The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
May 17th, 2010Title: The Checklist Manifesto
Author: Atul Gawande
Publisher: Metropolitan Books (2009)
Hurray for Atul Gawande! I have already reviewed one of his earlier books (Better…almost 2 years ago!) and absolutely loved it. So I was expecting the same from this book, and was not disappointed!
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande is an excellently written book that shows how important something as basic as a checklist can be to do tasks correctly. Since Gawande is a surgeon, he focused mostly on how checklists can be used in hospitals to make sure everything is done consistently and properly. But he doesn’t limit the potential uses to just medicine – instead proving that it can be used in almost any application.
One of the main premises of the book is that seemingly obvious tasks get overlooked — because they are seemingly obvious. Gawande says this was prevalent in operating rooms. For example, while it wasn’t too common to perform the wrong surgery on the wrong patient…it still happened. This is because everyone just assumed that someone had checked those details! Gawande wanted to figure out a way to stop easily fixable mistakes. He took inspiration from other industries that already use checklists. The most obvious example is the aerospace industry. They are famous for having binders of checklists for every possible situation. The key, after much trial and error, was to make sure the checklists were short and simple so they could be followed even during extreme situations.
Gawande goes on to tell examples of other successful checklists in action throughout the world, while also telling the story of his attempt to create standardized checklists for use all over the world. The goal is to dramatically cut down on mistakes, which would save lives. (He was successful…otherwise it probably wouldn’t be a very interesting book.
Gawande has developed a wonderful skill at storytelling. Every example throughout the book has interesting people who have innovated interesting ways of improving their craft. From the surgeon to the pilot to the construction team, people are using one of the most simple tools to save time, money and lives.
I would recommend this book to pretty much everybody. There is much to be learned by reading it…and it will encourage you to read his other books as well!
Rating: 5 out of 5
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Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book and this post contains affiliate links.
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May 17th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Thanks for the review! This is already on my TBR – I work in healthcare and have learned the importance of checklist, so this book will help reinforce the message.
BTW, have you read the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks? I recently finished it (haven’t time to write a review yet0. I enjoyed it a lot.
May 18th, 2010 at 12:21 am
I’ll check it off my list to read this book soon! (that was too easy)
May 20th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
I read quite a bit of non-fiction, but often don’t review it. This book looks excellent. Love your blog.