First published 2000
Nicholas Christakis explores the medical profession's complex relationship with prognosis. Physicians routinely dodge questions about patient futures, despite prognosis being central to medical practice. Christakis interviewed dozens of doctors and analyzed medical textbooks to understand this reluctance. He reveals how doctors actually use prognostic information, the symbolic weight it carries, and the emotional burden it places on practitioners. The author argues that medicine must confront its avoidance of prediction and develop better approaches to forecasting patient outcomes. Christakis combines statistical assessment with clinical intuition to propose a new framework for medical prophecy. His investigation uncovers why this crucial aspect of healthcare remains poorly understood and rarely discussed in medical training. The book offers insights for patients grappling with uncertain diagnoses and medical professionals navigating ethical dilemmas around truth-telling and hope.
Genres: medical, non-fiction, health, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
374 pages · Hardcover · University of Chicago Press