Snowball in a blizzard: a physician's notes on uncertainty in medicine
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There's a running joke among radiologists: finding a tumor in a mammogram is akin to finding a snowball in a blizzard. A bit of medical gallows humor, this simile illustrates the difficulties of finding signals (the snowball) against a background of noise (the blizzard). Doctors are faced with similar difficulties every day when sifting through piles of data from blood tests to X-rays to endless lists of patient symptoms.
Diagnoses are often just educated guesses, and prognoses less certain still. There is a significant amount of uncertainty in the daily practice of medicine, resulting in confusion and potentially deadly complications. Dr. Steven Hatch argues that instead of ignoring this uncertainty, we should embrace it. By digging deeply into a number of rancorous controversies, from breast cancer screening to blood pressure management, Hatch shows us how medicine can fail-sometimes spectacularly-when patients and doctors alike place too much faith in modern medical technology. The key to good health might lie in the ability to recognize the hype created by so many medical reports, sense when to push a physician for more testing, or resist a physician's enthusiasm when unnecessary tests or treatments are being offered.
Both humbling and empowering, Snowball in a Blizzard lays bare the inescapable murkiness that permeates the theory and practice of modern medicine. Essential reading for physicians and patients alike, this book shows how, by recognizing rather than denying that uncertainty, we can all make better health decisions.
Diagnoses are often just educated guesses, and prognoses less certain still. There is a significant amount of uncertainty in the daily practice of medicine, resulting in confusion and potentially deadly complications. Dr. Steven Hatch argues that instead of ignoring this uncertainty, we should embrace it. By digging deeply into a number of rancorous controversies, from breast cancer screening to blood pressure management, Hatch shows us how medicine can fail-sometimes spectacularly-when patients and doctors alike place too much faith in modern medical technology. The key to good health might lie in the ability to recognize the hype created by so many medical reports, sense when to push a physician for more testing, or resist a physician's enthusiasm when unnecessary tests or treatments are being offered.
Both humbling and empowering, Snowball in a Blizzard lays bare the inescapable murkiness that permeates the theory and practice of modern medicine. Essential reading for physicians and patients alike, this book shows how, by recognizing rather than denying that uncertainty, we can all make better health decisions.
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ISBN:
9780465050642
9780465098576
9780465098576
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 1fb7fc09-85f4-6315-b5f8-49e577f38f1a |
---|---|
Grouping Title | snowball in a blizzard a physicians notes on uncertainty in medicine |
Grouping Author | steven hatch |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-25 02:10:18AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-25 02:20:31AM |
Solr Fields
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author
Hatch, Steven, 1969-
author_display
Hatch, Steven
available_at_catalog
Martin Luther King Jr.
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
display_description
There's a running joke among radiologists: finding a tumor in a mammogram is akin to finding a snowball in a blizzard. A bit of medical gallows humor, this simile illustrates the difficulties of finding signals (the snowball) against a background of noise (the blizzard). Doctors are faced with similar difficulties every day when sifting through piles of data from blood tests to X-rays to endless lists of patient symptoms.
Diagnoses are often just educated guesses, and prognoses less certain still. There is a significant amount of uncertainty in the daily practice of medicine, resulting in confusion and potentially deadly complications. Dr. Steven Hatch argues that instead of ignoring this uncertainty, we should embrace it. By digging deeply into a number of rancorous controversies, from breast cancer screening to blood pressure management, Hatch shows us how medicine can fail-sometimes spectacularly-when patients and doctors alike place too much faith in modern medical technology. The key to good health might lie in the ability to recognize the hype created by so many medical reports, sense when to push a physician for more testing, or resist a physician's enthusiasm when unnecessary tests or treatments are being offered.
Both humbling and empowering, Snowball in a Blizzard lays bare the inescapable murkiness that permeates the theory and practice of modern medicine. Essential reading for physicians and patients alike, this book shows how, by recognizing rather than denying that uncertainty, we can all make better health decisions.
Diagnoses are often just educated guesses, and prognoses less certain still. There is a significant amount of uncertainty in the daily practice of medicine, resulting in confusion and potentially deadly complications. Dr. Steven Hatch argues that instead of ignoring this uncertainty, we should embrace it. By digging deeply into a number of rancorous controversies, from breast cancer screening to blood pressure management, Hatch shows us how medicine can fail-sometimes spectacularly-when patients and doctors alike place too much faith in modern medical technology. The key to good health might lie in the ability to recognize the hype created by so many medical reports, sense when to push a physician for more testing, or resist a physician's enthusiasm when unnecessary tests or treatments are being offered.
Both humbling and empowering, Snowball in a Blizzard lays bare the inescapable murkiness that permeates the theory and practice of modern medicine. Essential reading for physicians and patients alike, this book shows how, by recognizing rather than denying that uncertainty, we can all make better health decisions.
format_catalog
Book
eBook
eBook
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Books
eBook
eBook
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1fb7fc09-85f4-6315-b5f8-49e577f38f1a
isbn
9780465050642
9780465098576
9780465098576
itype_catalog
Adult Book Non-Fiction
last_indexed
2024-04-25T09:20:31.408Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_catalog
616.075 H361 2016
owning_library_catalog
Sacramento Public Library
owning_location_catalog
Martin Luther King Jr.
primary_isbn
9780465050642
publishDate
2016
publisher
Basic Books
Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group
Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Diagnosis
Medical policy
Uncertainty
Medical policy
Uncertainty
title_display
Snowball in a blizzard : a physician's notes on uncertainty in medicine
title_full
Snowball in a Blizzard A Physician's Notes on Uncertainty in Medicine
Snowball in a blizzard : a physician's notes on uncertainty in medicine / Steven Hatch, MD
Snowball in a blizzard : a physician's notes on uncertainty in medicine / Steven Hatch, MD
title_short
Snowball in a blizzard
title_sub
a physician's notes on uncertainty in medicine
topic_facet
Diagnosis
Health & Fitness
Medical
Medical policy
Nonfiction
Uncertainty
Health & Fitness
Medical
Medical policy
Nonfiction
Uncertainty
Solr Details Tables
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ils:.b24112276 | Book | Books | English | Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group | [2016] | xv, 293 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm |
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