Robinson Announces Survey Report
Employee Opinions To Guide Improvements
“We asked our employees for their
candid opinions. They gave them to
us, and we're going to act on them."
With that summary. Dr. R.R.
Robinson, associate vice president
for health affairs and the hospital's
chief executive officer, this week
announced receipt of a report on the
Employee Survey which was
conducted during more than 50
sessions throughout the medical
campus from March 5-12.
A report of the survey, conducted
by the National Survey Research
Center of Cleveland, is printed on
Page 3.
Varied Views
"I am very pleased that so many of
our employees participated in the
survey," Robinson said. "They gave
us varied views of our institution
that will be most helpful.
"We will use this survey," he
added, "as an important guide in
modifying existing policies and
practices where needed as well as
developing new programs.
"I am proud of our past
achievements," Robinson said, "but
no institution can be satisfied with
yesterday's accomplishments alone.
This survey indicates that we have
some definite areas for improvement
ARTS AND CRAFTS—Counselor Tricia
Pure ell helps a student in one part of the
recreational program during Duke's
annual six-week Speech and Hearing
Camp, which ended last Friday. Sixtv
children from 8-18 came from all over
the state, referred by school personnel,
physicians and therapists. The program
is a blend of therapy related to each
child's particular problems and normal
camp activities. See Page 4 for another
photo.
and we welcome the opportunity
this provides to attack them."
General Categories
The survey questionnaire had five
general categories:
I. General satisfaction
II. Rating of medical center on
specific features
III. Job evaluation
rV. Management and supervision
V. Suggestions
The survey showed that
employees believe the medical center
does a poor job in keeping them
informed about what is going on
here and that there's a need for
improvement in the handling of
employees' complaints and
grievances.
Overall, however, most people
reported that they liked their jobs
and that they enjoyed working at the
medical center.
Opportunity to Understand
"The survey gives us an
opportunity not only to understand
some of the feelings and needs of
employees," Robinson said, "but it
also points out areas where
misunderstanding has occurred
because of faulty communication."
Some of the problems can be
solved rather quickly and easily, he
said, and employees can expect to
see some activity and results very
soon.
"For example," he said, "I have
appointed a task force to work
immediately on improving our
communication process, and this is
an area where our action will show
some immediate results."
"Others," Robinson said, "are far
more complex and will take us longer
to deal with. We are paying
particular attention to the questions
which asked employees to make
suggestions since these are. the
things they feel are most important."
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Duke University Medical Center
VOLUME 24, NUMBER 31
AUGUST 5,1977
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Liggett Pledges Funds for Pediatric Unit
Liggett Group, Inc., a
Durham-based corporation that
manufactures tobacco products,
spirits and wines, pet foods,
household goods and other
consumer items, has pledged
$300,000 toward construction of the
Pediatric Intensive Care. Unit at
Duke Hospital North.
Announcement of the gift came
today from Dr. William G. Anlyan,
vice president for health affairs at
Duke.
Anlyan said the funds would go
toward building and equipping the
new 40-bed unit scheduled for
occupancy in April, 1979, when Duke
North, a new hospital now under
construction, is completed.
Critically 111 Children
Dr. Samuel L. Katz, chairman of
the Department of Pediatrics, said
the facility will provide treatment for
a variety of critically ill infants and
children, all of whom require special
types of monitoring and close
support from physicians and nurses.
"These may be newborn infants
with immature lungs or heart
malformations, for example," he
said, ''or children with
overwhelming infections, sudden
neurological problems or those who
have had major surgery."
Of the 40 planned beds, Katz said
approximately 24 will be for infants
up to the first three months of life,
while the remaining 16 beds will be
tentatively reserved for older
children.
Sophisticated equipment on the
unit will provide continuous
monitoring of such vital signs as
respiration, arterial and venous
pressure, pulse, kidney function,
temperature, pressure within the
skull and heart rhythm.
Computerized Alarms
Computerized alarms will be
linked to much of the equipment to
alert the staff to changes in a sick
child's condition.
"As more and more advances are
made in the diagnosis and treatment
of the complicated diseases to which
children are subject, this kind of
intensive care unit becomes an
absolute necessity for major medical
centers like Duke where the most
challenging patients are referred,"
Katz said.
"Without the generosity of
organizations such as Liggett Group,
its construction would be impossible
because there are no state or federal
funds going into it," he said. ' We
believe our unit should be one of the
finest installations of its kind
anywhere in the country."
Katz added that Liggett Group has
established itself as one of the
strongest supporters of research and
treatment of childhcx)d illnesses at
the medical center and cited its
co-sponsorship of the annual Duke
Children's Classic golf tournament
as an example.
(Continued on page 2)
Physiology, Pharmacology
Become Two Departments
The Department of Physiology and
Pharmacology at the medical center
has been divided into independent
departments of physiology and
pharmacology, and two Duke faculty
members have been named to head
them.
Dr. Edward A. Johnson, professor
of physiology and chief of the cardiac
cellular physiology laboratory, is the
new chairman of the Department of
Physiology.
Dr. Norman Kirshner, professor of
biochemistry and experimental
surgery, has been appointed
chairman of the Department of
Pharmacology.
In their new positions, they
succeed Dr. Daniel C. Tosteson who
resigned as head of the combined
department in 1975 to become dean
of medicine at the University of
Chicago and who subsequently went
to the deanship at Harvard Medical
School.
Dr. John V. Salzano, professor of
physiology, had servecl as acting
chairman since Tosteson's departure.
Announcement of the
appointments came from Dr.
Frederic N. Cleaveland, university
provost.
Physiology
Johnson, 50, is a native of
Sheffield, England. He received
bachelor of medicine and surgery
degrees from the University of
(Continued on page 4)
DR. EDWARD A. JOHNSON
DR. NORMAN KIRSHNER