How Doctors Think

By: Jerome Groopman M.D.

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

A New Yorker staff writer, best-selling author, and professor at Harvard Medical School unravels the mystery of how doctors figure out the best treatments - or fail to do so. This book describes the warning signs of flawed medical thinking and offers intelligent questions patients can ask.

On average, a physician will interrupt a patient describing her symptoms within 12 seconds. In that short time, many doctors decide on the likely diagnosis and best treatment. Often, decisions made this way are correct, but at crucial moments they can also be wrong - with catastrophic consequences.

In this myth-shattering book, Jerome Groopman pinpoints the forces and thought processes behind the decisions doctors make. He explores why doctors err and shows when and how they can, with our help, avoid snap judgments, embrace uncertainty, communicate effectively, and deploy other skills that can have a profound impact on our health.

Groopman draws on a wealth of research, extensive interviews with some of the country's best physicians, and his own experiences as a doctor and patient. He has learned many of the lessons in this book the hard way, from his own mistakes and from errors his doctors made in treating his own debilitating medical problems.

How Doctors Think reveals a profound new view of 21st-century medical practice, giving doctors and patients the vital information they need to make better judgments together.

©2007 Jerome Groopman, M.D. (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"A revealing, often disturbing look at what goes on in doctors' minds when treating patients....A highly pleasurable must-read. "(Kirkus)
"I wish I had read this book when I was in medical school, and I'm glad I've read it now....Every reflective doctor will learn from this book....every prospective patient will find thoughtful advice for communicating successfully." (Publishers Weekly)

How Emotion and Perception Affect Your Care

Doctors are human, just like us. And if you care about your health and want to get good health care results, it pays to remember this. The book is interesting and informative, with fascinating anecdotes, and provides useful insight, looking through the eyes of doctors.

How Doctors Think

Any health-care provider will greatly benefit from reading and applying the gems in this book. As a result, so will our patients. It is excellent in its science, its logic and its writing.

Get off my lawn!

Very good book with excellent examples, but read by your angry grandfather. It was difficult to listen despite the quality of the content.

Should be required

All doctors and patoents need this book. Very helpful insights and advice for people on both sides of the doctor/patient relationship.

Read before you become a Doctor.

I think this book should be at the forefront in tool utilization of every medical provider. Read before you go into the medical field, and most important of you are in the medical field.

Definitely worth the listen!

Hear me out... the narrator is monotone and the book isn’t exactly captivating, BUT there is some very important lessons for future doctors. This is a non-technical book and in many ways is intended for the regular person so that they can be better equipped to communicate with their doctor and ensure their best medical care.

Excellent

Wonderful for laymen and practitioners alike! Great narration, strong structure, captivating stories about real world events. Great book for getting into medical thinking.

Be Your Own Health Advocate

Doctors are human beings and as such, can have biases in how they practice medicine. Doctors will prescribe the few dozen medicines that they've always prescribed and will recommend treatments that they specialize in. After all, it's what they know and in the fierce business of providing healthcare, they don't have the time to research new medicines launched every year. When the author sought treatment for his hand pain, he consulted five doctors and received five different therapy recommendations. This book demonstrates how important it is that patients be advocates for their health. A few stories were a bit wordy, but otherwise this an excellent book.

Phenomenal analysis of cognitive pitfalls

Worth a listen for all who want an insight into clinical decision making without working through odious medical texts

And why you need to be thinking as well

A great book for everyone to read as it illustrates, as the author states, that a patient has to be an active participant in the process of seeking the care and treatment one needs.