Thomas Fisher (4)

I’d forgotten exactly what this book was about between the time I shelved it and put it on hold and by the time I’d borrowed it without rereading the description. I hadn’t remembered that so much of this account is about race and about the state of health care in the United States and about covid. When I was reminded of the book’s focus I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it but I liked it very much.

I was amused when he said he was a nonpracticing agnostic. The quote: “I PREPARE FOR MY shift with gospel music. I’m a nonpracticing agnostic, but today the gospel themes of hope, sacrifice, and community give me comfort.”

I admired this doctor’s honesty and appreciated his taking social and cultural factors into account when looking at the health status of individuals. He writes about the connection between money and health care and about the inequities in health care. I acknowledge his medical and social activism credentials. He’s also a good writer.

I loved how he wrote and structured this book. I especially enjoyed his “letter to” various patients and an intern, a medical trainer, his mother. I’d like to think that all doctors are this thoughtful about their work and about society’s ills. I appreciated him spelling out exactly why doctors, ERs, hospitals aren’t always able to do their best by patients, even when their hearts are in the right place.

This is a sobering account and I can’t say it made me feel optimistic about things but the author’s intentions and work kept me from feeling too, too depressed. We have a lot of work to do with societal racism, providing good health care to all, and a lot of discussions should be had. Whether or not it’s “enough” we can definitely do more and need to do better.

The author is good at humanizing his patents and I ended up caring about everyone he wrote about, including himself. The patients, colleagues, family members, and people in the news, and everyone else.

4-1/2 stars… (mehr)

It only took reading a few pages before I knew I needed to get comfortable because I was going to be in this story for a while. Two hours later, I had to put the book down because I was so exhausted. Following Dr. Thomas Fisher as he navigates the impossible hurdles of an ER physician working under America’s flawed healthcare system was an exercise in frustration. But it was also an opportunity to appreciate the many medical staff members that do all they can under a system that limits, curtails, puts off, and abandons many of those who come to it for help. I finished the book the next day. It was a compelling read.

There are so many facts and an abundance of personal perspectives about what works and what doesn’t work in America's healthcare and hospital policies. And some perplexing views on injustice and partiality showed prospective patients/clients.

The author puts you in his shoes as he strives to make the best medical evaluations he can in about 3 minutes, the average time he has to spend with each patient in the ER’s rapid evaluation unit as he makes triage type decisions on their options for further care.

Dr. Fisher writes letters that may, or may not, be sent to these individuals explaining the conditions and policies that hinder so many from getting the best healthcare available, reasons, and conclusions which left me with a lot to ponder.

Between the actual ER cases, the people, and the letters, this book kept me completely immersed in this account.

#Goodreadsgiveaway… (mehr)