NYTimes Book Review: How Doctors and Patients Do Harm

How Doctors and Patients Do HarmBy TARA PARKER-POPE
Christopher T. Martin Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. Just how broken is the United States health care system? Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, paints a grim picture in his new book “How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick In America’’ (St. Martin’s Press).If the title alone doesn’t clue you in, the reader quickly discovers that Dr. Brawley is determined to make everyone as uncomfortable as possible about the flaws, inconsistencies and inequities that are rampant in American medical care… I am trying to get folks, through this book, to talk a little more about rational use of health care and realize that we are actually hurting people with overtreatment. Health care needs to be consumed in a wiser way that is much more concerned about allegiance to the science. We need to be more concerned about the welfare of our patients. There was a recent report, the 45 tests we do too much, that I was thrilled to see. People are starting to realize that we need to be a little wiser in our use of health care.