First, Do No Harm

As medicine grows more capable, our choices grow more complicated. How far should we go to save a life? Who decides? And who pays? "First, Do No Harm" looks at the inner workings of a modern hospital. Lisa Belkin takes through a dramatic summer at Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, and introduces us to the people who make life-and-death decisions every day. Belkin tells the stories of doctors, patients, families and hospital staff members facing today's world of high-tech medicine, where life can be prolonged almost indefinitely - but at a price. Through the lives of these real people and others, Belkin explores the most challenging questions of medical ethics, issues not just of human suffering but of modern technology, legal liability and financial reality.