Book Review: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

This excellent book explores the notion of checklists as a way to deal with the complexities of medical practice (and by extension, any complex profession or aspect of life). Gawande draws upon the experience of pilots and construction managers, as well as doctors, to show how checklists can be designed to prevent "dumb mistakes." But he also shows how checklists can be used to aid communication among workers faced with a complex or even dangerous task--to the benefit of the overall effort (especially where that "effort" is a patient). After reading Gawande's book, I think that the use of well-designed checklists could greatly improve public health and the practice of medicine. He also made me think about areas of my life where I might use checklists to improve things. Well written and always interesting, <em>The Checklist Manifesto</em> demonstrates the thoughtful genius that won Gawande a MacArthur Foundation grant. Highly recommended.