Each year as many as 98,000 patient deaths occur in the U.S. as a result of preventable medical errors in hospitals. Preventable medical errors alone impact or harm at least 5 million Americans annually, costing more than $17-21 billion. These sobering statistics from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) provide a glimpse into a national crisis that harms or kills hundreds of innocent people each day. But they are only nameless, faceless numbers and can't illustrate the human cost behind the data. Moreover, they only reveal the problem and not the underlying causes or potential solutions.

Fatal Care takes readers behind the statistics and into the lives of those who have experienced, first hand, the impact of what these numbers represent. Their individual stories embody all of the drama and tension found in popular medical series television productions. The portraits of these flesh-and-blood characters and their families will resonate with readers and draw them into the events and their lives. Readers will be reminded of people in their own lives who have had similar experiences.

Fatal Care is unique and unlike other healthcare-related books, blending true, real-life dramas that illustrate gaps in the healthcare system with factual information and analysis for healthcare consumers and professionals. Every case in this book brings to life the chain of events that led to mishaps, and proposes solutions to prevent future mistakes and protect future patients.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 9 reviews)

Should be required reading for all healthcare workers!

As I read this book, I reflected on how many times I have actually seen the scenarios detailed there played out in healthcare facilities. So many times, I hear caregivers and providers who are supposed to be the advocate for the patient "dismiss" their concerns as non-relevant, or judge them based on past history of alcoholism, drug abuse, social class/status, etc. I cannot describe how absolutely FURIOUS I become when I see that occur.

I wish that I could mandate that this book be required reading for every administrative team member, every Board member, every physician, and every patient caregiver in healthcare institutions across the United States. I have passed the book down to others, and plan to continue passing it down until we have effective change for patient safety and quality in the United States healthcare system.

Healthcare in these times is so focused on the "defensive mode", and so many of us have lost our capability for listening and compassion for the patient.

It is refreshing to see that there are still those out there who continue to "fight the good fight" for the weakest and most vulnerable among us.

September 05, 2008

A Medical Reference Book For All American Families

Fatal Care is a compelling, sometimes frightening, and educational look at medical errors that occur within the U.S. health care system. The theme of the book is that patients, and their families, need to know what questions to ask and what actions to take to prevent becoming victims of potential medical errors.

The strengths of this book are the personalized format which allows the readers to build a rapport with the victims and their families, the understandable use of medical terminology, and lists pointing out what anyone receiving medical care should ask. The primarly weakness was several references to Wikipedia, a source most academic researchers do not consider reliable.

Since reading this book, I have twice made inquiries about medical care I and my family have received. I would not have done this in the past.

Overall, I believe all people need to learn what Dr. Kumar has to share. I hope this book becomes a common medical reference book in every American household.

Becky J. Starnes

July 03, 2008

Fatal Care

Fatal Care: Survive in the U.S. Health System
This book should be required reading for anyone needing health care and their families. It is urgent that we all become informed and alert consumers and protect ourselves and our families from health care mistakes/or ommisions.
June 28, 2008

From a safety professional

This is not a book to buy before going to your doctor or a hospital for care! The cases dramatically told are chilling, but absolutely true. These terrible moments are only the tip of a veritable iceberg of medical errors that happen today in the complicated world of medicine. You should know about the errors Dr Kumar relates so well, but even more, you should know the resources he documents, too. The active participation of patients and families in medical care today is critical to obtaining the best and safest care no matter what the reputation of the provider or the institution. Read this book and learn from it; it could save your life. Besides, it's a good compendium of medical stories.
June 18, 2008

People need to read this book!!

Everyone should read this book. It is an important tool for knowing how to protect your loved ones and friends from deadly hospital MISTAKES.

I really liked the format of the book. Each chapter tells you "what you'll learn in this chapter", then tells a real life story, and then teaches you how to take what you've learned and apply it when in the hospital to protect yourselves and your loved ones.

May 22, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The Best Practice: How the New Quality Movement is Transforming Medicine
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Wall of Silence: The Untold Story of the Medical Mistakes that Kill and Injure Millions of Americans
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Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
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Results That Last: Hardwiring Behaviors That Will Take Your Company to the Top
by Quint Studer

Understanding Patient Safety
by Robert M. Wachter