AHRQ Patient Safety Network

The Girl Who Died Twice: Every Patient's Nightmare: the Libby Zion Case and the Hidden Hazards of Hospitals. Classic icon

Robins NS. New York, NY: Delacorte Press; 1995. ISBN 0385308094.

Robins, an investigative journalist, recounts the story of Libby Zion, who died at New York Hospital in 1984 allegedly at the hands of under-supervised and overworked residents. The book is an interesting and engaging account of a case and its aftermath, including the highly publicized malpractice trial and the formation of the Bell Commission, which regulated resident work-hours for the first time. The book provides an important historical context for this case and the debate surrounding it, the implications of which are still being felt today in the wake of national regulations for resident duty-hours.

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