For the last 20 years, I’ve been trying to improve healthcare in one way or another, either as a practitioner of emergency medicine or more recently as a hospital leader and digital health nut.
In that time, almost all of the good ideas that I’ve adopted or promoted have come from reading the work of others. To the extent that I have been standing at all, I have done so on the shoulders of giants.
Given that Yuletide is the time for sharing, I offer you 12 of the books that have most influenced my practice and thought. If you want to buy something for that special someone in your life who just can’t get enough of healthcare improvement … this may give you inspiration.
First on my list … ?
Title: The Checklist Manifesto
Author: Atul Gawade
Date of Publication: 2009
Amazon rating: 112 in popular medicine
Why you should read it
This book has saved more lives than any other you will ever read.
You owe it some attention.
Synopsis
Dr Atul Gawande, is a renowned general and endocrine surgeon with an interest in public health. In 2009 he reported, with colleagues from across several countries, an extraordinary piece of research.
They found that if surgical teams stopped for a few moments before commencing an operation and checked a few important things then many fewer patients would die or suffer complications during or soon after surgery.
Operating teams needed merely to ensure that they had the right patient, were clear on the operation they were about to perform and had the right drugs and equipment available.
The effect was huge. A near 50% reduction in deaths and a 40% reduction in inpatient complications. This applied to operating rooms across the world, in rich countries and poor.
This extraordinary and life-saving improvement was delivered by a simple piece of paper: a checklist.
The WHO soon after issued strong guidance on the importance of using this checklist, launching the safer surgery initiative.
Shamefully, this simple intervention was for a long time resisted by many surgeons. They didn’t think that stopping and checking applied to them.
It is thanks to the evangelism of Dr Gawande and the team at the WHO that this resistance has been almost universally overcome.
This book is the seminal work for the general reader about how that research took place, and - more importantly - an explication of why this and other checklists works.
In the book, Gawande explores the power of checklists in managing complex tasks and improving performance, not just in medicine, but in various other fields such as aviation and construction. He argues strongly that checklists are powerful tools that can prevent human error and enhance efficiency.
Most importantly, he emphasises that checklists are not just about creating a list of tasks but creating a shared understanding and a sense of teamwork around complex procedures. He discusses the psychological aspects of using checklists, highlighting their ability to mitigate the impact of cognitive biases and human fallibility.
He advocates strongly for the widespread adoption of checklists as a practical and effective means to enhance performance reduce errors and, thereby avoid harm.
My rating
Readability: 9 / 10 (what I would give to write like him!)
Applicability: 8 / 10 (we can all use checklists more, and they’re just not that difficult)
Giftability: 6 /10 (the hardback will fit in a stocking)