How to Get Out of the Hospital Alive: A Guide to Patient Power

Book by Blau, Sheldon P., Shimberg, Elaine F.

The title is scary enough--wait until you get to the part where Blau, a clinical professor of medicine at SUNY Stony Brook, and health writer Shimberg reveal that 180,000 Americans die of preventable medical mistakes each year. What's more, 5 to 10 percent of hospitalized patients will acquire an infection they didn't have before, while 6.5 percent will have a bad reaction to drugs. But there's a lot you can do to make your stay safer, the authors say, from getting to know the layout of the hospital and its staff to making sure anyone who examines you washes his or her hands first. Hospitals can seem like strange, harrowing places, especially when you're sick enough to need to be in one. This vital book not only arms patients with the insider tips they need to improve the quality of their care, it also will help people understand what actually goes on in hospitals--something that patients will find comforting and E.R. fans will find fascinating.