Smart medicine : how the changing role of doctors will revolutionize health care /

With the insightful perspective of an insider, Hanson (Univ. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) does a remarkable job of weaving into a comprehensive whole many current changes and advances in medicine, along with their further development, which he believes will dramatically alter the practice of medicine. Each chapter is devoted to one of the many factors that play some role in medical practice, including education, residency, sharing of medical records, the role of nurses, "best practices" medicine, automatic decision making, medical sensors, the physical exam, and doctor-doctor communications, among others. Hanson then projects how the changes in these areas--primarily in the form of medical intelligence and communication--will make medical care smarter and more efficient. The text is interspersed with anecdotes; the author's writing style is lucid, and his projections are logical and reasonable. Notably, Hanson avoids the temptation to make any wild predictions. What remains unpredictable is whether physicians will be able to handle the increasing volume of medical information and whether some of the changes will depersonalize the one-to-one doctor-patient relationship. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. R. S. Kowalczyk formerly, University of Michigan

Hanson (chief medical information officer, Univ. of Pennsylvania Sch. of Medicine; The Edge of Medicine: The Technology That Will Change Our Lives) proves an engaging and knowledgeable guide to the past and future of medicine. Focusing on new medical technologies, he discusses their effects on both doctor and patient. Drawing from current medical developments as well as recent ideas in the fields of ecology, business theory, and artificial intelligence, Hanson describes a future where medicine is more patient centered and less fragmented. Primary-care physicians will be valued and better compensated and will coordinate teams of specialists who focus on the patients rather than their diseases. Through data mining of online medical records to identify best practices and foster accountability, quality medical care will be delivered seamlessly and efficiently through a variety of technologies. Watch for an avatar at your hospital bedside! VERDICT Although worrying trends in exploding drug costs and other health-care expenses, emerging diseases, and "superbugs" are at most lightly touched upon, both general and professional readers will find this an appealing, positive, and thoughtful look at the changing world of medicine.-Kathy Arsenault, St. Petersburg, FL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Hanson (The Edge of Medicine, 2009), Chief of Intensive Care at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, dissects the past, present and future of health care.Avatars that converse with patients, diagnose illness and schedule appointments might sound like science fiction, but, as the author writes, one such model has already been pioneered by Microsoft Research. While human interaction will not be rendered obsolete, Hanson makes an interesting case for technology's role in effective medicine via innovations such as automated smart alarms and virtual stroke diagnosis. From primitive practices and medical disputes in colonial America to the "Marcus Welby" era when one doctorusually a male in a tieguarded illegible patient paperwork, health care has evolved into today's diverse array of physicians and sleep-deprived interns, with an emphasis on teamwork and shared records. Some superfluity slows the narrative flowe.g., a brief history of dog breeds makes the point that there are many medical specialtiesand even the most technologically challenged reader can comprehend why cell-phone wielding doctors no longer struggle with the bulkyPhysicians' Desk Reference. However, illuminating and even alarming information abounds, as when Hanson cites a 2009New England Journalstudy in reporting that "only 1.5 percent of U.S. hospitals had a comprehensive records system present in all units." Readers shouldn't expect a health-care reform debate, but rather a glimpse of the future, complete with many upbeat possibilities.A thought-provoking look at technology's role in modern health care.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.