. It is very interesting hearing about doctors that have are not only involved in saving lives but also involved in taking away lives. I know, but in this scene, Atul examines or interviews doctors in order to get answers as to why they are involved in prosecutions.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Im a premedical student trying to find answers on whether medicine is something for me. This book gives a very detailed insight on the life of being a doctor and somewhat compares it to other careers. If you are unsure/sure about doing medicine, this book is a great read.

Makes me want to do Better!

This book is a must for all, especially us who deliver healthcare in these changing times. We arr quick to go into survival mode and convince ourselves that we are doing the best we can given the circumstances. The question remains- are we Really? This author doesn't sugarcoat the obstacles we face, but are these perceived barriers actually obstructive? Introspection is inevitable after listening.

for medical students and professionals

I enjoyed it because I am training to be a medical professional and could connect with many topics discussed.

As a practicing provider I recommend this book.

I am a practicing PA. I recommend this book to anyone who needs to understand medicine better and especially to any provider / future provider.

Absolutely fantastic 👏 👌

excellent story telling, involved into it from beginning to end, great share ok knowledge with audience

Dr. Gawande is great as always

If I was going to suggest an Atul Gawande book, it wouldn't be this one. His others are better. But even at his worst Dr. Gawande is head and shoulders above the best

Well written , Keeps you engaged througout

A very well written book, as good if not better than the first book. Great narration as well. I think this book would interest anyone in health care profession obviously. But, I am sure it would interest non health care professional reades as much.

A liked how he ended the book with some great but simple suggestions for his readers to be become what he call a positive deviant : Ask, Do not complain, Count, Write and Change.