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The Naked Surgeon

the power and peril of transparency in medicine
Samer Nashef

‘[An] excellent book’

Sathnam Sanghera, The Times

'Sam Nashef's brief and absorbing account of the development of safer outcomes in cardiac surgery is a valuable insight into the mindset of all surgeons. The book places in context important episodes in the development of cardiac surgery and describes the process of driving down mortality rates within a specialty that was initially very dangerous but has now become very safe.

'This book is a must read for all surgeons at any stage in their careers but more importantly the book should be mandatory reading for those that would try to understand the inner workings of the surgical mind. Here I would include particularly anaesthetists, operating theatre staff, surgical nurses, surgical managers and all surgical patients past, present and future.'

Steve Bolsin

View all reviews

'[The Naked Surgeon] takes a Malcolm Gladwell-esque look at what happens in operating theatres ... If a book-length examination of the topic sounds dry, it isn't. Nashef's humanity and compassion shine through.'

The Times

'One can't help but think of Henry Marsh when reading Samer Nashef ... Nashef does a fine job of guiding the reader though the surgical and statistical intricacies and he writes clearly, with plentiful moments of humour.'

Peter Forbes, The Independent

'Bold, brilliant ... [The Naked Surgeon explains] why risk-adjusted surgical outcomes, and similar assessment in all specialities, are so important. And it details the many traps that the well-meaning can walk into when compiling or comparing data. Nashef ’s writing is lucid, free of medical jargon and, unlike many academic books, it is not dry, being strewn with anecdotes and jokes ... An essential book for anyone contemplating surgery, medical treatment, or a career in medicine.'

Leyla Sanai, Independent on Sunday

'UK consultant cardiac surgeon Samer Nashef joins the swelling ranks of medics who have penned frank inside stories. Piquant detail abounds ... but it is Nashef’s long study of risk that injects nuance. It began in 1977, when he discovered that arterial surgeons were responsible for the worst outcomes in a sample of abdominal aortic aneurysm operations. Such failures have, he shows, driven quality measurement in medicine, including his own heart-surgery risk model, EuroSCORE.'

Barbara Kiser, Nature

'A readable and generous book.'

Kitty Wheater, Irish Examiner

'[The Naked Surgeon] takes a scalpel to the medical profession and asks if patients get the standard of care they have the right to expect from their surgeons ... A valuable resource.'

Freddie Wood, Irish Independent

‘Superb … Intelligent and erudite.’

Stuart Jamieson, MD, FRCS, FACS, FACC, FACCP

'A superb book for anyone who wants to understand the challenges and complexities of transparency and accountability in the NHS. Told through the eyes of a heart surgeon, it's gripping, honest and numerate - an essential companion in our journey from blind trust in doctors to kind truth. 'The Naked Surgeon is both is a very important and timely book. Heart surgeon Samer Nashef takes us on a gripping journey from blind trust in surgeons to kind truth. His writing is engagingly honest and numerate, and he is unashamedly open about the risks, benefits and past disasters of his profession, and the importance of focusing on outcomes and knowing where you're heading. Secrecy and cover-up have done huge damage to patients, professionals and the NHS, but the new march to absolute transparency must also be handled with care. Statistics are always simplifications, further distorted in the media, and there is a delicate balance to be had in holding professionals to account and scaring them away from innovation and operating on those who are at highest risk and have most to gain. This book will be vital to anyone who has to weigh up the pros and cons of surgery. And that's most of us, at some stage.'

Dr Phil Hammond

As a medical student, Samer Nashef was unofficially blacklisted when he started asking questions about the death rates of more senior surgeons. Since then, he has made his name challenging colleagues to be more open and accurate about the success of the procedures they perform.

In The Naked Surgeon, Nashef unclothes his own profession, offering an unprecedented and often controversial view inside the operating theatre. He explains how surgeons can ‘game’ the system to make their results appear better; why the way a surgeon ties the knot in a single stitch could make a life-or-death difference; and why patients operated on the day before a surgeon goes on holiday are twice as likely to die than those operated on during that surgeon’s first day back.

Full of eye-opening revelations about the cardiac surgeon’s craft, The Naked Surgeon is necessary reading for anybody considering medical intervention now, or in the future.

‘[An] excellent book’

Sathnam Sanghera, The Times

'Sam Nashef's brief and absorbing account of the development of safer outcomes in cardiac surgery is a valuable insight into the mindset of all surgeons. The book places in context important episodes in the development of cardiac surgery and describes the process of driving down mortality rates within a specialty that was initially very dangerous but has now become very safe.

'This book is a must read for all surgeons at any stage in their careers but more importantly the book should be mandatory reading for those that would try to understand the inner workings of the surgical mind. Here I would include particularly anaesthetists, operating theatre staff, surgical nurses, surgical managers and all surgical patients past, present and future.'

Steve Bolsin

View all reviews

'[The Naked Surgeon] takes a Malcolm Gladwell-esque look at what happens in operating theatres ... If a book-length examination of the topic sounds dry, it isn't. Nashef's humanity and compassion shine through.'

The Times

'One can't help but think of Henry Marsh when reading Samer Nashef ... Nashef does a fine job of guiding the reader though the surgical and statistical intricacies and he writes clearly, with plentiful moments of humour.'

Peter Forbes, The Independent

'Bold, brilliant ... [The Naked Surgeon explains] why risk-adjusted surgical outcomes, and similar assessment in all specialities, are so important. And it details the many traps that the well-meaning can walk into when compiling or comparing data. Nashef ’s writing is lucid, free of medical jargon and, unlike many academic books, it is not dry, being strewn with anecdotes and jokes ... An essential book for anyone contemplating surgery, medical treatment, or a career in medicine.'

Leyla Sanai, Independent on Sunday

'UK consultant cardiac surgeon Samer Nashef joins the swelling ranks of medics who have penned frank inside stories. Piquant detail abounds ... but it is Nashef’s long study of risk that injects nuance. It began in 1977, when he discovered that arterial surgeons were responsible for the worst outcomes in a sample of abdominal aortic aneurysm operations. Such failures have, he shows, driven quality measurement in medicine, including his own heart-surgery risk model, EuroSCORE.'

Barbara Kiser, Nature

'A readable and generous book.'

Kitty Wheater, Irish Examiner

'[The Naked Surgeon] takes a scalpel to the medical profession and asks if patients get the standard of care they have the right to expect from their surgeons ... A valuable resource.'

Freddie Wood, Irish Independent

‘Superb … Intelligent and erudite.’

Stuart Jamieson, MD, FRCS, FACS, FACC, FACCP

Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 198mm × 129mm

Extent:224pp

ISBN (13):9781925228694

RRP:£10.99

Pub date:13 Oct 2016

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

CATEGORIES / tags

Medicine: general issues Popular science Medical profession Risk assessment SCIENCE / General MEDICAL / Surgery / General HEALTH & FITNESS / Health Care Issues

AUTHOR

Samer Nashef

Samer Nashef qualified as a doctor at the University of Bristol in 1980 and is a consultant cardiac surgeon at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. He is a dedicated teacher and communicator and is recognised as a world-leading expert on risk and quality in surgical care. He is the author of The Naked Surgeon and a compiler of cryptic crosswords for The Guardian and the Financial Times.

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