Links

Our Blogs:
Coverage of Updates in Slow Medicine
  • Listen to Pieter describe “Slow Medicine” on NPR
  • Coverage of “Updates in Slow Medicine” on the NPR blog
  • Coverage of “Updates in Slow Medicine” on Health Line
Classic Slow Medicine Literature
  • Shannon Brownlee’s seminal book Overtreated delves into the data showing just how harmful too much care can be.  Written for a lay audience.
  • John Wennberg’s 1973 Science article on regional variation in healthcare practice, as well as his book Tracking Medicine, are classic Slow Medicine references. Subsequently, Wennberg’s group at Dartmouth published: The Implications of Regional Variations in Medical Spending, the Dartmouth Health Atlas: Part 1 and Part 2, which provide key evidence showing that more care is not always better.  Written for a medical audience.
  • Read about the “Less is More” series in JAMA IM: An ever-growing collection of articles highlighting situations where fewer interventions lead to better outcomes. The collection includes original research and case studies that provide “teachable moments”.   Written for a medical audience but may be appreciated by lay readers.
  • Gordy Schiff’s principles of conservative prescribing: A slow medicine favorite, and an important read for any clinician looking for help with reducing the burden of polypharmacy and adverse medication effects in their patient population. Schiff gives practical, inspiring advice about how to approach prescribing that WILL change your practice.  Also check out his more recent principles for conservative, care-full diagnosis. Both written for a medical audience.
  • There are superb physician-writers and then there is a whole other class of artists: authors who happen to be practicing physicians.  Victoria Sweet cracks the list with her brilliant book God’s Hotel, which beautifully intertwines Pilgrimages, Hildegard and the evolution (or devolution) of healthcare delivery in the U.S.  Written for a general audience.
  • Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal : A blockbuster best-seller about the way we care for the elderly. Through personal and patient stories, Gawande explores what makes someone’s final years meaningful and fulfilling, and makes a compelling argument for taking a slow medicine approach at the end of life.  Written for a general audience.
  • Michael Hochman’s 50 Studies Every Doctor Should Know series.  Perhaps some shameless self-promotion here … but a good way for clinicians to get up to speed on the key studies that have shaped practice.  Written for a medical audience.
  • A fascinating essay by Vinay Prasad, Adam Cifu, and John Ioannidis about questioning established medical practices.  Accessible to a general audience.
  • Two fantastic books worth reading: Steven Hatch’s Snowball in a Blizzard and Adam Cifu and Vinay Prasad’s Ending Medical Reversal.  These books are particularly important for those who have recently finished their medical training, because they both offer essential historical context.  Accessible to a general audience.
  • A wonderful series of articles on “illness inflation” by Kristina Fiore, John Fauber, and Matt Wynn.