Rating: 
Summary: In Depth Look at Hospitals....
Review: ... is exactly what you will get with 'Five Patients' by Michael Crichton.
I hadn't read any reviews when I picked up this book; I doubt I would have read it as deeply as I did if I would have read some. Basically, the book was written originally in the late Sixties to show the pros and cons of Hospitals from various angels - from the training of Doctors to the technology advancements made in the field.
It is interesting to compare what hospitals were like back then to the modern day hospital.
Overall, it is an interesting read, but don't be expecting any action, that is not what this book is about.And on a side note, remember to check the glossary in the back. After I stumbled over some tricky words, I started to use it often once I discovered it - halfway through the book.
Rating: 
Summary: CRICHTON's WORST BOOK EVER
Review: Anyway you look at it, this is the worst book by Michael Crichton. Written in 1969, it's totally pointless, there's absolutely no conclusion about real prospects for the future of medicine at the end. It is what it is: a kind of observation notes written by a medical school student, nothing more. A shame.
Rating:
Summary: GREEDY EXPLAINED....
Review: Greedy. That's the only possible explanation for Crichton permitting his publisher to release this piece of medical junk, that absolutely does not explain anything about our actual medical system; it's all about a bunch of notes taken by a Medicine student (Crichton), written in the sixties !!!! What's the use???? But Crichton's name in any enterprise is, at least, an assurance of a possibility os success, so they said: "We'll go for it, We'll release this thing.". Sad...
Rating: 
Summary: geared more for medical professionals
Review: I expected this to be more of a "medical thriller," something like ER in a book. But it wasn't anything like that. It's an analysis of hospitals written over 30 years ago. Some parts of the book are informative, but even though Crichton doesn't use a lot of fancy medical jargon, I think people in the medical profession would get far more out of this book than the average lay person. I've read many of Crichton's other books, but this one isn't anything like his others, so don't expect a thrilling page-turner if you read this book.
Rating:
Summary: geared more for medical professionals
Review: I expected this to be more of a "medical thriller," something like ER in a book. But it wasn't anything like that. It's an analysis of hospitals written over 30 years ago. Some parts of the book are informative, but even though Crichton doesn't use a lot of fancy medical jargon, I think people in the medical profession would get far more out of this book than the average lay person. I've read many of Crichton's other books, but this one isn't anything like his others, so don't expect a thrilling page-turner if you read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not a must for Crichton fan, but still a good book
Review: I was somehow misled by the title. I thought I was going to read five short stories of how doctor can treat (miraculously) five difficult patients, those I would read in Reader's Digest. But no, indeed I was surpised that those five patients are only mentioned in 1/5 of the book. The rest 4/5 of the book are talking about everything about hospital - its history, budget, organizational structure, politics, teaching versus community hospital, surgeon, urine, anaesthesia..... I find most of these medical topics are interesting, though some are somewhat outdated. Also, I admire Mr. Crichton's writing skill to interweave these different topics together in a 200-page book. My recommedation - do not treat it as a fiction. It is not that a waste of time (onlyl 200 pages!!)
Rating:
Summary: Not a must for Crichton fan, but still a good book
Review: I was somehow misled by the title. I thought I was going to read five short stories of how doctor can treat (miraculously) five difficult patients, those I would read in Reader's Digest. But no, indeed I was surpised that those five patients are only mentioned in 1/5 of the book. The rest 4/5 of the book are talking about everything about hospital - its history, budget, organizational structure, politics, teaching versus community hospital, surgeon, urine, anaesthesia..... I find most of these medical topics are interesting, though some are somewhat outdated. Also, I admire Mr. Crichton's writing skill to interweave these different topics together in a 200-page book. My recommedation - do not treat it as a fiction. It is not that a waste of time (onlyl 200 pages!!)
Rating:
Summary: Not impressed.
Review: I've read almost all of Crichton's books, but this one is my least favorite. I don't even remember if I finished it or not (that's how boring it was).
Rating:
Summary: Weird
Review: It's plain clear that this book was published again, after twenty years, due to Crichton's amazing fame as writer and screenwriter. There is nothing much, the language is totally dry, the patient's cases are often buried into a ton of medical terminology ( of course .. ) Anyway, I thought, at the end, that the book is totally outdated.
Rating:
Summary: IF it was not Crichton who wrote it ...
Review: This book is a total flaw. The only reason someone who isn't a doctor would buy it is because it was written by Michael Crichton. I suspect even doctors will find it boring. The title words " The HOSPITAL EXPLAINED " must be a joke by the editors. What is briefly explained is a little bit of medicine history. The language is dry, well, see for yourself ...
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