When Good Doctors Go Bad Analysis

Atwul Gawande’ mentions Hank Goodman, a former orthopedic surgeon as an illustration of a good doctor who went bad in “When Good Doctors Go Bad”. He discloses that Goodman was a model doctor who was admired by his fellow colleagues “He could do some of the best, most brilliant work around” (88). The author points out that the bad doctors aren’t the nightmare doctors we hear about in the news- killing their patients via surgery for profit. As a matter of a fact, it is the case of the everyday bad doctor “the illustrious cardiologist who has slowly gone senile and won’t retire; the long-respected obstetrician with a drinking habit; the surgeon who has somehow lost his touch (89). Goodman, like many “bad” doctors was excellent, he used to be passionate about his work “He used to enjoy being in the operating room, fixing people” (92). However, Goodman changed his approach to a more mechanical one “it seemed that the only thing he thought about was getting through all his patients as quickly as possible” (93). Goodman has in fact become fascinated with his status as the number one booker, rather than the well-being of his patients” he had become

However, it’s not always as simple as doctors being able to get away with it. Depression was the cause of Goodman’s downfall “The primary diagnosis was long-standing depression” (103). People’s view of doctors as machines, perhaps contributes to the transaction of good to bad. Gawande suggests a prevention method which consists of a gentle approach to falling doctors” only as long as the consequences is closer to diagnosis and treatment than to arrest and prosecution. And this requires that people be ready to view such doctors not as sociopaths but merely as struggling human beings”