"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
Martine Ehrenclou is an author, patient advocate and speaker. Author of the multiple award-winning, Critical Conditions, and her newest award-winning book, The Take-Charge Patient, Martine is focused on empowering patients to become active participants in their own health care. Her mission is to empower people to become advocates for themselves and others. Through her books, published articles, media interviews, and lectures, Martine Ehrenclou reveals insider information on how to navigate the healthcare system with confidence, prevent medical errors, interact effectively with medical providers, increase the quality of care, and much more.
After receiving a thorough education in hospital patient care in 2001 with the extended hospitalizations of both her mother and godmother, Martine witnessed startling numbers of medical errors, hospital-acquired infections, and "never events." She was determined to find out the causes of these medical errors and empower people with information so they could become effective advocates for their hospitalized loved ones. The results of her efforts and hundreds of hours of research are compiled into her book, Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide to Get Your Loved One Out Alive. Published in 2008, Critical Conditions won 15 book awards and was positively reviewed in Woman's Day, Family Circle, Los Angeles Times Magazine and was featured on ABC News.
Martine is a regular contributor to women's and health magazines/websites, newspapers, online health/medical communities, is interviewed on national TV such as NBC News, KCAL 9/CBS News, NPR and more. She lectures at health organizations, universities, hospitals and more on the topics of patient advocacy, patient safety, patient centered care, the collaborative relationship between patients and medical providers, and much more. She writes a blog at martineehrenclou.com Martine has a masters degree in psychology from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles.
She is a member of the following organizations:
-The HHS, Partnership for Patients
-National Patient Advocate Foundation
-The Society of Participatory Medicine
-National Healthcare Advocacy Consultants
-American Medical Writers Association
Martine's latest book is now available, The Take-Charge Patient: How You Will Get the Best Medical Care
For further information on The Take-Charge Patient and Martine Ehrenclou, please see www.TheTakeChargePatient.com
"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
