7
Compassion, Caring, Courtesy, Comfort
(Continued from page 1)
population in the program manual
that has been supplied to each
ward," Mrs. Peter said.
"All of the standards we wrote
were reviewed by physicians who
have cooperated with us on
establishing the program/' she
added.
Asking the Patient
To measure "patient outcomes" —
what the patient experiences as a
result of his or her care — the nurses
go first to the patients themselves.
Each week, trained interviewers
who are also staff nurses from other
wards visit every non-critical care
ward in the hospital to talk with
randomly selected patients. Urging
complete candor, the interviewers
ask such questions as:
"How would you describe the
attitudes or feelings of the nursing
staff toward you?"
"Is there anything that you have
asked for that you were not able to
get?"
"Do you have any questions about
any procedures, treatment or the care
you are receiving?"
"Do you have any pain or
discomfort?"
"When you ask for something for
your pain, how long do you wait
before you receive it?"
"It's important to deal with a
patient's perception of what has
been done for him as well as what
has actually been done," Mrs. Peter
said.
Uneasy about Routine Procedures
The Duke nurses found, somewhat
to their surprise, that patients
generally felt they had been
well-prepared for what to expect in
surgery, but a number of them said
they were uneasy about routine
diagnostic procedures.
"We found we had to explain
studies like brain scans, barium
enemas and kidney biopsies more
carefully from the patient's point of
view," she said.
"Patients want to know what
sensations they can expect during a
study — how much pain they will
feel, what smells there will be and
what noises are normal. Such
information helps to allay the fears
they have."
Loneliness, Chief Complaint
The nurses also found that
loneliness was the patient's chief
complaint, that noise needed to be
reduced on some wards during shift
changes and that patients want to
know more about home care after
their discharge from the hospital.
The interviewing nurses also
check to make sure that patients'
rooms are clean, that they are free
from safety hazards, that all
equipment is properly applied and
functioning, that needed items are
within reach and that all other
nursing responsibilities to the
patients have been met, she said.
At the end of 13 weeks, all of the
results are tabulated, and nurses
hold meetings on their wards to
discuss them.
Time for Reflection
"The meeting is a time for
reflection," Mrs. Peter^ejipla!ined."It
is a time for feeliKg '^rpVid^bf what
they have been doing well and also a
time to set goals for improvement."
The nurse said the entire program
is designed to measure patterns of
nursing care throughout the hospital
rather than to measure the
performances of individuals.
"What we are hoping to do is to
raise the sensitivity and competence
Author To Discuss Changing Roles
Author and social historian
Elizabeth Janeway will speak on
"Changing Roles in a Changing
World" at the Duke Management
Club's dinner meeting next
Wednesday (Dec. 8).
The program begins in the
Medical Center Board Room at 6 p.m.
Author of Man's World, Woman's
Place: A Study in Social Mythology,
Ms. Janeway has served as a lecturer
and consultant for numerous
business, education, social and
political groups.
The Duke Management Club was
formed in 1974 as a social
ELIZABETH JANEWAY
organization to encourage mutual
education and communication
among faculty and staff members.
The current president is Richard L.
Jackson, assistant vice president for
personnel.
Anyone who wishes to join the
Management Club and attend the
meeting next week should contact
Randi Woodson, 684-5804, or Mark
Kuhn, 684-2926, today.
Minister To Speak
On Older Persons
The Rev. Philip S. Brown,
executive director of the Bishop
Penick Memorial Home in Southern
Pines, N.C., will speak on "The
Religious Needs of Older Persons" at
4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, in Room
1504 of the Gerontology Building.
Brown has had extensive
experience with aging persons as a
minister, chaplain, administrator of
homes for the aged and lecturer on
aging at colleges and workshops.
He is an advisor on government
committees such as the Region H
Area-Wide Aging Advisory
Committee, the Nutrition
Committee, the Special Task Force
for the Nursing Home Ombudsman
Program and the State Office for
Aging.
His talk, which is open to the
public without charge, is being
sponsored by the Duke Council on
Aging and Human Development.
of all our nurses," she added. "The
emphasis is on what we call the 'Four
C's' — compassion, caring, courtesy
and comfort."
Debbie Humphreys, head nurse
on the Reed Ward, has been involved
in the Quality Assurance Program in
Nursing almost from its beginning,
and she served on the committee
writing standards for general surgery
patients.
What Makes It Unique
"I think what makes this program
unique and gives it a good chance of
succeeding in improving patient care
is that a cross-section of nurses are
represented in defining goals, from
patient care assistants and licensed
practical nurses right up to the
supervisors," she said.
"You don't have to be a head nurse
or even an RN to feel like you've
contributed something to it."
Ms. Humphreys said the response
from patients has generally been as
good as that of the nurses who have
been involved in the program.
Appreciate Nurses' Care
"I don't mean that all patients have
been pleased with the nursing care
they have received, but just about all
of them have appreciated the fact
that nurses as a group care enough
about them to try to improve it," she
explained.
"I think the program also has
given people who really love nursing
the way I do a reason to feel good
about themselves," she added.
The Department of Nursing
Services, which plans to publish its
book of standards sometim^ next
year, hopes the project will become a
model for quality assurance at other
hospitals in the United States, Mrs.
Peters said.
Jet Vets Win Turkey Bowl, 14-9
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article was received from the VA Hospital and
was allegedly written by Cindy Dix, secretary to the chief medical resident.)
Thursday, November 25,1976, was indeed a memorable football afternoon.
Among the many spectacular rivalries, was the 4th Annual Duke Turkey
Bowl — pitting the invincible Jet Vets of the VA Hospital, against the
miniscule Duke Turkeys.
The Department of Medicine House Staff squared off on the Duke soccer
field to settle the score once and for all. Previously, both teams shared a tie
with a 1-1-1 record to date. The 4th Annual Turkey Bowl was the tie-breaker.
The game began promptly at 11 a.m. with the inspired Jet Vets with
"blood" in their eyes, i.e., bloodshot. The Duke Turkeys elected to kick on
the opening series of downs, and stopped the Jet Vets without a first down.
March Dovyn the Field
Duke then took over the ball and marched down the field, aided by several
penalties, to th'e Jet Vet ten-yard line.
Then, on fourth down and long yardage, the quarterback threw it in the air.
The ball was tipped by the offensive player, missed, tipped by the defensive
player^then fell into the hands of the stumbling Duke offensive captain, Dr.
MichaeT Hindman. Undoubtedly, the greatest fluke play in the traditional
rivalry. Duke then took a commanding 7-0 lead.
Not to be denied, the Jet Vets marched 95 yards on the next series of downs
in the able hands of Dr. Dave Hester, part-time Jet Vets quarterback. That
tied the score at 7-7.
Defensive Stalemate
For the remainder of the first half there was a defensive stalemate, the Jet
Vets never allowing the Duke Turkeys to cross into their territory.
Early in the second half, with Dr. Dave Hess at the helm, the Jet Vets scored
another stunning touchdown to take the lead 14-7.
Once again, the Jet Vets' defense, captained by Dr. John Feussner, stifled
the Duke offensive unit.
The final score of the game came on a safety when Dr. James Wilson,
scratching, biting, and screaming allegedly tackled the Jet Vets' quarterback
in the end-zone. The score was then 14-9.
Desperation Pass
With 4 seconds remaining, the Jet Vets called time-out in an effort to run
up the score. However, a desperation pass was unsuccessful and the game
ended at 14-9 with the Jet Vets predictably victorious.
This brought the series to 2-1-1 in favor of the superior Jet Vets' team.
The victorious Jet Vets were coached by that offensive stalwart. Dr. Harvey
J. Cohen. The Duke Turkeys, in turn, were coached by Dr. James B.
Wyngaarden, who incidently doubled as field judge.
Both teams owe gratitude to the referee, Dr. Galen Wagner, also of the
Duke staff.
Therefore, with their tremendous abilities, awesome power, and uncanny
coordination, the Jet Vets once again defeated the Duke Turkeys — despite
the clearly partial refereeing.