There are some people who come into your life – or you come into theirs who make a huge difference. If I’m being perfectly frank with you – it was my first nurse – and a male one at that – Frank Caparelli who greeted me when I arrived in the critical care unit of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on May 16, 2005. I had been transported from my local emergency room at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA after one of the most horrific days of my life just one day earlier. On May

I saw Won't You Be My Neighbor three times -- I know right, THREE times. Yes, I did. Before I saw it for the third time, I wrote this blog -- What Medicine Can Learn from Mr. Rogers for the Society for Participatory Medicine. It was posted on August 7 and later I learned that Andre Picard -- yes, THE Andre Picard of The Globe and Mail and also the author of five bestselling books retweeted the blog. Hope you like it as much as Mr. Picard might have -- given that he re-tweeted

Published: ASIAN HOSPITAL & HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT ISSUE - 41 2018 In1976, Dr. Warner Slack (1933 - 2018) at Harvard Medical School wrote that “the largest and least utilized healthcare resource is the patient him/herself.” Perhaps that's changing though. Nancy shares her experience on the ICU Patient and Family Advisory Council at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston and outlines how this may be one of the most effective ways to bring patients and family voices to the tab

Just Published: My article for the Beryl Institute's PXJ special issue on Pediatrics and Children’s Hospitals. Although it's rare that I share specific stories related to my children -- when I learned of PXJ's focus on pediatrics I found it compelling to share my experience with my son's admission to Children's Hospital in Boston. There's much that adult medicine and healthcare can learn from pediatrics. I hope you enjoy and welcome your comments. All the Best, Nancy http://p

Published July 2018: Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management - Issue 40 In an ideal medical world, patient discharge expectations should begin and be explained as well -- during intake. There is no such thing as over-communicating with a patient -- especially at the beginning of a hospital stay or pre-admission. Money and time can be saved with this approach to “preview expectations” and expect a more positive outcome. Most people do not like surprises when it comes to their

Published: July 2018 Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management - issue 39 As an ICU patient for three months (two of which were in a coma), Nancy recognizes the incredibly challenging job of medical professionals committed to delivering the highest quality health care to the most ill patients. She also has a unique perspective as a critical care patient to recognize so much that went well – and small changes that could make big differences in overall patient care, comfort and s