The Mumbo Jumbo Fix

Abstract

The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient-Nurse Communication tackles the vital subject of healthcare miscommunication which is a leading cause of patient harm. It is the first book of its kind geared to all three essential participants--doctors, nurses, AND patients. Written by a medical malpractice trial attorney, hospital risk manager, and healthcare educator, its unique holistic approach provides real-world practical solutions in a concise, easy-to-read, and entertaining format. No other book in the field has been written by someone with equivalent “boots on the ground” experience. And the author’s original cartoons are sure to bring a smile to every reader’s face.

The Mumbo Jumbo Fix contains up-to-date content including communication strategies in the post-Covid world, telemedicine's expanded use since the pandemic, patient preparation for the office visit and hospital stay, provider interaction with families, and talking to the transgender population. Written in plain English without linguistic mumbo jumbo, the book's true stories and evidence-based suggestions offer the needed healthcare communication fix.

REVIEWS and WORDS OF PRAISE

See book excerpt at KevinMD, How COVID changed doctor-patient-nurse communication forever [PODCAST] (October 11th, 2024)

See book excerpt at KevinMD, Health care communication in a post-COVID world: What’s changed and what’s not since the pandemic (August 31, 2024)

Publicity and reviews from 1st edition:
Watch Behind the Screen with Mike Grace This edition of Behind the Screen gets personal with Sworn Testimony for the Healthcare Specialist instructor Michael Grace, J.D. Learn his advice for those looking to build a career in the challenging but fulfilling profession of healthcare. Discover what skills students can expect to gain from his course, such as critical thinking and communicating more effectively, both verbally and in written form. UCR Extension. April 10th 2023

Publicity for the book by author Indecent Protest, Part 3 of a Continuing Series about Miscommunication in Healthcare written by Michael J. Grace, JD, CPHRM, Rancho Mirage Insider, March 3, 2023

Book review at KevinMD.com, Building trust with patients: the power of credibility, trustworthiness, and likeability (February 23, 2023)

See poscast interview with KevinMD, Breaking the communication barrier: a survival guide for doctors, nurses, and patients (February 17, 2023)

See author publicity The Testimonial at the American Association of Physician Leadership (2023-Jan-10)

See University of California at Riverside instructor video featuring author, Mike Grace (January 2023)

See book excerpt at KevinMD, Communication Protocols Exist for a Reason (December 11, 2022)

See book review, "The Mumbo Jumbo of Healthcare Communication" at The Nursing Site by Kathy Quan, RN BSN PHN (December 2022)

See Rancho Mirage Insider at "Be Safe During Your Emergency Department Visit" by Michael J. Grace (Sep 2, 2022)

Listen to author interview produced by the American Society for Health Care Risk Management, July 2022
Healthcare miscommunication—between doctors and patients as well as among healthcare providers—is a leading cause of patient harm. This takes a unique holistic approach to educate all three essential participants (doctors, nurses and patients) in ways to prevent medical injuries due to the failure to communicate effectively. Click here to download or and/or audio file.

See Rancho Mirage Insider at "How to Understand Healthcare Jargon" (May 1, 2022)

The Mumbo Jumbo Fix is not only directed to the medical profession but to everyone ever communicating in any shape or form. It is a very good and easy to read book. Short and well defined chapters with interesting reference to both legal cases and humorous situations and citations. The author has an outstanding knowledge and experience by being a medical malpractice lawyer, patient safety and risk manager, a speech major and not the least a patient. Highly recommended.
--Lars Fredriksson, Former aviation CRM examiner

The Mumbo Jumbo Fix hits a home run! [An E]xcellent book by an eminently qualified author who has lived it. Easy to read, organized with many valuable insights and vignettes…. Patients who read this book will end up improving their chances of the best outcome the profession offers.
---Dominick Addario, MD, Psychiatrist, Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association, Health Sciences Clinical Professor, University of California San Diego

Easy to read, and systematic approach to maximizing on first principles of communication in healthcare, and more broadly…. The book does not take itself too seriously, with a smattering of cartoons thrown in to make the subject light-hearted, but relevant and relatable. I highly recommend this book to all physicians, nurses, and others who support them.
---Javed Siddiqi, HBSc, MD, DPhil (Oxon), FRCSC, FACS, FAANS, Neurosurgeon, Chief of Neurosurgery, ARMC, RUHS, RCH & DRMC, Professor & Chair, Dept of Surgery, California University of Science & Medicine, Founding Journal Editor, Contemporary Reviews in Neurology & Neurosurgery, President Elect, California Association of Neurological Surgeons

The Mumbo Jumbo Fix is a long overdue resource for healthcare professionals, patients, and families. This book presents communication strategies in a clear and often humorous format…. Medical and nursing programs should include this book as a required text for improved communications skills.
---Elsa L. Murdoch, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHRM, Assistant Professor, RN-BSN Program Director, Azusa Pacific University

Who better to see the many problems of doctor-patient-nurse communication than an experienced medical malpractice attorney? Mike Grace has seen and heard it all. The Mumbo Jumbo Fix is loaded with entertaining and revealing stories of miscommunication between doctors and nurses and between both and patients.... It is a must read for both health professionals in training and those with experience.
--Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH, Family Practice Physician, Primary Care 365 Physician Core Faculty, Family Medicine Residency Program, Eisenhower Medical Center, Clinical, Professor of Family Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

An absolute must read for anyone who wants to improve communication and patient relationships. A comprehensive communication guide. Even the most seasoned healthcare professional will benefit from reading this book.
--Nicholas Wade, BSN, MPH, CEAS, Public Health Nurse, West Bay Area Director of Employee Health Service & Workers Compensation, Sutter Health

The book was very worthwhile, easy to read, concise, and entertaining which holds all healthcare workers’ attention. I appreciated the cartoons… I found myself smiling or laughing aloud at times. This book’s subject has a role in the education of medical students and all healthcare workers.
--Lori J. Beck, DNP, Nurse Practitioner, Indiana University Health

[V]ery eloquently written.... [W]itty comical illustrations....[A]n easy read that can be read in one sitting or multiple sittings because you can pick right back up where you left off....
--Karen Seessengood, MSN, RN, CNOR, CST/CSFA, Nurse Perioperative Educator, Founder, Seessengood Perioperative Education and Consulting, Princeton, IN, Staff RN/ Perioperative Educator, Surgery Department, Logansport Memorial Hospital

About the Author

Mike is a licensed attorney and is designated by the American Hospital Association as a certified professional in healthcare risk management. He was a founding partner of Grace Hollis LLC, a San Diego based law firm, where he specialized in the defense of healthcare providers. After twenty years as the firm’s lead trial attorney, he “retired” to pursue a new chapter in life as the Risk Manager and Patient Safety Officer at Desert Regional Medical Center, a large Southern California hospital. Currently he teaches communication and law to nurses in the University of California, Riverside's extension program.