How to Be a Patient: The Essential Guide to Navigating the World of Modern Medicine

Written by Sana Goldberg

Narrated by Ann Marie Gideon

From registered nurse and public health advocate Sana Goldberg, RN, a timely, accessible, and comprehensive handbook to navigating common medical situations. From the routine to the unexpected, How to Be a Patient is your ultimate guide to better healthcare.

Did you know that patients have statistically better outcomes when their surgeon is female? That you can mark-up an informed consent sheet before you sign it, or get second opinions on CTs and MRIs? That there’s a blue book for healthcare procedures, or an algorithm to decide between ER, Urgent Care, and waiting-until-Monday?

In How to Be a Patient, nurse and public health advocate Sana Goldberg walks readers through the complicated and uncertain medical landscape, illuminating a path to better care.

Warm and disarmingly honest, Goldberg’s advice is as expert as it is accessible. In the face of an epidemic of brusque, impersonal care she empowers readers with the information and tools to come to good decisions with their providers and sidestep the challenging realities of modern medicine.

With sections like When All is Well, When It’s An Emergency, When It’s Your Person, and When You Have to Stand Up to the Industry, along with appendices to help track family history, avoid pointless medical tests, and choose when and where to undergo a procedure, How to Be a Patient is an invaluable and essential guide for a new generation of patients.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062898005

Sana Goldberg

Sana Goldberg, RN, liaises between academia and clinical practice. She has worked with a diversity of patients across settings from the perspective of researcher, social worker, nurse, and provider. An outspoken public health advocate, she’s presented at World Congress, TEDx Harvard, The Society for Neuroscience, and OPHA, with work published in Neuropharmacology, The European Journal of Neuroscience, and forthcoming in the Atlantic. She is the recipient of the Diamond Alumni Award, a member of the International Honor Society of Nursing, and the founder of Nightingale, a movement of story, art, and activism for health equity. She practices in New Haven, CT, while pursuing graduate studies at Yale.

Reviews for How to Be a Patient

[taphophile13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How to be a Patient was written by a nurse who is quite familiar with patient concerns and questions. It contains a variety of recommendations for obtaining better health care. Goldberg's premise is that we aren’t taught how to be a patient. “[Our] culture reinforces remaining illiterate and complicit when it comes to medical encounters.” This is exacerbated by the “dysfunctional medical-industrial complex” and capitalism. Some of her advice is familiar: shop around for a physician; some advice is unusual: if you can’t take a friend or family member with you to your appointment, take a neighbor or your librarian. (I suspect most librarians are too busy to accompany patrons to doctor appointments.) How many of us would even think to make an appointment with the anesthesiologist before surgery. Goldberg covers everything from regular check-ups, to surgery to emergency situations. She not only includes more specific advice for obstetric and pediatric patients but also addresses the needs of the LGBTQ community as well as the elderly. There are sections on insurance and medications. The best part is the numerous websites Goldberg recommends. It’s a good idea to highlight these as you read because the URLs are not gathered in a list anywhere for easy referral.This is a good resource to have on hand before you need medical care. The writing style is easy to understand, even at times very casual, e.g. don’t have a conniption fit. There are a few footnotes and some Endnotes as well as several appendices. The finished book will be indexed.

[matthew1982_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the world where everyone receives basic life information in standardized formats (how to pay taxes, how to talk to landlords or realtors, how to vote, how to deal with insurance/utility/credit card companies) this book is required reading. The author opens by discussing common stereotypes about medical practitioners and why we as a society associate white coats and men with the best sort of health care, when a variety of studies demonstrate that women are frequently better at various health-related tasks. I don't have a hard time believing that doctors started wearing white coats instead of black because they were trying to borrow the credibility of scientists 175-odd years ago - which makes those old cigarette ads with white-coated doctors in them even funnier.There is an abundance of good information in this book, but one of the most important bits is this: don't be passive just because somebody is wearing a white coat. You have the ability to affect your own care and you need to - the system as it exists in August of 2019 is not wired to do that for the average patient. I expect that I'll be rereading it in the future - I received this book through Early Reviewers, and I may have to join the camp of at least one previous Early Reviewer and buy a copy with a completed index.

[eachurch-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a terrific book that we are all going to need at some point in time. Not long after I received this book, a family member was admitted into the ICU. I felt fortunate that I had read the relevant parts of it beforehand. It helped me become a much better advocate for him. Written in clear, concise prose, and full of practical and useful suggestions, I highly recommend this guide to the strange and perplexing world of medicine.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The highest compliment I can pay any uncorrected proof is the desire to buy the book when it is finally published. I will be buying How To be a Patient in March. Despite the myriad of typos and less than stellar editing, the rest of the book is a worthwhile read even without the index and graphics. The very first thing Dr. Goldberg wrote that struck a chord with me is the fact no one is taught how to be a patient. You take classes to learn a skill, but no one ever walks you through how to be when you are sitting in the examination room of any medical facility. It's eye-opening to think here is a medical professional who wants you to get it right the first time you meet anyone in health care. Hell, she wants you to have the right health care professional to begin with. Be warned though, her advice isn't always practical. In theory it would be great to bring a "health advocate" like a friend or family member to every appointment, but who has time for that? Goldberg's language is approachable (to the point where she writes the word "dude" and uses profanity ). She doesn't talk medical speak where every sentence is laden with technical jargon. Her advice is so down to earth I'm reminded of the commercial when a woman is urging herself to speak up, to tell her provider about the pain she is really feeling instead of downplaying or ignoring certain symptoms.

[willowone_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How to Be a Patient by Sana Goldberg, RN helps the patient to navigate the sometimes rocky road of healthcare. Ms. Goldberg imparts knowledge on when to know whether you could possibly just stay home or when you need to visit the doctor. She discusses just about every aspect of everything medical from your first visit to the last. It is a wonderful reference for every household.My mother is also a nurse and growing up she always impressed on us the need to be fully involved with our own healthcare. She said you should be in partnership with your doctor and not give your doctor free reign. I have been called "intimidating" by more than one doctor and I am actually proud of that. Other doctors have said I am not, I am just informed and they like that. I suggest anyone and everyone get this book for their library, its a great resource. I was given an uncorrected proof for the purpose of review through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

[knightlight777 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book should be required reading for everyone that has or will be taking on the wild morass that is the healthcare system. Reading that line, that probably is all of us. Sana Goldberg RN has put together a guidance system to help us through in this book. Her vast knowledge as a practicing nurse on the frontlines is valuable information that will save money in determining what is really necessary and at what cost. Taken one step further it may even save lives by the practical advice on avoiding the dangers one is exposed to in the hospital environment that is supposed to fix us.Every topic imaginable is dealt with here, and it is vast. From understanding symptoms to taking on big pharma. Each topic opens up many subtopics to contend with, and all are explained insightfully and proactively. Much attention is paid to communication which seems to be key to understanding the whys and wherefores of complex treatments and procedures. What to ask and when. Being assertive without being obnoxious. It is the type of book that might take several readings to soak in all that is necessary to understand. It will also serve as a go to reference as medical needs arise and in tackling the many aspects of health that will come with ageing. In essence a useful book that will benefit anyone concerned about their healthcare and well being. And that anyone should be everyone.

[nmele_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sana Goldberg's book is much needed and essential, filled with practical information, tips on how to interact with medical providers, and links to useful resources (over 30 of them). For this review, I read an uncorrected proof copy, but I have already pre-ordered this book in order to have the added utility of indices and cross-referenced pages. Goldberg covers sound advice and necessary definitions and explanations to cover most medical encounters, from womb to tomb. She also devotes several chapters to issues for minority patients, explains how to find low cost and no cost care, and defines the various types of health insurance. Best of all, she writes in plain language and recommends tools for translating jargon and codes into plain language. Buy this book if you ever will be seeing a doctor or other provider, getting immunizations, using any medicines at all, prescription or over-the-counter, visiting an ER. I may give this book as gifts to friends and family, in fact.

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author covers a lot of topics related to being an informed and active participant in getting medical care. The author is a nurse with practical experience with the health care system. She provides insight into the proper attitude and expectations for receiving the best and most affordable care. I appreciated the information and would recommend this book. This was an early copy and it needs a bit more work.

[unclebob53703 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Got this as a reviewers copy, and it's an uncorrected proof, and had no page numbers, which I mention because that made it impossible to use the cross references, and somewhat more difficult to use. There is a lot of information here, too much I think to read at once and absorb. I think the book would be more useful if you read the section or sections that applied to your current situation--ie, if you're about to be admitted to the hospital or have some tests. Some of the information was puzzling, for instant the idea that you can direct an ambulance you're in to the hospital of your choice--my insurance covers ONE hospital so I don't know what the point would be in directing an ambulance to another. Still, most of what's here seems practical and useful, and the author comes across as warm and caring. The main thrust of the book is to be more assertive and proactive in your own health care, which is something I think most people need to hear. I would recommend this as a good general book for anyone who finds themself in the health care machine and is unsure how to navigate, but I would recommend it in pieces, specific to whatever is happening to you in that area.

[pencilstubs-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I suffer from a chronic disease, so hospital stays, doctor visits, lab work, x-rays, prescriptions and insurance stress are regular parts of my life. Dealing with health care can still be frustrating and overwhelming despite my extensive experience, so I hoped “How to be a Patient” could equip me with more knowledge and confidence in managing medical issues. It did not disappoint.The book covers a wide range of topics, from common sense concepts that are helpful to see written out and confirmed by a professional, to obscure things you might not otherwise ever be aware of but that could have life or death consequences. I think the most important sections were the ones that encourage you to take an active and informed role in your (and your loved ones’) care instead of blindly going along with the “white-coats” who can make mistakes, overlook things and rush to conclusions as much as anyone else.The author, a nurse, mentions how nurses are voted the most trustworthy and ethical professionals almost every year in a public opinion poll. Most of the nurses I’ve encountered have given impression that they were “on my side,” and the straightforward guidance in this book did indeed feel like it was coming from an honest and compassionate nurse.Overall a fantastic book to read through and then keep on hand for reference as you need it. I’m definitely going to buy a copy for myself and a few family members when it comes out in March (I received a free uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review).