On Being Mortal

A review by Community Ethics Committee member Kathy Kaditz of On Being Mortal, the important (and, hopefully, influential) new book by surgeon and journalist Atul Gawande:

I finished Atul Gawande's new book, On Being Mortal. It is a quick read, several of the case studies have been New Yorker articles. However, I think it is absolutely brilliant. In very plain language accessible to most, he makes an incredible case for end of life conversations, techniques to make them helpful for patients and families, and the need to stop doing "everything medicine can do" as the default, at the end of life. He addresses death with dignity laws, the need for palliative care and hospice, the uncertainty patients and doctors experience when they cannot fix what is broken. He addresses it all in a historical and cross cultural context. I think we should all read it. It suggests a clear path forward but one that will take time and effort to implement.