Books

The following books are great resources on patient safety topics, as well as grief issues.

Patient Safety/Medical Errors

Gawande, A.  Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance.  New York, Metropolitan Books, 2007.
Gawande, a surgeon and MacArthur fellow, highlights medical and ethical dilemmas in this collection of 12 original and previously published essays adapted from the New England Journal of Medicine and the New Yorker.

Gawande, A. Complications. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 2002.
Surgical resident and author Gawande explores the fallibility of doctors and the imprecision of medicine and technology as well as the humanity of the medical profession.

Gilbert, S.M. Wrongful Death. New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 1997.
After her husband’s untimely death following routine prostate surgery, Gilbert describes her experience with the hospital where the medical malpractice occurred and her legal journey.

Gibson, R. and Singh, J,P. Wall of  Silence. Washington, D.C., Lifeline Press, 2003.
Gibson and Singh recanting numerous stories of victims of medical malpractice and highlight the grave mistakes that occur daily in our health care system.

Groopman, J.  How Doctors Think.  New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
Groopman explores both how and why most doctors get health care practices right, and about how and why they sometimes get it wrong.

Hall, Lisa. Taking Charge of Your Own Health: Navigating Your Way Through Diagnosis, Treatment, Insurance, and More.  Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House Publishers, 2009.
Hall provides practical advice on how patients can empower themselves and manage the various elements of their health care. The book’s companion website- www.theproactivepatient.com– provides supplementary resources for patients.

Kenney, Charles. The Best Practice: How the New Quality Movement is Transforming Medicine. New York, PublicAffairs, 2008.
Kenney details the history of the modern patient safety movement and shows how safety leaders have brought about great improvements to health care delivery.

Kohn, L.T., Corrigan, J.M., and Donaldson, M.S. To Err is Human. Washington, D.C., National Academy Press, 2000.
This report by the Institute of Medicine seriously examines problems in health care arena and proposes a national to reduce medical errors.

Lin, Della M. Rapid Response Teams, Second Edition. Marblehead, MA, HCPro, 2008.
This multimedia resource walks clinicians through the steps necessary to implement a successful rapid response team.

Roizen, M.F., and Oz, M.C. You: The Smart Patient: An Insider’s Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment.  New York, Free Press, 2006.
This is an indispensable handbook to help everyone to get the best health care possible.  A must have for anyone about to enter the hospital.

Shulkin, D. Questions Patients Need to Ask. Philadelphia, Xlibris, 2008.
The CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City collects questions that patients should ask their health care team in order to get safe care and be as informed as possible when in the hospital or in any health care setting.

Spath, P.L. Error Reduction In Health Care. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Spath examines the causes of medical errors and offers health care providers suggestions about how to reduce mistakes.

Svahn, D, Kozak, A. (Eds.), Let Me Listen To Your Heart. Cooperstown, New York, 2002.
This is a collection of writings by medical students who describe early lessons learned during their studies.

Wachter, R. and Shojania, K., Internal Bleeding: The Truth Behind America’s Terryifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes. Rugged Land, New York, 2005.
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine professors analyze case studies to emphasize how faulty systems- rather than individuals- are to blame for the epidemic of medical errors.

Wachter, R., Understanding Patient Safety. McGraw-Hill Professional, New York, 2007.
An excellent primer on the field of patient safety- principles, types of errors, case studies, key statistics, and solutions.

Coping with Grief

Buechner, F. The Sacred Journey. San Francisco, Harper & Row, Publishers, 1982.
Buechner, a highly respected author and pastor, contemplate key moments in his life including the suicide of his father when he was 10 which shaped much of his writing.

Claypool, J.R., Tracks of A Fellow Struggler. New Orleans, Insight Press, 1995.
Pastor Claypool tells of his experience struggling through the illness and death of his own daughter in four poignant sermons he delivered to his congregation

Davis, Deborah, Ph.D. Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving The Death Of Your Baby. Golden, CO, Fulcrum Publishing, 1996.
Davis explores the grief associated with miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death and provides effective suggestions for coping with the loss.

Emswiler, M.A., M.A., M.P.S., and Emswiler, J.P., M.A., M.ED. Guiding Your Child Through Grief  New York, Bantam Books, 2000.
Written by a husband-wife team who are the founders of The Cove, a program for grieving children, this book offers clear advice about how to help a child following the loss of a parent or sibling.

Gellman, M. And God Cried, Too. New York, HarperTrophy, 2002.
This book, recommended for 4-7 graders, helps answer challenging questions about why tragic events occur through conversations between Mikey, a guardian angel in training and  “Big Angel” Gabe.

Hayford, J. I’ll Hold You In Heaven. Ventura, CA, Regal, 1982.
Pastor Hayford uses scripture to answer questions and offer solace following miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion or infant death.

Hickman, M.W. I Will Not Leave You Desolate. Nashville, TN, Abingdon Press, 1982.
In simple terms, this book explores the process of grief and pain following the death of a child.

Jarratt, C.J. Helping Children Cope With Separation And Loss. Boston, MA, The Harvard Common Press, 1994.
Jarratt provides guidance to adults trying to help children recover from the loss of a loved one as a result of divorce or death.

Johnson, J and Johnson, M. Where’s Jess? Omaha, NE, Centering Corporation, 1992.
Written for 3-6 year olds, this book aids children who have lost a younger sibling.

Kushner, H.S. When Bad Things Happen To Good People. New York, Anchor Books, 1981.
Kushner, who suffered the loss of his own child, explores his unique perspective on the role that God plays in tragedies and death.

McCracken, A., and Samel, M. A Broken Heart Still Beats. Center City, Hazelden, 1998.
McCracken and Samel have assembled a collection of writings from noted authors (fiction and non-fiction) about the shared experience of loss and grief which accompanies the death of a child.

Mehren, E. After The Darkest Hour The Sun Will Shine Again. New York, A Fireside Book, 1997.
Mehren, who lost her own daughter, recants her story of loss as well as the loss of children throughout the world and throughout history to offer support and inspiration to the bereaved.

Moody, Raymond, M.D. Life After Life. New York, Bantam Books, 1976.
Dr. Moody shares his study of more than one hundred people who have experienced “clinical death” and were revived.

Rosof, B.D. The Worst Loss. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1994.
Rosof offers solace and hope to bereaved parents and explains the necessity of grieving. Additionally, she offers guidance about how to cope with various types of loss.

Rothman, J.C. The Bereaved Parents’ Survival Guide.  New York,  The Continuum Publishing Company, 1997.
Rothman explores myriad topics following the death of a child from the stages of death to the divorce rate of bereaved parents from memorial services and religion to where to find help for parents and surviving siblings.

Sanders, C.M., Ph.D. How To Survive The Loss Of A Child. New York, Three Rivers Press, 1998.
Through research, clinical  work with parents, and personal experience, Sanders offers thoughtful insight as to how one can cope with the loss of a child, and honest assurances that life will again be fulfilling and less painful.

Shriver, M., What’s Heaven? New York, St. Martin’s, 1999.
Through a thoughtful dialogue between a mother and daughter, Shriver answers many questions children have following the loss of a loved one.

Siegel, B., M.D. Play The Ball Where The Monkey Drops It.  San Francisco, Harper SanFrancisco, 2001.
Siegel offers comfort and courage as he looks to explain why there is such suffering in the world.

Sittser, Jerry. A Grace Disguised. Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1995.
Sittser, who lost his mother, wife and daughter in a tragic drunk driving accident, explores growth through loss and sorrow.

Tatelbaum, J. The Courage To Grieve. New York, HarperPerennial, 1980.
Tatelbaum provides information about the grief experience and offers guidance through the recovery process into grief resolution.

Walton, C. When There Are No Words. Ventura, CA, Pathfinder Publishing, 1996.
Walton recants the events following the death of his two boys to provide very helpful suggestions about grieving. It also provides wonderful guidance to friends and family trying to provide support to the bereaved.

Westberg, Granger. Good Grief. Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1997.
Westberg thoughtfully explores the 10 stages of grief.

Williams, P.W. When A Loved One Dies. Minneapolis, Augsburg, 1995.
Williams explores the emotions journey of grief and offers scriptural mediations.

Wolfelt, A.D. Understanding Your Grief. Fort Collins, CO, Companion, 2003.
Dr. Wolfelt outlines ten “Touchstones” that are essential to help one heal after a loss. Journaling is encouraged.

Wolterstorff, N. Lament For A Son. Grand Rapids, MI, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987.
Wolterstorff honestly recants his story of loss and grief after his son death in a climbing accident.