Drawing an original and revealing portrait of what its actually like to be a doctor, this important and timely book shines a light on the unseen and often toxic culture of medicine as well as offers a clear plan to save American healthcare. 25,000 first printing.
"The spread of COVID-19 has brought the lives of doctors into sharper focus than ever before. We now see how the daily work of making important, even life-and-death decisions is frequently made harder. Hospitals and medical offices face budget problems, the influence of big pharmaceutical and insurance companies, as well as stress and long hours and massive amounts of bureaucracy and paperwork. And that was before the pandemic. As we engage in a public debate about the appropriate role of government, technology, big pharma and insurance companies in our health care, we've paid little attention to what it actually feels like to be a doctor. This simple ingredient -- medical culture -- argues for a simpler and more humane health care policy. And it also signals that necessary change must be made with care and attention. Saying thank you and applauding out the window for their life-saving work during the pandemic won't be enough. If we don't take care of our doctors, they can't take care of us. In this important book, Robert Pearl -- the former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group and a Stanford professor -- argues for the importance of culture to the future of medicine. No matter who is president, or how our laws change, his book makes it obvious that we can no longer afford to ignore it"--
Doctors are taught how to cure people. But they don&;t always know how to care for them.
Hardly anyone is happy with American healthcare these days. Patients are getting sicker and going bankrupt from medical bills. Doctors are burning out and making dangerous mistakes. Both parties blame our nation&;s outdated and dysfunctional healthcare system. But that&;s only part of the problem.
In this important and timely book, Dr. Robert Pearl shines a light on the unseen and often toxic culture of medicine. Today&;s physicians have a surprising disdain for technology, an unhealthy obsession with status, and an increasingly complicated relationship with their patients. All of this can be traced back to their earliest experiences in medical school, where doctors inherit a set of norms, beliefs, and expectations that shape almost every decision they make, with profound consequences for the rest of us.
Uncaring draws an original and revealing portrait of what it&;s actually like to be a doctor. It illuminates the complex and intimidating world of medicine for readers, and in the end offers a clear plan to save American healthcare.
