Pulse

Volume5/1995_September11PULSE September 11, 1995 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER Two Assistant Deans Named in Medical School Hale Heads Idaho Affairs DeVon C. Hale DeVon C. Hale, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine, has been appointed Assistant Dean for Idaho Affairs. In the newly created position, Hale will oversee issues espe-cially relevant to Idahoans admitted to the U medical school each year. " Dr. Hale brings a valuable insight to this new position since he grew up and attended high school in Idaho and also has practiced medicine there. His keen understanding of Idaho's medical needs and the ^^ opportunities for physicians there will be very helpful to our Idaho students," said Walter Stevens, Ph. D., dean of the U School of Medicine. Hale said Utah and Idaho have had a longstanding agreement regarding admission of Idahoans to the U medical School. Presently, six Idaho residents are admitted each year. " Idaho pays Utah to educate these students, and the U's responsibility is to see that they get as much training as possible in Idaho. We hope to establish four weeks of family practice training and three weeks of internal medi-cine training with physicians in Idaho during the Idaho students' junior year," the new assistant dean said. Hale grew up in Idaho, went to high school in Idaho Falls and practiced medicine there for six years. In addi-tion to his own ties with the state, Hale said that 148 physicians in Idaho are U medical school graduates. An infectious diseases specialist, Hale also is associate professor of pathology. He is medical director of the internal medicine clinic at Wasatch Clinics. He received his bachelor's and medical degrees from the U, did residencies at Ohio State University Hospitals and Kern County Medical Center, Bakersfield, California; and has completed fellow-ships in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. He holds board certification from the National Board of 4edical Examiners and the American boards of internal medicine, infectious disease and medical microbiology. • Victoria E. Judd Judd Oversees Admissions Effort Victoria E. Judd, M. D., associate professor of pediatrics, has been appointed assistant dean for admissions at the University of Utah School of Medicine, effective immediately. Judd, who has served as a member of the medical school admissions committee for the past year, will supervise the staff in the admissions office and oversee all aspects of the admissions process. In addition, she will conduct weekly admissions committee meetings from November to April of each year, and serve with the other associate and assistant deans as a member of the Dean's Cabinet. Currently, the U School of Medicine admits 100 students each year. It received more than 1,400 applica-tions for classes beginning in the fall of 1995. " We are fortunate to have Dr. Judd overseeing our admissions process," says Walter Stevens, Ph. D., dean of the U medical school. " She is a proven leader, and, because of her experience on the admissions committee, will continue our commitment to admit the most qualified men and women into our medical school." A native of Salt Lake City, Judd has been on the U of U faculty since November 1987. Prior to that, she served as assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. She finished her residency training at Baylor in 1983, including a three- month appointment as chief resident in pediatrics at Jefferson Davis Hospital. From 1983- 86, she completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Texas Children's Hospital and, in 1990, worked as a fellow in electrophysiology in the U of U Division of Cardiology. Judd, who currently is medical director of pediatric electrocardiology at Primary Children's Medical Center, also practices at University of Utah Hospital, LDS Hospital and Utah Valley Medical Center. " I am excited about this appointment and the opportunity to work with Dean Stevens and his staff in the admissions process," said Judd. " However, I think the most difficult task is having to turn down the other qualified applicants for medical school each year. I enjoy working with students, and strongly believe that one of the most important elements in the health sciences center's mission of patient care, research and education is, unequivocally, education." • Watercolors in Hallside Gallery Artist Mary Woodworth brings her collection of watercolor paintings to the Hallside Gallery through the month of September. " I have always wanted to express myself through painting," explains the 75- year- old artist. " I love watercolor because it is exciting, spontaneous and surprising. I love what it teaches me about myself and the world around me." Her preferred subject matter is North Haven, Maine, where she and her family have vacationed for the past 29 years. She also paints landscapes from her trips to Europe and the Caribbean, and still- life studies of flowers. • Scenes From Four Weddings and a Funeral Discussed at UNI J. D. GUI, Ph. D., will present " The Self: Lost Life/ True Life~ A Presenta-tion and Discussion of Scenes and Themes from the Film Four Weddings and a Funeral," on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 7: 30 p. m., at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute ( UNI). The free presentation is part of UNI's " Evening With the Experts" lecture series. For a complete schedule of upcoming presentations, call UNI's Community Relations Office, 583- 2500, x453- • ^ ^ Printed on Recycled Paper U Choose Team Helps Hospital Patients Make Choices Patient satisfaction. We know it's important to our customers, and every health-care facility in America is working to improve it. But until recently, hospitals focused on providing superior health care to their patients, and gave little thought to the patients' personal wants and needs. University Hospital's U Choose Team, comprised of nurses, physicians, other staff and even a former patient, was organized to provide patients with more choices and help them take more control over their hospital stay and pre-scribed care options. Led by Jackie A. Smith, Ph D, Program to Improve Patient Care, the team looked at a number of ways to involve patients in their care, including asking how u choose Team members include ( left to right): Linda involved they want to be in CAannelli, fames Jorgenson, Lynn Elstein, Georgette making health- care deci- Love^ jackie/\. Smith, Maria Anton, Tim Daynes and sions with their providers; h i s c a n i m c o m p a n i o n Yaz. how involved they want their families to be in decision making; self- care routines while at the hospital; scheduling daily routines or treatments ( i. e., therapy, X- rays, etc.); and what things would make the patients more comfortable while they are hospitalized. The Quality Council charged the U Choose Team with organizing the " prescribed care" portions of its program, and identifying ways to implement them into the Hospital. Currently, patients receive information about basic U Choose options in the First Impressions packet they receive at the time of admission. The one- page insert provides helpful information about meals, shower or bath options, personal items, volunteer services, customer service representatives, where to call with housekeep-ing concerns and important telephone numbers. The team followed a national quality improvement model called FOCUS- PDCA, which stands for Find a process to improve, Organize to improve that process, Clarify current knowledge, Understand sources of variation, and Select the im-provement. PDCA stands for Plan, Do, Check and Act, and represents the pilot-testing phase for the U Choose Team. Following this model, the team used quality improvement tools, including brainstorming a " menu of choices" for patients in the form of questions they will be asked by Hospital staff. The menu/ questionnaire will be used in a six- week pilot test using 40 patients in the Rehabilitation Unit. The Action Plan the U Choose Team recommended to the Quality Council consists of the menu, staff education through a short training video, and a more effective patient- care plan for the Hospital. According to Smith, the long- term plan is to have each patient receive a menu of choices. The U Choose team includes: Jackie A. Smith, Ph. D., Program to Improve Patient Care; Lynn Elstein, R. N, B. S. N, Nursing Division of Research, Education and Quality; Maria Anton, customer service; Tim Daynes, former patient; Linda Giannelli, R. N, Surgical Intensive Care Unit; James Jorgenson, R. Ph, pharmacy; Larry Li, M. D, family and preventive medicine; Georgette Love, pain service; Marty Maidana, Rehab II Unit; and Gerald Rothstein, M. D, internal medicine.