Cell (A Medical Thriller) - Gripping Suspense Novel About Pandemic Crisis - Perfect for Book Clubs & Thriller Fans

I downloaded this book from Amazon onto my iPad within minutes of hearing Dr. Cooke's interview by Dr. Topol. Download took less than a minute, and then I was reading, with 6.5 hours to completion indicated at the bottom of the screen. Now forty years out of medical school myself, I have spent some time wondering what the medical students of today need to learn. Even though this work is fiction, it does point out that mastery of electronically accessible medical knowledge is a vital skill that all physicians must have. Not surprisingly, making rounds these days is a daunting task for older physicians, when trainees have instant access to all textbooks and other information and the dexterity to find it on the fly. But access to infinite stores of information does not translate automatically into clinical judgement, and the question remains of how tomorrow's physicians will make that translation. As "Cell" illustrates, the translation may not be made by corporate or governmental strategies, where huge financial interests will inevitably distort the relationship between caregiver, patient and intervention. Data systems can provide consistency of management strategies, accuracy of dosage, permanency of historical data, and improved communication between team members. But until perfection of software and hardware is obtained, the careful oversight of a trained clinician monitoring the interface between patient and the entire set of medical capabilities available will remain essential in assuring that the essential maxim, primum non nocere, is met. Indeed, whereas the corporate interests in "Cell" pushed to eliminate the human primary physician, the availability of universal data systems coupled with powerful pharmaceutical and surgical interventions will actually require even more oversight by knowledgeable, compassionate, and empathetic physicians. And the complexity of interventions, coupled with a need to filter advertising claims based on a clear statistical understanding of benefit and risk, suggest that this oversight role should be filled by the most highly trained member of the team, the expert physician. How will medical students be prepared for this daunting role, standing between patient and machine, patient and drug, patient and surgeon, or patient and data system? This question is the primary one that our medical schools and training programs must answer. "Cell" points that that stakes are high, the potential for harm is great, and the challenges for tomorrows physicians enormous. Thank you, Dr. Cooke.