1 ntcRcom duke uniucusity mcdicM ccnteR VOLUME 20, NUMBER 25, JUNE 22, 1973 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA Group Will Visit England To Examine Health System GfiADUATFS-Clyde Buchanan, assistant director of pharmacy, (at right) presents David Holeman with a certificate to record the latter's successful completion of a six-month pharmacy technician training program. The young ladies pictured are also graduates of the program, and they are, from left; Zandra Satterfield, Linda Phillips and Mickey Alford. fPhoto by Lewis Parrish) After a quarter of a century of experience with its National Health System-sometimes called socialized medicine—what lessons can the British pass on to us as we anticipate some form of national health insurance? That's what a 22-member group —including five with ties to Duke—will try to determine during a study visit to England and Scotland next week. In the group will be Dr. William G. Aniyan, vice president for health affairs; Dr. Daniel Tosteson, cliairman of the Department ; r Physiology and Pharmacol'gy and chairman-elect of the Associi'iJon of American Medical Coliegis; and Dr. Ruby Wilson, dean of the School of Nursing, Also taking part will be J. Alexander McMahon, president of the American Hospital Association and chairman of the Duke University Board of Trustees, and Dr. John A. D. Cooper, president of the Association of American Medical Colleges and a member of the Duke Medical Brochure Lists Patient 'Rights’ To say that one person has a right to something implies that someone else has an obligation and responsibility to support that right. This is specifically the case as it applies to patients at Duke and to those of us who work here. A newly prepared statement called "Your Rights as a Patient at Duke University Medical Center" lists in detail specific conditions a patient can expect to be met while he or she is under medical care at Duke. The statement is contained in a brochure prepared by the Committee on Patient Services and Personnel Relations and affirmed by the Hospital Advisory Committee. The patient's rights statement is an outgrowth of the Quail Roost Conference on Patient Services and Personnel Relations in February. Over the past week, copies of the brochure have been distributed to personnel throughout the medical center, and the brochure is now being made available to patients. Here is the text of "Your Rights as a Patient at Duke University Medical Center:" Welcome to Duke University Medical Center! The entire staff is committed to providing you excellence in patient care in as efficient, yet personal, sympathetic, and dignified a manner as possible. We wish you to be aware of the principles which guide each of us in our efforts to relieve you of your discomfort and to help you recover from your illness. You should know by name and be able to identify your physician and his associates, who will be responsible for your care. This physician, or his designate, will help you understand your medical problem and will keep you informed concerning the necessity for-and the results of-diagnostic procedures, consultations and treatment. Such diagnostic and therapeutic measures will be performeq) only with your approval and after any questions in your mind have been resolved. Your right to refuse any procedure or treatment -after you have been informed of the possible consequences of such a decision—is recognized by all members of the professional staff and will be accepted without question. Prior to your discharge from the hospital you may expect that your physician will explain to you and your family the nature of your illness and the treatment prescribed. Adequate time will be allowed to discuss your illness in a manner which you can understand and to answer any questions you feel are appropriate. Likewise, it will be the responsibility of your physician to arrange for your continuing medical care following your discharge, either at Duke or by your family physician, and to communicate promptly with any physician responsible for your medical needs following your release. All medical center personnel are obliged to respect your privacy. Any examinations or conversations with your physician, as well as your medical record, will be kept in strict confidence. You will come into contact with physicians, nurses and allied health personnel in training, but this should not violate your confidence or privacy. It is, of course, your prerogative to refuse to be observed by any person or group other than those directly responsible for your care. You should know, however, that we believe that the quality of medical care is enhanced by your involvement in the training of health professionals, and that it is to your advantage to have your case reviewed by individuals at all levels of medical experience at this institution. Your welfare is the personal responsibility of every employee of Duke University Medical Center. We have been trained to provide you with not only the best in professional medical care but also with familiar comforts such as well prepared and promptly served food, a pleasant and congenial atmosphere, respect for personal privacy and dignity, a neat and clean room, quiet and uncluttered halls, and a prompt response to your request for attention and assistance. If you feel that Duke University Medical Center has not met these standards, we would like the opportunity to take corrective action. If possible, discuss the matter first with your physician. If this approach is not feasible or proves unsuccessful, please call the Hospital Director's Office (telephone extension 6717) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; your complaint or problem will be thoroughly investigated and an attempt made to resolve it to your satisfaction. A telephone will be provided during your hospitalization or you may call after your discharge from the hospital. Several weeks following your discharge, you may receive a questionnaire concerning the care you received at Duke University Medical Center. We would sincerely appreciate your completing this questionnaire and returning it so that we may constantly improve our standard of patient service. It is our sincere hope that youi stay at Duke University Medical Center will be a pleasant one, and that we will be instrumental in your prompt recovery. Center's Board of Visitors. Aniyan said the main purpose of the trip will be to examine the impact of the National Health System on medical and nursing education and the distribution of health services. He said a better acquaintance with Britain's 25-year experience is particularly important because of the expectation that the United States will adopt a system of national health insurance sometime in the next four to (Continued on page 2) Alfred Grzelecki To Leave Duke Al Grzelecki, assistant director of Duke Hospital, wilt become assistant administrator of St. Margaret Hospital in Hammond, Ind., on July 1. St. Margaret is a 521-bed community hospital in northwestern Indiana. "My long-term objective in hospital administration has always been to be involved in a community hospital environment, and that is specifically what this opportunity at St. Margaret will provide," Grzelecki said. A 1967 graduate of Duke's Graduate Program in Hospital Administration, Grzelecki returned to Duke in the fall of 1971 as an assistant director. He has been the hospital's administrative link with central supply, dietetics, the equipment room, pharmacy, purchasing and stores, the psychiatric and medical inpatient units and outpatient clinics and the Drake Pavilion. Grzelecki is a native of Schnectady, N.Y., and earned a B.A. degree in economics at Colby College in Waterville, Me., in 1965. After earning his master's degree at Duke, he served for four years with the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corps in Madrid, Spain. Grzelecki, his wife, Margaret, and their 2y2-year-old daughter, Ann Sheaffer, will be living in Griffith, Indiana. ALFRED GRZELECKI

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