How Doctors Think:

Gaining popularity in the Medical arena is not an easy thing, so it's quite refreshing to read 'How the other half' of the Doctor/Patient duo actually thinks.

How Doctors Think

by Jerome Groopman
Published: 19 March, 2007
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Price: $13.50 USD

This explains many of the mysteries behind medical logic - if that's the right word!

This book is a great read in its own right and you don't need medical training to understand the concepts. No matter what you personally think about the Medical Profession - Now is a chance to see what the Doctors' Think...

You can read the independant reviews below - or why not write one yourself and have it printed right here - on the Golden Bookstore Review Guide. It's not that hard - honest

A revealing look at those who care for us

"How Doctors Think", the new and compelling work by Jerome Groopman, M.D., is a fascinating book. Groopman presents a comprehensive look at the many angles of the medical profession which influence doctors and how they arrive at their decisions. He peels away the layers of what doctors go through on a daily basis to arrive at these decisions and in the end gives us many things about which to ponder.

The case histories in "How Doctors Think" each take on a life of their own. Groopman gives a balanced an even-handed look at the resolutions of these histories while pointing out the unusually high percentage of misdiagnoses...including his own. While this may seem to be an indictment (although a mild one) of the medical profession, it is not.

One of the best chapters in "How Doctors Think" is one that involves the author, himself. Over a long period of time he sought advice and counsel from four different physicians on how to treat his swollen and painful right hand. Even though he is a doctor himself, Groopman became the patient and his assessments of not only the medical advice he was given (all four had different diagnoses) but the personal interactions he experienced is almost eye-popping.

Groopman delves into other aspects of the medical profession such as how doctors read and misread CT scans and how the pharmaceutical industry has influenced doctors' decisions (not usually for the good). He also points out the "differences" within his own profession.....i.e., what makes a pediatrician think differently from an oncologist. But his biggest point is this... get to know your doctor and ask questions. This may sound redundant to some, but it is absolutely critical to the patient's care.

"How Doctors Think" is not without humor. Regarding the merits of not operating when waiting might be more beneficial, Groopman quotes a mentor of his, Dr. Linda Lewis, who says, "Don't just do something, stand there". I highly recommend "How Doctors Think" for a wonderfully readable narrative and a reminder that while doctors are fallible the creative ones are able to think outside the box.

Dr. Groopman's honesty is appreciated and admired.

First of all, I applaud and admire Dr. Groopman's honesty and the admission that doctors are fallible. Although this book is dedicated to helping patients communicate with doctors by helping them understand how doctors think, it appears to focus more on helping physicians avoid diagnostic mistakes by reminding them of the consequences of short sighted and odds-based reasoning.

This book offers numerous case study examples showing the consequences of physicians' focusing only on symptoms that fit their preconceived diagnosis rather than truly listening to the patient and asking smart questions to get more information from the patient.

Dr. Groopman writes that miscommunication leads to misdiagnosis but does not really outline a method to help patients communicate better with their doctors.

I think a major benefit of this book to patients is that it will encourage them to speak up and to seek out other physicians for help if they do not receive the help they need from their physician. Dr. Groopman has indeed written a book describing how doctors think that will help patients understand doctors better. That's half the information that patients need.

The other half is contained in a book written by Jane Williams. That book, Patient Self-Help Guide: How to Talk to Your Doctor contains the rest of the information that patients need to communicate with doctors.

Ms. Williams agrees with Dr. Groopman that miscommunication leads to misdiagnosis and covers this at the beginning of her book. However, she teaches patients how to accurately and quickly describe their symptoms to help the physicians make accurate diagnoses the first time and avoid the diagnostic problems outlined in Dr. Groopman's book, and does so in plain language that the average patient can easily understand.

I own both of these books and have found them to be very good books with each having different but beneficial information. The two books together make an outstanding patient resource. Perhaps these two authors should consider a collaborative effort, since their works are so complimentary.

Amazing insight

Having been a pre-med major, and the mother of a child with NF1 I am always interested in medical books. This book is an absolute must read for anyone who has a serious illness or a family member with one. It gives great insight not only to how doctors come to conclusions but how to challenge those conclusions. Many of us forget that Doctors are only human and are therefore susceptible to the same mistakes all of us make.

Being a physician is a science but there is a large component of medicine involving intuition. Those of us who know the patient best often have the best insight as to what is wrong. For example, if my youngest son complains of pain, I know he is in serious pain whereas if my older son complains of pain, I know that he is a bit more dramatic and subsequently treat it as such.

Doctors do not always know the patient like family members do; this book teaches the reader how to bring their concerns to the forefront of the physician's mind.