RANDOM ACTS OF MEDICINE The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health

Two physicians, one of whom is also an economist, describe the surprising factors that impact our healthcare and our health. Alternating the narration, they have the conversational tone of conscientious doctors who enjoy their work. Their research looks broadly at nonmedical factors that can shape healthcare, such as ethnic stereotyping by physicians that limits care and biases about certain treatments that, whether appropriate or not, can shape a patient's care for years. They show how diagnosing psychiatric disorders is even more unreliable because perceptions of normal are subjective and sensitive to context. Brisk writing and the doctors' easy performances make this a fun, if sobering, listen. Without sounding alarmist, this audiobook will provoke listeners to look more carefully at the healthcare they receive. T.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2023]