a glimpse into our healthcare systemAugust 18, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A great read. not only does this book give us an insiders look at healthcare in new york, but also shows us the struggles of new immigrants, and the problems that are facing our hospitals dealing with different languages and cultures. I think Ms. Salamom is a gifted writer and at the end of the day, you really beleive that everyone is trying to do the right thing, inspite of the red tape, bad behavior, money god and yes, diversity on steroids. Kudos to maimonides for allowing this to happen and giving us this wonderful opportunity to learn something new.
hard to readAugust 17, 2008 1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Although I was fascinated by the subject - having had relatives in the hospital, and I know many of the people mentioned, I found the book very hard to read. There was no unifying theme, the book jumped from one subject to another. There was not a compelling narrative nor story line. I was very disappointed!!
BoringAugust 17, 2008 1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Do not buy this book. It makes patients look like a mass of whining, ungrateful people. Everyone from doctors to administration to hospital workers range from cynical to dissatisfied. Based on this book I would never go to this hospital.
BORINGAugust 12, 2008 4 out of 8 found this review helpful
Ive read lots of tales of doctors, nurses, patients
but this was the most boring book I have read. There was no color, hardly any case studies, no real examination of how the hospital works, or doesnt work, and beyond brief description of the polyglot neighborhoods, devoid of human interest. The cover was interesting.
Understanding Health Care, or trying to....July 27, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Hospital" is an excellent discussion of contemporary health care and the multiplicity of competing needs that must be addressed if there is any hope of the system being effective. Because of its size and cultural diversity, Maimonides Medical Center provides a microcosm of what is good and not so good about the way this country provides both care and treatment. There is no simple, inexpensive or universally applicable solution to the rather tenuously controlled chaos and Julie Salamon does an excellent job of making this an experiential lesson for the reader. One of the things that stands out is the genuine desire on the part of the majority of health care workers, regardless of their job, to bring some measure of healing to the people they serve. It also tells the story of the patients and their families as individuals you care about rather than generic cases to be dispatched; which makes treatment decisions both easier and more difficult to make. This book clearly points out that there is far more to a person than their technical skills or their diagnosis and that the greatest danger is failing to at least attempt to see the multiple facets of self and others. It puts a human face on an institution that is often judged as being uncaring and opens the door for a serious and collaborative response to the we all face today.
