How Doctors Think

We’ve noted before that mis-diagnosis is almost always a product of the failure of doctors to rigorously apply the differential diagnosis method taught in medical school.  A new book offers supporting evidence of our experience.  “How Doctors Think,” by Jerome Groopman, M.D. uses many illustrations to make the point that mistakes come from “thinking” errors, assumptions rather than facts about diagnosis.  Here’s how the author puts it: “Cogent medical judgments meld first impressions — gestalt — with deliberate analysis. This requires time, perhaps the rarest commodity in a healthcare system that clocks appointments in minutes.”  By sharing how doctors think, the author gives us, the patients, tools in how to help our doctors get it right.  Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/How-Doctors-Think-Jerome-Groopman/dp/0618610030

Medical Error + Misdiagnosis