The Gold Standard: The Challenge Of Evidence-Based Medicine

by Stefan Timmermans, Marc Berg

Few things make people react more strongly to the changes going on in health care than the word standardization. Critics shudder at the mindless sameness of standards, while supporters dream of a world in which standardized best practices open up a world of efficient health care delivery. The Gold Standard takes up this debate to investigate the real meaning of standardization and how it affects patients, doctors, and the institution of medicine. Showing that standards are not about less or more skills, or more or less uniformity, but rather about a redefinition of autonomy, patients, and relationships, Timmermans and Berg show instead that they are about creating new worlds of medical treatment. Cutting through the hype and fears, the authors show where the true powers of standardization lie. The Gold Standard will become a classic for students of medicine and health care policy, and will be a welcome book for anyone concerned with the future of our system of care.

Genres: Sociology

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Stefan Timmermans is a professor of sociology at UCLA. He is the author of an award-winning scholarly book on forensic death investigations.

Reviews

[M S]

just boring.