Review by Booklist Review
In 1999, Epstein published what has come to be known as a landmark article, Mindful Practice, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This is a sequel of sorts, as Epstein discusses the qualities and habits that define truly great doctors. The secret, he has concluded, is mindfulness. Awareness of my own mind might be one of the most important tools I could have in addressing patients' needs, he explains. He learned on the job how to turn inward in order to help himself help his patients. He now shares his personal manifesto, defining and emphasizing the practice of mindful self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-regulation, which, he believes, are the foundations of good judgment, compassion, and attentive care. Epstein discusses such topics as curiosity, intuition, and how to respond to suffering. He also addresses that most common of doctor complaints, burnout, which he contends is a national epidemic. Epstein concludes with thoughts on how to create a mindful health-care system, in this caring and optimistic view of medicine.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Epstein, a family physician and professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, expands on his landmark 1999 essay in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which called for "mindful practice" on the part of physicians. Here he makes the case for using mindful practice to save both a medical profession "in crisis" and patients who are falling victim to "the fragmentation of the health care system." Citing examples from his own practice, Epstein shows how taking time to pay attention to patients can lead to better outcomes on both sides of the stethoscope. He writes of one woman whose deteriorating health left him feeling helpless; after her recovery, she confessed that his uncertainty was reassuring: "'At least,' she said, 'I knew you were being honest.'" Being mindful, Epstein states, is "a moral choice" for physicians. He also condemns the health care system and a culture of medicine that puts "clinicians in morally compromising situations" with electronic health record systems that are "sculpted around billing rather than good patient care," and increased pressure on doctors "to see more patients without regard to quality." Epstein's treatise should be required reading for physicians, and it is also of vital interest to the patients in their care. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
An anxious patient and a seemingly harried health-care professional sit in a small room talking, but little real communication occurs. Epstein (family medicine, psychiatry, & oncology; codirector, mindful practice programs, Univ. of Rochester Sch. of Medicine and Dentistry) says this scenario is all too common. Skilled professionals who avoid this use the practice, in some cases unknowingly, of mindfulness. Epstein's fascination with the topic and its application began in medical school and was affected by his time at the San Francisco Zen Center. He offers numerous anecdotes, both his own and those of others, and research looking at how becoming more mindful can improve communication and help to reduce errors, burnout, debilitating worry, and guilt. Heavily footnoted chapters include descriptions of exercises to enhance mindfulness and describe the difficulty of dealing with another's suffering and of showing compassion in ways that don't become overwhelming. Finally, he -provides suggestions for physicians and other caregivers to become more mindful and for health-care systems to create structures that allow for that to happen. VERDICT While focusing primarily on health-care professionals, Epstein presents for general readers a concise guide to his view of what mindfulness is, its value, and how it is a skill that anyone can work to acquire. [See Prepub Alert, 8/1/16.]-Richard Maxwell, Porter -Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
