Hospital Wellness Journal
A Guided Resource for Reflections, Medical Notes, and Healing Together
For patients and the people supporting them during a hospital stay.
Whether you’re the patient or there for support, this is for you.
Beautifully enhanced with soothing artwork, The Hospital Wellness Journal inspires moments of hope and resilience on every page. Whether you’re a patient or supporting someone you care about, this journal serves as a trusted companion offering comfort, connection, and a meaningful way to document and honor the strength shown during and after the hospital stay.
Helping You Find Strength in Every Step.
The Hospital Wellness Journal gives you one place to track updates, write down questions, and prepare for going home. It works best for hospital stays of about five days or more, and Nicole's original artwork throughout offers a moment of calm on hard days.
How the Hospital Wellness Journal Can Help You:
Stay organized.
Track daily updates, milestones, and concerns in one place, for your own reference and to share with the care team.
Ask better questions.
Prompts and sample questions help you prepare for rounds and care team visits, so you leave each conversation clearer about the plan.
Prepare for discharge.
Going home can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. The discharge section helps you keep track of belongings, follow-up appointments, and the questions to ask before you leave, so you feel more confident once you're home.
Your observations matter.
Families often notice changes before anyone else does. Writing down what you see helps you share useful information with the care team.
As Seen In
A Journal Designed With You in Mind.
Inside you’ll find:
Daily Wellness and Progress Tracking: 10 days of daily entry pages for key updates, milestones, and concerns.
Tips for Communicating with the Care Team: Strategies and sample questions for clear, productive conversations.
Space for Questions: A dedicated place to write down what you want to ask during rounds or care team visits.
Discharge Planning: Belongings, follow-up appointments, and questions, for a safe and supported transition home.
Support Resources: Guidance for anyone navigating a hospital stay, for themselves or a loved one.
Original Artwork: Nicole's paintings throughout the journal.
About the Author
Nicole Cromwell, MSN, RN, spent 25 years in critical care nursing. At Stanford, she worked as an ICU nurse, a flight nurse, and on the critical care response team. She also brings emergency department experience from another hospital.
On the critical care response team, Nicole rounded on patients throughout the hospital's general floors, responding to emergencies and supporting the nurses caring for them. She saw how hard it was for patients and families on longer stays to keep track of changing plans and questions. The Hospital Wellness Journal grew out of that experience.
"Your voice, experiences, and well-being matter. This journal is here to help you stay informed and supported every step of the way." Nicole
Today Nicole is a full-time artist in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The artwork throughout the journal is hers. See more of her work on her gallery website.
“Your voice, experiences, and well-being matter. This journal is here to help you stay informed and supported every step of the way.” - Nicole
For Families in the ICU
If your loved one is in intensive care, the ICU Diary for Families is made for that experience, with daily pages, questions for the care team, and support for recovery after the ICU.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
You don't need to write much. A few notes a day, a question for the doctor, or the name of the nurse on shift is enough. Anyone supporting the patient can write in it too.
-
You don't have to be. The guided pages give you prompts, so you're filling in answers instead of facing a blank page. There's no wrong way to use it.
-
You can, and any record helps. The Hospital Wellness Journal adds structure a blank notebook doesn't have: daily tracking pages, sample questions for the care team, and a discharge planning section.
-
Patients and the people supporting them, during a hospital stay of about five days or more. Patients can use it themselves, or a family member or friend can keep it for them.
-
No. It helps you prepare for those conversations and keep track of what you learn. Always bring medical questions and concerns to the care team.
-
No. The Hospital Wellness Journal is a personal journal for your own notes and reflections. It is not a medical record or a legal document, and it does not replace official hospital records, discharge instructions, consent forms, advance directives, or a healthcare power of attorney. For any medical or legal decisions, please work directly with the care team, a hospital social worker, or your own legal advisor.
-
The ICU Diary is made for families of patients in intensive care. The Hospital Wellness Journal is for patients and families during a longer stay outside the ICU, and includes a discharge planning section. If a loved one moves from the ICU to another unit, the Hospital Wellness Journal picks up where the ICU Diary leaves off.
For Patients & Families
For Hospitals & Organizations
-
Yes. Bulk orders for hospitals and nonprofits have no minimum, and net 30 terms are available. Orders ship to one hospital address for internal distribution. Please allow about 6 weeks for printing and delivery. Inquire about bulk pricing.
-
Yes. Sample copies are available for your team or your patient and family advisory council to review.
-
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula provides the Hospital Wellness Journal to patients through its auxiliary and palliative care team. Stanford Health Care sells it in the Stanford Hospital gift shop and provides the ICU Diary to Neuro ICU families through a Friends of Nursing grant.
Trusted Resources for Continued Support
Explore these hand-picked tools and support networks.
CaringBridge.org A free platform that helps you stay connected with family and friends during difficult times. Share updates, receive messages of support, and build a community of encouragement and care.
LotsaHelpingHands.com A platform to help create a community, as well as coordinate meals, care and support for patients and families.
Cancer.org The American Cancer Society offers free lodging, transportation to treatment, breast cancer support, online communities, and free family caregiver and patient programs.
Ready to Begin?
Whether you're the patient or there for support, the Hospital Wellness Journal helps you stay informed, organized, and ready for the trip home.
Contact Us
Have a question, or interested in collaborating? Fill out the form and we will contact you soon.