Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Browsing Area book of the Week, January 21, 2013.

How We do Harm by Dr. Otis Brawley, MD, with Paul Greenberg.
Library Call Number:RA395.A3B72 2012.
 
             (Excerpt from the Atlantic’s review of the book): “In 2002, Dr. Brawley became chief of oncology and hematology at Grady Hospital [in Atlanta]. Though no longer in a leadership role at Grady, Brawley still practices there. His experiences at Grady partly inspired his new book…In what he calls a ‘guided tour through the back rooms of American medicine,’ Brawley not only takes on the unfolding catastrophe of U.S. healthcare, but also hits closer to home with chilling stories about irresponsible doctors here in Atlanta, such as some who dispense inappropriate, even life-threatening chemo.” 
             Dr. Brawley’s book draws on his experiences to illustrate how economics—even a doctor’s personal gain—might be influencing the overtreatment of the rich, while the poor find themselves shut off from care that might lengthen or even save their lives.  His book has unleashed a firestorm in his direction and for good reason, because it challenges the public’s assumption that all doctors are concerned with their patients’ welfare, that they are fulfilling their oath to “First, do no harm.”
             A vital read for all Americans who, at one point or another, will find themselves seeking a doctor’s care.

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