One surgeon's prescription for better care: Diligence

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, May, 2007 | by Marie McCullough Inquirer Staff Writer

At 7 a.m. Tuesday, Atul Gawande stood behind a big wooden lectern in the auditorium of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, lecturing on "The Idea of Performance in Medicine."

Based on the title, it could have been a real snooze-fest. Indeed, continuing-education seminars for hospital staff usually end with a rush for the doors.

But this one was different. Gawande, 41, is a Harvard-educated general surgeon, Rhodes scholar and winner of a MacArthur "genius award." He is also a prolific writer (New Yorker magazine, New York Times, slate.com) on a provocative topic: the imperfections of our health-care system.

His just-published second book,  Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance , offers a...