How Doctors Think: Clinical Judgment and the Practice of Medicine

Montgomery, Kathryn

ISBN 10: 0195187121 / ISBN 13: 9780195187120

Published by Oxford University Press, USA, 2005

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.33. Seller Inventory # G0195187121I4N00

Synopsis:

How Doctors Think defines the nature and importance of clinical judgment. Although physicians make use of science, this book argues that medicine is not itself a science but rather an interpretive practice that relies on clinical reasoning. A physician looks at the patient's history along with the presenting physical signs and symptoms and juxtaposes these with clinical experience and empirical studies to construct a tentative account of the illness.
How Doctors Think is divided into four parts. Part one introduces the concept of medicine as a practice rather than a science; part two discusses the idea of causation; part three delves into the process of forming clinical judgment; and part four considers clinical judgment within the uncertain nature of medicine itself. In How Doctors Think, Montgomery contends that assuming medicine is strictly a science can have adverse side effects, and suggests reducing these by recognizing the vital role of clinical judgment.

About the Author: Kathryn Montgomery is Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics and of Medicine, and Director, Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Bibliographic Details

Title: How Doctors Think: Clinical Judgment and the...
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication Date: 2005
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket