The three books reviewed are quite different from each other. The first book is a first-person report of medical errors and their sequelae. The second book focuses on knowledge transfer as part of succession planning, and the third book discusses stress and burnout.
The first book is Anatomy of Medical Errors: The Patient in Room 2 by Donna Helen Crisp. It is 200 pages in length, published by Sigma Theta Tau International in 2016, and costs U.S. $29.95. It has a foreword and a prologue, 23 chapters, an epilogue, a glossary, a readers' guide, and references. Crisp has varied background including becoming a nurse after degrees in social work, law, and music. She uses quotes from Shakespeare, a master of tragedy, to help her tell her story.
I could not decide whether to review this book and thus bring it to your attention because I found it to be disturbing. I think the author wants the book to be disturbing, as she tells her story of surviving preventable errors and subsequently trying to learn what happened and who was accountable for the errors. From this perspective, Crisp accomplished her goal.
Crisp was diagnosed with uterine endometrial cancer and underwent surgery that resulted in intestinal tears. She details how in her surgeon's absence she did not receive adequate postoperative care and her torn bowel was not diagnosed in a timely manner. The residents overseeing her care did not act on her report of unrelenting abdominal pain, nor the changes in her vital signs resulting from the pain until approximately 18 hours postoperatively. At this time, a computed tomographic (CT) scan was ordered but not completed for another 12 hours. The CT scan showed "free intraperitoneal spill of oral contrast material concerning for bowel perforation." Two hours later, Crisp underwent a second surgery to repair her bowel.
However, it took 1/2 hour after the surgery began for the surgeons to realize that, as stated by Crisp, "the student nurse anesthetist had botched the intubation by performing the wrong technique" (p. 26) that resulted in Crisp aspirating CT dye. As a result, she developed respiratory acidosis and going into shock. Further complications occurred, and she underwent four more surgeries, leaving her with a 4 x 6-in. hole in the middle of her belly with her abdominal muscles retracted to each side. Her abdominal infection had "eaten away" her skin, so the hole was not closed. She had a wound vacuum pump 24 hours a day for more than 2 months due to the concern that the infection may continue and the wound needed to heal from the inside out. At various times during her stay in the surgical intensive care unit, she was in a coma, on a ventilator, had tubes from all orifices, and numerous intravenous catheters. She also suffered from psychosis. During all of this, she did not feel she had an advocate for her, except for her sisters, who were marginalized by the physicians.
Crisp repeatedly reports that she did not get clear and useful answers from the physicians. This indictment continues through to the end of the book. Unfortunately, except for a few notable exceptions, the nurses caring for her also seemed not to have served as an advocate for her or, more importantly to Crisp, seen her as a person, not the "patient in Room 2."
Reading about Crisp's experience was gut-wrenching. I just kept waiting for someone, a nurse, to step in and serve as her advocate and recognize her as a person and as a fellow nurse. The other aspect of this book I found disturbing was the repetitive frequency within the book that Crisp recounted the same errors and obfuscations she encountered, almost as though repeating them over and over would serve to remove them from her mind. I was upset that anyone experienced this tragedy and has not been given what she needs to help her continue her life. As Crisp stated, it appears that hospitals and nurses and doctors in some cases "stand in the way of safety and sanctity of patients" (pp. 165-66). She goes on to say that she believes this will change as "people learn more and stop accepting the old status quo" (p. 166).
Because I found this so disturbing, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book, although I think it has a profound message for nurses and doctors. Perhaps, the disturbing nature of it is what is needed to make an impact that results in change.
Kathy Malloch and Tim Porter-O'Grady are the authors of The Career Handoff: A Healthcare Leader's Guide to Knowledge & Wisdom Transfer Across Generations. This book was also published by Sigma Theta Tau International in 2016. It contains 239 pages and costs U.S. $39.95. The authors' purpose for this book is to describe the various methods and approaches that are used to "share wisdom that [the authors] believe will help others in their journeys," as well as "inspir(ing) colleagues to discover additional ways to advance the nursing profession and share that new information" (p. XXIV).
There are eight chapters, an introduction, a foreword and afterword, references, and an index. The book begins with "Intentional Sharing of Knowledge & Wisdom" in Chapter 1. Because one of the premises forwarded by the authors is that seasoned nurses have a professional responsibility to make and leave the profession better. To do so, in Chapter 1, the topics of wisdom sharing, coaching, and mentoring are introduced as an ethical responsibility of all nurses. They discuss the need to have purposeful and formal succession planning. The passing of wisdom and experiences is critical to the historical understanding and evolution of the profession.
Chapter 2, "Preparation for Knowledge & Wisdom Transfer," offers how to determine what really matters and therefore what must be passed on to others. One statement made is that as professionals we think everything we do and say should be enshrined and saved for the ages, but the authors remind the reader that not everything must or should be saved for the future. The authors give a great analogy of cleaning out the home of a parent and the need to be realistic about what should and can be saved and passed along. Beginning on page 46, the authors present ideas how to determine what to hand off, followed by what not to hand off on page 48. This chapter presents thoughts for the nurse who is "letting go."
Chapters 3 and 4 work together well. Chapter 3, "Essential Business Knowledge," presents tools and competencies needed to engage in the work. Chapter 4, "Essential Business Relationships," focuses on the intangible competencies of relationship building, ways to obtain organizational knowledge, the need for continuous learning, collaboration, and building trust with financial staff.
Chapter 5, "The Art and Science of Knowledge & wisdom Transfer," reviews how different generations receive knowledge from other generations and suggests how to capitalize on these differences. The authors discuss ways to pass the information and ways to receive the information. Chapter 6 continues with "Strategies for Successful Knowledge & Wisdom Transfer" by focusing on ways to enhance relationships to maximize mentoring relationships. Six strategies are provided.
Chapter 7 focuses on "Lifelong Learning and Giving." Various approaches to continue to learn and grow as a professional are presented. The final chapter, "Leaving Nursing Better Than You Found It," prompt those leaving the profession to reflect on what they/we have done for the profession. A variety of strategies are offered to assist in this process. The Afterword by Roxane Spitzer reminds the reader that the "essence of critical leadership functions: the transference of knowledge and succession management" are the responsibility of accountable leaders.
I highly recommend this book. The authors provide not only the rationale for why the transfer of knowledge about the profession of nursing is critical but also provide concepts and strategies as to how to implement this transfer. As the Baby Boomers retire, their knowledge of how the profession has advanced is critical information, and as professional nurse, those who are retiring have an obligation to pass the information in an organized and useable manner. This book is a good beginning point and should be required reading for all leadership as they encounter their own retirement or the retirement of those with whom they work.
The third book is Nurse Burnout: Overcoming Stress in Nursing by Suzanne Waddill-Goad. The book contains 249 pages, was published in 2016 by Sigma Theta Tau International, and costs U.S. $34.95. There are 11 chapters, a foreword, an introduction, and an index. This book focuses on stress, fatigue, and burnout in nurses. The author presents that being a nurse and caring for others makes nurses vulnerable to stress and burnout. All the changes nurses encounter as they do their work can wear on a nurses' psyche. Waddill-Goad discusses how adverse stimuli affect stress, fatigue, and burnout. Throughout the book, the author presents "Practice Pearls" that are suggested strategies for fresh thinking, ways to manage stress to prevent reaching burnout, and how to set new individual priorities allowing the nurse to care for themselves.
Waddill-Goad structures this book in such a manner that the reader may see new and different connections between stress, burnout, and self-management to reduce stress that they may not have identified from previous books on stress management. The author writes in an engaging way and offers good information. If you have delved into this material before, this is a good book for you to read. However, if you have immersed yourself in this content previously, this book may not offer new insight to you.
The three books reviewed are very different from one other. I highly recommend the Malloch and Porter-O'Grady book for the practical and useful information provided. I recommend with caution the Crisp book on medical errors because I found it so disturbing. The third book by Waddill-Goad looks at stress and burnout but is not unique in the content covered or presented.