Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide to Get Your Loved One Out Alive | Ehrenclou | Healthcare Safety



	"Critical Conditions is a great tool to navigate the hospital system. It provides simple and helpful steps that family members, and patients themselves, can follow." Meredith Singer, RN, MSN, Asheville, NC

	Author Martine Ehrenclou, MA, received a thorough education in hospital-patient care with the extended hospitalizations of both her mother and godmother. She spent the equivalent of a full year in three separate hospitals in different states. Having witnessed startling numbers of medical errors, medication mistakes, hospital-acquired infectious diseases, and a number of other "never events," Martine was determined to find out if her family members' hospitalizations were isolated incidents. After interviewing fifty family members, she found out that in fact her experiences were the norm. Families all reported feeling completely lost, overwhelmed and stymied by the hospital system. They couldn't reach doctors when they needed them, nurses didn't respond to the call button, medication mistakes put their loved ones in peril, and infectious diseases delayed patients' recoveries, if in fact the patients made it out of the hospital alive. Many were convinced that medical errors had killed their family members. Martine then interviewed over 150 registered nurses, physicians, hospital social workers, psychologists and family members to find out how to empower families to become proactive advocates for their hospitalized loved ones. The results of her efforts and hundreds of hours of research are compiled into her award winning book, Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive. As an author who is passionate about patient advocacy, Martine has written many articles on hospital patient safety that were published in national magazines, newspapers and on websites. She has been interviewed on numerous nationally syndicated radio shows. She currently lectures on the topic of patient safety at hospitals and "How to Survive a Hospital Stay" at universities, organizations and bookstores. She is a monthly contributor to ParentGiving.com. Martine has also had stories published in bestselling books, has written for newspapers and magazines, and with past businesses has appeared on national TV talk and news shows (ABC World News Tonight, Phil Donahue, Jenny Jones and more) in national magazines (Time, Inc., The Economist, and more) and in national newspapers (Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and more.) She received her masters degree with honors in psychology from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles. She runs writing groups for at-risk teenagers and adults. Martine lives in Los Angeles, CA, with her husband and their daughter. Articles written by Martine Ehrenclou, MA: 10 Steps To Help Prevent Your Loved One From Getting Sick in the Hospital How to Reach The Doctors During Your Loved One's Hospital Stay The Primary Nurse: A Life Line For You in The Hospital Afraid of deadly medication mistakes if you're in the hospital? 7 tips to prevent them How to survive a hospital stay ten steps Afraid of Deadly Medical Errors If You Have To Go Into The Hospital? 12 Tips to Prevent Them Surgery in Your Near Future? Stay Out of the Hospital in the Summer Months 7 Tips to Comfort Your Hospitalized Parent Older Patients Are At Risk in the Hospital. How To Be An Advocate for Your Parent, Grandparent, Spouse or Other Older Loved One


				Martine Ehrenclou Read Martine's personal story. "Why I wrote this book"

				"Martine has accomplished what scores of nurses have talked about for years. She has collected crucial helpful hints and organized them together in an easy to understand format, for family members who have a loved one in the hospital. When lay people enter this 'foreign country' of hospitals and rehab facilities, the language, practices, strange sounds and equipment are often intimidating. This book is their survival guide. Martine’s mantra, "to support the best possible medical care for your loved one is really what every member of the healthcare team is striving for.” Many instances of a breakdown in communication or trust between the healthcare team and the patient or family can be avoided by using this tool. Before I finished reading it, I had made a list of friends who need a copy. 'This book belongs in the gift shop of every hospital'." Jackie Koob, RN, BSN, Stanton, CA

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