On average, a doctor will interrupt the patient describing their symptoms within 18 seconds.

Within this time frame, many doctors make the initial diagnosis and decide on the appropriate treatment.

Often, decisions made in this way are correct, but they can also be wrong in critical moments.

In this book, which debunks myths, Jerome Groopman accurately identifies and describes the thought processes and forces behind the decisions doctors make.

Groopman explores why doctors make mistakes and how they can - with our help - avoid hasty judgments, embrace uncertainty, communicate effectively, and develop other skills that can have a significant impact on our health.

This book is the first to extensively describe the warning signs of faulty medical thinking and reveals how new technologies can actually hinder accurate diagnoses.

The book offers immediate, intelligent questions that patients can ask their doctors to help guide their thinking in the right direction.

Groopman draws material from a wealth of research, extensive interviews with some of the best doctors, and his own experiences as both a doctor and a patient.

By reading the book, doctors and patients will gain vital information to make the best decisions together.