Remaking American Medicine

This four-part documentary, originally broadcast on PBS, traces the sometimes decidedly non-therapeutic nature of U.S. healthcare. The statistics can literally (pardon the pun) make someone sick: not only do preventable medical errors result in approximately 100,000 deaths annually, but more people die from hospital-acquired infections than from AIDS or breast cancer. The first part, sporting the ominous title “Silent Killer,” looks at attempts to fix our seriously flawed medical system. Part two, “First Do No Harm,” illustrates how hospital-acquired infections and medication errors can easily occur. Part three, “The Stealth Epidemic,” details successful chronic disease management programs (with an emphasis on diabetes management), and the final program, “Hand in Hand,” visits a pediatric teaching hospital where families of young patients and medical providers try to work together rather than in an isolated or adversarial environment. While the series attempts to put a positive face on efforts to correct systemic flaws, the overall analysis suggests that American healthcare is plagued with errors stemming from sheer incompetence and negligence. And these problems are not a matter of haves and have-nots—medical malpractice appears to be an equal opportunity provider. A startling, provocative overview of an American healthcare system in dire need of an overhaul, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)