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5.0 out of 5 stars Hospital Emergency Planning - Tough Choices
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2022

Fink, S. (2013). Five days at Memorial: Life and death in a storm-ravaged hospital . Crown Publishers.Dr. Sheri Fink’s work explores the impact of crises on health care and is informed by her background as an MD and former relief worker in disaster and conflict zones. Fink received a PhD in Neuroscience and an MD from Stanford University.Part 1 describes what happened during Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center. Although there were lessons learned from prior hurricanes, flooding events, and scenario planning, necessary expenditures were not allocated to make changes or to create scenario specific response plans pertinent to preparedness, coordination, and evacuation. Reading the five days described by Fink is like watching a train wreck as conditions worsened and doctors and nurses strived to take care of seriously ill patients. When do normal hospital operations cease replaced by emergency conditions where standard rules and protocols simply are not feasible? This is a story about a hospital filled with doctors, nurses, patients, family members, and pets with no power, rising waters, deteriorating conditions, and poor evacuation protocols. Tenet Healthcare, portrayed as a corporate owner with no real incident command system in place for emergencies, no preexisting contracts with medical transporters, etc., relied on government resources to respond to the emergency. Doctors met to establish a protocol for prioritizing patients with those with DNR order prioritized last for evacuation.According to Fink, "Concepts of triage and medical rationing are a barometer of how those in power in society value human life." (p. 136) But what happens in an emergency when choices may be necessary? What triage systems exist to help responders make decisions? Fink noted, "[Dr. Anna] Pou and her colleagues had little if any training in triage systems and were not guided by any particular protocol" (p. 139). 45 deceased were found in the hospital following Hurricane Katrina. Toxicology reports indicated high concentrations of morphine and other drugs in some patients suggesting that some patients were euthanized.Part 2 describes the aftermath including investigations, arrests, and accusations of Dr. Anna Pou and nurses who were asserted to have committed euthanasia.

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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 28, 2022

There were so many feelings for this book. I can't believe what they went through. I can't believe how much they did. Carrying people down so many flights of stairs then out to the ramps and UP flights of stairs to get them evacuated... I don't have words for the strength these people showed. Then the lack of each and every get to have a clear organized plan... From the hospital to the government to the relief agencies. Balls were dropped on every get involved with everyone pointing fingers at each other. I have no words.

The book is well written. It is easy as a people to say, I would do this..." Or "I would never..." But just as was quoted in the book, you can't even imagine this situation unless you had been there. As someone who believes in death with dignity I can understand the thoughts that these people faced. And yet one is left to wonder if things had been done differently would it have been necessary? That is the testament to this author. When you can see and feel both sides of the situation and twirly not know what you would have done.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 29, 2022

Fink, S. (2013). Five days at Memorial: Life and death in a storm-ravaged hospital . Crown Publishers.

Dr. Sheri Fink’s work explores the impact of crises on health care and is informed by her background as an MD and former relief worker in disaster and conflict zones. Fink received a PhD in Neuroscience and an MD from Stanford University.

Part 1 describes what happened during Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center. Although there were lessons learned from prior hurricanes, flooding events, and scenario planning, necessary expenditures were not allocated to make changes or to create scenario specific response plans pertinent to preparedness, coordination, and evacuation. Reading the five days described by Fink is like watching a train wreck as conditions worsened and doctors and nurses strived to take care of seriously ill patients. When do normal hospital operations cease replaced by emergency conditions where standard rules and protocols simply are not feasible? This is a story about a hospital filled with doctors, nurses, patients, family members, and pets with no power, rising waters, deteriorating conditions, and poor evacuation protocols. Tenet Healthcare, portrayed as a corporate owner with no real incident command system in place for emergencies, no preexisting contracts with medical transporters, etc., relied on government resources to respond to the emergency. Doctors met to establish a protocol for prioritizing patients with those with DNR order prioritized last for evacuation.

According to Fink, "Concepts of triage and medical rationing are a barometer of how those in power in society value human life." (p. 136) But what happens in an emergency when choices may be necessary? What triage systems exist to help responders make decisions? Fink noted, "[Dr. Anna] Pou and her colleagues had little if any training in triage systems and were not guided by any particular protocol" (p. 139). 45 deceased were found in the hospital following Hurricane Katrina. Toxicology reports indicated high concentrations of morphine and other drugs in some patients suggesting that some patients were euthanized.

Part 2 describes the aftermath including investigations, arrests, and accusations of Dr. Anna Pou and nurses who were asserted to have committed euthanasia.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hospital Emergency Planning - Tough Choices
By Alicia Crumpton on August 29, 2022

Fink, S. (2013). Five days at Memorial: Life and death in a storm-ravaged hospital . Crown Publishers.

Dr. Sheri Fink’s work explores the impact of crises on health care and is informed by her background as an MD and former relief worker in disaster and conflict zones. Fink received a PhD in Neuroscience and an MD from Stanford University.

Part 1 describes what happened during Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center. Although there were lessons learned from prior hurricanes, flooding events, and scenario planning, necessary expenditures were not allocated to make changes or to create scenario specific response plans pertinent to preparedness, coordination, and evacuation. Reading the five days described by Fink is like watching a train wreck as conditions worsened and doctors and nurses strived to take care of seriously ill patients. When do normal hospital operations cease replaced by emergency conditions where standard rules and protocols simply are not feasible? This is a story about a hospital filled with doctors, nurses, patients, family members, and pets with no power, rising waters, deteriorating conditions, and poor evacuation protocols. Tenet Healthcare, portrayed as a corporate owner with no real incident command system in place for emergencies, no preexisting contracts with medical transporters, etc., relied on government resources to respond to the emergency. Doctors met to establish a protocol for prioritizing patients with those with DNR order prioritized last for evacuation.

According to Fink, "Concepts of triage and medical rationing are a barometer of how those in power in society value human life." (p. 136) But what happens in an emergency when choices may be necessary? What triage systems exist to help responders make decisions? Fink noted, "[Dr. Anna] Pou and her colleagues had little if any training in triage systems and were not guided by any particular protocol" (p. 139). 45 deceased were found in the hospital following Hurricane Katrina. Toxicology reports indicated high concentrations of morphine and other drugs in some patients suggesting that some patients were euthanized.

Part 2 describes the aftermath including investigations, arrests, and accusations of Dr. Anna Pou and nurses who were asserted to have committed euthanasia.

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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2022

I was inspired to read this book after watching the limited series on Apple TV+ that was based on it. There are some stunning revelations in this book that weren’t even mentioned in the series. If you like investigative journalism, this is a must read. Another reviewer above basically called this book fake news but it is very clear they did not read this book and just want to discourage others from reading it as well. The author Sheri Fink who won the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on this event, gives you the facts of the investigation and asks important questions without drawing conclusions or offering an opinion. There are 62 pages of notes and references on the research put into the writing of this book. I couldn’t put this book down. This story needed to be told.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 27, 2022

After seeing the recent TV series based on this book, I decided to buy and read it. On the plus side, the author Sherri Fink writes very well, and gives readers a compelling account of the "Five Days" as hospital staff struggled to deal with an impossible situation during Hurricane Katrina. Largely abandoned by City, State, and Federal officials, as well as by Tenet (owner of the hospital), the staff had to make agonizing decisions about survival, including which patients could be saved. Fink focuses much of her attention on one doctor, Anna Pou, who euthanized a number of seriously ill patients (at least according to this book). Although I admire this book, I do have some criticisms:
1) About half of the book is devoted to the aftermath of the "Five Days," with extensive reporting about the efforts of the local DA to investigate and later prosecute Dr. Pou. I wanted to see a shorter section on this, but additional discussion (to what is given) at the end of the book about the ethical issues and implications for future disasters.
2) Although Fink does provide at the beginning o the book some historical context, there should have been more information provided about the multiple failures in planning and decision-making by officials at all levels of government in the last 10 or so years prior to Katrina.
3) I found it difficult to understand how the hospital could have been given such low priority for evacuation. I wanted to see more information about the Governmental response during Katrina.
Overall, I still learned much of value from reading this book, which offers powerful lessons for disaster planning and response.

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