Targeting the root cause of public discontent with the quality of care given by hospitals, nursing homes, mental institutions, and home health care agencies, Nancy Fox opens fire on those aspects of the system that waste time, money, and sometimes lives. For Ms. Fox, drastic changes are needed in American health care delivery. She urges that we humanize the system by putting the patient first, a conclusion she reached by researching institutions in over forty states, Canada, and China.

The issues covered and the topics discussed include euthanasia, home health care, nursing home facilities and treatment, health care quality control, human dignity and sexuality in an institutional setting, individual isolation, medical malpractice, mental illness, and patient neglect.

Each chapter addresses vital issues of increasing concern to both professionals in the field and health care consumers everywhere. The depth and intensity with which she assesses today's health care establishment will guarantee Nancy Fox a well-deserved place of honor in the history of patient advocacy.