Abstract

Two of my three daughters have had cancer. As a result I have spent hundreds of days with them in hospitals. I have had ample opportunity to think about how hospitals could improve care for patients. For me, one of the worst things about being in a hospital was having to give up control of my life at a time when I most needed to take action. When hospital care was at its worst, I was quite literally addressed as "mom" and treated as an uninformed person who was expected to follow orders without question. At best I was given information, treated with respect and compassion and regarded as an important partner in my children's care.