24 Atul Gawande Quotes for You to Enjoy

Atul Gawande

American Scientist

Born: Nov 5, 1965

Care Health Money People Think You

Related authors: Ben Carson Carl Sagan E. O. Wilson George Washington Carver Isaac Asimov Margaret Mead Neil deGrasse Tyson W. Edwards Deming

Human beings are social creatures. We are social not just in the trivial sense that we like company, and not just in the obvious sense that we each depend on others. We are social in a more elemental way: simply to exist as a normal human being requires interaction with other people. Atul Gawande

People Human Being Depend Sense Other Others Way More Trivial Simply Like Obvious Exist Normal Human Just Being Interaction Human Beings Social Requires Beings Company Each Elemental Creatures

No one teaches you how to think about money in medical school or residency. Yet, from the moment you start practicing, you must think about it. You must consider what is covered for a patient and what is not. Atul Gawande

You Money School Patient Think Consider Must About No-One Practicing How Covered Teaches Moment Residency Medical Medical School Start

I was never born to write. I was taught to write. And I am still being taught to write. Atul Gawande

Born Write Never Am Still Taught Being

My vantage point on the world is the operating room where I see my patients. Atul Gawande

World See Vantage Vantage Point Point Operating Patients Where Room

The vast majority of doctors really do try to take the money out of their minds. But to provide the best possible care requires using resources in a way that keeps you viable but improves the quality of care. Atul Gawande

Best You Quality Money Try Care Doctors Resources Minds Way Out Possible Vast Vast Majority Take Majority Provide Improves Viable Really Requires Using Keeps

I think the extreme complexity of medicine has become more than an individual clinician can handle. But not more than teams of clinicians can handle. Atul Gawande

Become Think Medicine Extreme Complexity More Individual Handle Than Teams

Outsiders tend to be the first to recognize the inadequacies of our social institutions. But, precisely because they are outsiders, they are usually in a poor position to fix them. Atul Gawande

First Our Recognize Be The First Tend Outsiders Institutions Because Fix Precisely Social Them Poor Social Institutions Position

Our health-care morass is like the problems of global warming and the national debt - the kind of vast policy failure that is far easier to get into than to get out of. Americans say that they want leaders who will take on these problems. Atul Gawande

Failure Problems Will National Our Say Easier Out Kind Vast Take Leaders Like Global Global Warming Policy National Debt Debt Than Get American Want Far Warming Who

Doctors quickly learn that how much they make has little to do with how good they are. It largely depends on how they handle the business side of their practice. Atul Gawande

Good Business Doctors Practice Side Make Learn How How Much Quickly Handle Depends Little Much Business Side Largely

I write because it's my way of finding cool ideas, thinking through hard problems and things I don't understand, and getting better at something. Atul Gawande

Better Problems Thinking Way Finding Something Through Write Ideas Because Understand Getting Getting Better Hard Cool Things

Our great struggle in medicine these days is not just with ignorance and uncertainty. It's also with complexity: how much you have to make sure you have in your head and think about. There are a thousand ways things can go wrong. Atul Gawande

Great You Ignorance Struggle Think Medicine Our Ways Complexity Thousand About Uncertainty Head Wrong Days Also Make Sure How How Much Go Just Much Your Things

You want to ensure people can do it right 99 percent of time. When we have to fire one of our surgical trainees, it is never because they don't have the physical skills but because they don't have the moral skills - to practise and admit failure. Atul Gawande

Time Failure You People Fire Our Ensure Moral Physical Admit Percent Never Because Practise Surgical Want Skills Right

Every country in the world is battling the rising cost of health care. No community anywhere has demonstrably lowered its health-care costs (not just slowed their rate of increase) by improving medical services. They've lowered costs only by cutting or rationing them. Atul Gawande

Health World Care Country Community Every Increase Battling Cost Rate Rising Only Costs Rationing Health Care Improving Just Anywhere Them Cutting Lowered Medical Services Care Costs

The health-care sector certainly employs more people and more machines than it did. But there have been no great strides in service. In Western Europe, most primary-care practices now use electronic health records and offer after-hours care; in the United States, most don't. Atul Gawande

Service Health Great People Care Strides States Machines Sector More More People Records Most Employs Practices Been Western Western Europe Offer Than Did Use Certainly Europe Electronic Now United United States

As economists have often pointed out, we pay doctors for quantity, not quality. As they point out less often, we also pay them as individuals, rather than as members of a team working together for their patients. Both practices have made for serious problems. Atul Gawande

Working Together Together Quality Problems Made Doctors Pay Members Out Rather Both Point Pointed Individuals Economists Also Practices Quantity Than Often Patients Them Working Less Team Serious

Providing health care is like building a house. The task requires experts, expensive equipment and materials, and a huge amount of coordination. Atul Gawande

Health Care Building Like House Health Care Equipment Materials Providing Huge Huge Amount Task Expensive Experts Requires Coordination Amount

This is the reality of intensive care: at any point, we are as apt to harm as we are to heal. Atul Gawande

Reality Care Apt Point Heal Any Intensive Harm

To become a doctor, you spend so much time in the tunnels of preparation - head down, trying not to screw up, trying to make it from one day to the next - that it is a shock to find yourself at the other end, with someone shaking your hand and asking how much money you want to make. Atul Gawande

Time Day You Yourself Doctor Money Become Down Preparation Other Spend One Day Find Someone Shaking Head Make How How Much How Much Money Hand End Up Shock Trying So Much Time Want Screw Much Asking Next Your

Most people are squeamish about saying how much they earn, but in medicine the situation seems especially fraught. Doctors aren't supposed to be in it for the money, and the more concerned a doctor seems to be about making money the more suspicious people become about the care being provided. Atul Gawande

Saying People Doctor Money Care Doctors Become Situation Medicine Earn Fraught About Seems More Supposed Most Concerned How Making How Much Making Money Provided Suspicious Being Much

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