"These are the things you struggle with as a resident in training," Makary says. "Things have changed a lot since then ... [and] I think it's important for people to know that I'm not a leader or crusader in this cause. I'm just describing a movement to make medicine more honest."

The movement really kicked off more than a decade ago with the famous Institute of Medicine study on medical errors. Dr. Peter Pronovost's Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals pioneered the pilot-style checklist for surgeons and their teams; it was preceded by Dr. Atul Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto in 2009.

"I try hard to tell in the book the success stories of the heroes," Makary (who helped Gawande in his research) says. "They are the doctors and nurses on the front line of health care. When hospitals have developed an ability to bridge the divide between front line health care workers and management, they can deliver exceptional results."

Edward Ericson Jr. writes for City Paper in Baltimore where this review originally appeared. Send comments to letters@metrotimes.com.

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