Good Books

Here is a list of books that will help you become a strong, informed advocate for your loved one.

Do you know of a book (or other reading materials) that help patient advocates? campaignZERØ™ wants to hear about it. Please fill out this contact form.

Diagnosed with Stage IV brain cancer, Brian Monaghan, a successful plaintiff’s attorney in California, was given a 15% chance to survive.  He had been an effective advocate for others his entire career and now he needed one for himself. Brian and his wife, Jerri, were united in the goal to fight for his life with Jerri as his devoted advocate.  She researched and questioned, nurtured and inspired everyone in his care circle and, in the end, Brian and Jerri triumphed over cancer together. This memoir is an inspiring story that clearly demonstrates how committed advocates can make a life-and-death difference in medical care. It also includes 50 valuable tips for advocates.

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D. (Mariner, 2007)

This is a great book by a great writer, and a caring doctor. One of the obstacles to receiving the best possible care is the psychological barrier between “mortal” patients and “deity” doctors.  He bares how doctors can be limited in diagnosing patients because, like all of us, their views are informed—and often bound—by life experiences.  We strongly recommend How Doctors Think because when patients and their advocates understand that doctors are only human it is much easier for them to approach their healthcare providers care with a collaborative attitude, which is the something we strongly endorse.

(If you want to know more, and appreciate good writing, read Dr. Groopman’s various articles in the New Yorker over the years.)

How to Care for Aging Parents by Virginia Morris (Workman, 2004)

Seniors account for about half the inpatient population in U.S. hospitals.  They are more likely than any other age group to need hospital care, and also more likely to need an advocate.  Morris’ 700-page book is a comprehensive resource for these advocates providing realistic advice about preventing falls, dealing with Medicare, hiring a physical therapist and coping with memory loss, among hundreds of other quandaries.

You, the Smart Patient: An Insider’s Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment by Mehmet Oz, M.D., and Michael Roizen M.D. (Free Press, 2006)

In The Smart Patient, Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen offer patients a realistic primer for selecting and managing a hospital stay. They also confirm conventional wisdom that if we’re staring down illness of any kind we should have someone with us for doctors’ appointments, medical tests, staying bedside in a hospital to take notes, and to be the second pair of eyes and ears absorbing information.




The Patient’s Guide to Preventing Medical Errors by Karin Janine Berntsen (Praeger, 2004)

Author Berntsen, a veteran of the hospital and health care industry, takes us through the headlines, and the events never publicized, into hospital wards and surgical rooms to see how errors are made causing disability or death. Berntsen explains why these are not just human errors with one or two people responsible; they are systems failures that require a major culture change to remedy. And that change, she argues, may not come without action by the very people the medical system is designed to help patients. She offers clear actions consumers can take to assure they are not on the receiving end of a medical error. The book details over 200 tips for improving patient safety.



The Essential Patient Handbook: Getting the Healthcare You Need—From Doctors Who Know by Alan Ettinger, M.D., and Deborah Weisbrot, M.D. (Demos Medical, 2004)

This book was written by two doctors whose lives and perspectives changed after experiencing the healthcare system as patients and advocates themselves. Once faced with their own medical crises, they finally understood the “lost” feeling that plagues most patients and their families. Their book includes several useful fill-in-the-blank sections intended to help result in an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.



How to Survive Your Doctor’s Care by Pamela Gallin, M.D. (LifeLine, 2003)

The highest ranking female surgeon at New York Presbyterian, wife, and mother of four tells how to get the doctor you need and the care you deserve. This book answers questions like: How do you find the right doctor for you? What credentials do you want your doctor to have? How do you speak to him or her when you are in the office? What MUST you know about your hospital and how doctors function as a team? This book decodes the mysteries of the medical world and shows you in a “how-to” way how to navigate the maze successfully. There are sections on the invisible doctors—the anesthesiologists, radiologists, and pathologists—who are often more important than the doctor you start with. How to get a second opinion, where to find a doctor, and how to organize your complicated medical information, step by step and piece by piece.

The Savvy Patient by Mark Pettus, MD.  (Capital Books, 2004)

The American health care system is an overwhelming and intimidating system to navigate. This is made even more challenging as we confront an illness or crisis in our lives or in the life of someone we love. For many patients and their families it’s like being cast adrift in the open sea during a storm. In his book, The Savvy Patient, Dr. Mark Pettus provides the information needed to understand the health care system in a caring and compassionate manner. Dr. Pettus helps you understand how to obtain the knowledge you need, communicate with health care workers, and negotiate and resolve conflicts as they come up.

Protect Yourself in the Hospital by Thomas Sharon, RN, MPH (McGraw-Hill, 2004)

From the ER to the OR, and every ward in between, Protect Yourself in the Hospital provides readers with the tools they need to feel safe and secure during their next hospital visit. Written by an insider who is both a registered nurse and a legal consultant for malpractice cases, this valuable guide covers such topics as: the importance of room placement, making sure the correct body part is operated on, simple ways to prevent such common conditions as bedsores and hospital-acquired infections, how to advocate for oneself or a loved one without alienating hospital staff, and more.

Dr. David Sherer’s Hospital Survival Guide by David Sherer, MD, and Maryann Karinch (Claren Books, 2003)