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Top positive review
9 people found this helpful
4.0 out of 5 starsSurprisingly readable
ByRichard Bakeron February 6, 2017
I had to read this book for work, and I wasn't looking forward to it. To my surprise it has a very good narrative is quite readable. The examples used are compelling and keep the pages turning. By the end it had me thinking of our processes and I have my team scouring them looking for places where a checklist would be appropriate. If you're concerned about quality, you should give this book a try.
Top critical review
8 people found this helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsI actually checked this review off my To-Do list.
ByAnthony J. Veraon June 10, 2018
Meh. The book is WAY over-hyped!! It spends MOST of its long never-ending pages explaining medical scenarios. It's unbelievable....I felt as if I was studying my Paramedic book again! All that nonsense to get to "Checklists are good...you should develop one for everything you do". That's it folks...I just gave you the cliff Notes for the ENTIRE book! Even the sample checklists (all two of them) they illustrate are a joke.
Pay ME whatever this book costs, and I'll actually MAKE a checklist for you! Tell ya what...contact me if you want the book. I'll give it to you if you just pay shipping. Very disappointing!
Pay ME whatever this book costs, and I'll actually MAKE a checklist for you! Tell ya what...contact me if you want the book. I'll give it to you if you just pay shipping. Very disappointing!
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ByNanaon March 7, 2017
I like a book a that directly applies to life and the choices we can make for excellence. Full of real situations illustrating the impact of his premise, this book gets you thinking. It fully describes a tool one could develop in a variety of arenas in ones life to make better decisions and bring about success. As a surgeon, the author developed this tool to save lives and decrease complications in hospital surgical arenas. He describes its application in jet flight and high finance occupations, as well. A fascinating read - hard to put down.
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ByAdamSmytheon January 24, 2010
I looked over the other reviews of this interesting book, and there are many of them that you will find very useful--so I'll just try to list some highlights. As Dr. Gawande points out, a checklist can't be too long (people won't use it), yet it must succinctly cover the most essential considerations of the situation at hand. Although what follows isn't a checklist, I'll try to focus on the most essential characteristics of Dr. Gawande's book:
First, this is an easy-to-read, engaging book. I'll bet that you will find it hard to put down. It is interesting enough to make you want to read the book and serious enough to deliver important messages.
Second, the value of using checklists springs directly from the complexity of modern life, whether we're talking about surgery (the author is a surgeon), flying an airplane or building a skyscraper. By the way, in reading this book I have developed a newfound appreciation of how complex the construction business can be.
Third, checklists are not just for simple, straightforward tasks. Checklists help people communicate and work together better, especially when the unexpected occurs.
Fourth, checklists are important regardless of the time available. Indeed, when the cockpit crew of US Airways flight 1549 lost both engines over New York City, they had only three minutes of airtime remaining. The first thing they did was to get out their checklists. (You can read Captain Sully Sullenberger's excellent book for more details.)
Fifth, checklist usage has saved numerous lives, including one of Dr. Gawande's patients. His candor in discussing that episode is laudable.
Sixth, humans being human, mistakes will inevitably occur. Checklist usage is important when the potential cost of human mistakes is great.
Seventh, the mere act of creating a checklist focuses the mind on the most important characteristics of our tasks.
Eighth, like anything else, it takes practice to produce and use checklists effectively.
Ninth, practice comes from commitment and personal discipline. Indeed, one of the most important things Sully Sullenberger did was to maintain his composure and discipline, even while the gravity of his situation must have been racing through his mind.
Tenth, as I read this book, my mind frequently reflected on how a checklist approach could be applied in some of the business and academic practices that I am familiar with. That's the real beauty of this book--it gets the reader thinking about ways to improve life.
First, this is an easy-to-read, engaging book. I'll bet that you will find it hard to put down. It is interesting enough to make you want to read the book and serious enough to deliver important messages.
Second, the value of using checklists springs directly from the complexity of modern life, whether we're talking about surgery (the author is a surgeon), flying an airplane or building a skyscraper. By the way, in reading this book I have developed a newfound appreciation of how complex the construction business can be.
Third, checklists are not just for simple, straightforward tasks. Checklists help people communicate and work together better, especially when the unexpected occurs.
Fourth, checklists are important regardless of the time available. Indeed, when the cockpit crew of US Airways flight 1549 lost both engines over New York City, they had only three minutes of airtime remaining. The first thing they did was to get out their checklists. (You can read Captain Sully Sullenberger's excellent book for more details.)
Fifth, checklist usage has saved numerous lives, including one of Dr. Gawande's patients. His candor in discussing that episode is laudable.
Sixth, humans being human, mistakes will inevitably occur. Checklist usage is important when the potential cost of human mistakes is great.
Seventh, the mere act of creating a checklist focuses the mind on the most important characteristics of our tasks.
Eighth, like anything else, it takes practice to produce and use checklists effectively.
Ninth, practice comes from commitment and personal discipline. Indeed, one of the most important things Sully Sullenberger did was to maintain his composure and discipline, even while the gravity of his situation must have been racing through his mind.
Tenth, as I read this book, my mind frequently reflected on how a checklist approach could be applied in some of the business and academic practices that I am familiar with. That's the real beauty of this book--it gets the reader thinking about ways to improve life.
ByMike Otton December 31, 2017
Having the good doctor's insight into situations that are so very common that we all will experience them and learning how easily they can go wrong, ending lives, by oversights that could be avoided by checklists makes this book a must read!
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent Book On The Absolute Importance Of Checklists By A Renowned Harvard University Physician
ByEldon Edwardson May 2, 2018
This book is very interesting and insightful and very useful for everyone. This book is very well researched and well written. Excellent case studies and examples. This book is must reading for everyone I feel. I recommend this book without qualifications. This book is transformational for many people and will save many lives!
ByStephen A.on December 3, 2017
Perhaps it’s my bad but I read this book there would be more about tips on how to construct a good Checklist. This is basically a story of one persons opinions and experience of why checklists are good. I’ll save you some time.....Checklists are good and can save lives, which is basically the take away.
ByEricon December 24, 2017
As a surgeon (sub-specialty, foot and ankle), this book profoundly impactful for my day to day life. But, as he points out, checklists did not originate in medicine and have dramatic impact in many areas of our lives. The biggest impact is in bringing about effective communication.
The book is written in a very captivating way and is technical without being too erudite. Highly recommend.
The book is written in a very captivating way and is technical without being too erudite. Highly recommend.
Byapplecoreo@aol.comon March 12, 2014
I approached this book with the hope I would find something useful for me to accomplish my job better. I deal with a lot of moving parts and a lot of pressure and people. However, it was much like Small Pox: The Death of a Disease where an expert in a field wants to immortalize his groundbreaking/world-changing success. The anecdotal stories were great insights into the lives of ER surgeons, master builders, and pilots. The pitch was for using (duh) checklists. I don't have a job where ego is a problem, so I don't have the "buy in" barrier to using checklists. Ultimately, the target audience is probably people who don't think they need checklists and need a good pitch (manifesto?) to do so... in which case, they wouldn't buy the book on their own in the first place.
I believe in checklists already, and I use them lest I drop a ball in my job. It's people who risk-assess erroneously. Especially egocentric, infallible people. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a thing, and everybody needs a reality check once in a while.
The part of the book I found most useful to my aim was the section on what makes a good checklist: short, easily accessible, and with key words to remind the user what it is s/he needs to do in what order. It's ultimately a reminder tool so we don't forget the important details that can make or break a deliverable, a deadline... or a person.
I believe in checklists already, and I use them lest I drop a ball in my job. It's people who risk-assess erroneously. Especially egocentric, infallible people. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a thing, and everybody needs a reality check once in a while.
The part of the book I found most useful to my aim was the section on what makes a good checklist: short, easily accessible, and with key words to remind the user what it is s/he needs to do in what order. It's ultimately a reminder tool so we don't forget the important details that can make or break a deliverable, a deadline... or a person.
ByTerry Goodallon May 6, 2015
This is a very relevant, readable, and important book. It describes elegantly the marriage of professional expertise and safe routines that all of us might wish for ourselves, whether practitioner or patient.
Atul Gawande is a surgeon, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and leader of the WHO’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives programme. The titles of his other books are - “A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance” and “A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science”. But he is not merely a medical author. In my “lay” opinion, he is a superb writer, engaging, inspirational and creator of rivetting narratives. As well as numerous medical scenarios, he also uses tales from another profession where lives are constantly at stake - aviation, as well as the high-risk world of international finance and investment. All fascinating....
Atul Gawande is a surgeon, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and leader of the WHO’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives programme. The titles of his other books are - “A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance” and “A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science”. But he is not merely a medical author. In my “lay” opinion, he is a superb writer, engaging, inspirational and creator of rivetting narratives. As well as numerous medical scenarios, he also uses tales from another profession where lives are constantly at stake - aviation, as well as the high-risk world of international finance and investment. All fascinating....
ByMAURICE J RUBINOon July 15, 2015
The vast amount of knowledge the human race has acquired and the pace the knowledge base keeps increasing emphasizes the need to work together as a team and the use of checklists is the glue to hold a team together. Dr. Gawande's book uses real world examples from several different types of work to make this point. Read this book and checklists will also become an important part of your business as well.
ByCraig K.on September 24, 2016
This book has been quoted often in healthcare articles I've read. I'm amazed that checklists are not mandatory in medicine. We regulate everything doctors do except a simple thing that could save thousands of lives. Nice read.
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