HJBR Mar/Apr 2023

46 MAR / APR 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs medical conditions. “Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital brings world-class, lifesaving care to the children of our community each and every day,” shared Chuck Spicer, Our Lady of the Lake Health presi- dent. “The Family Support Home and Hogs for the Cause will help relieve the burden on fami- lies of finding housing when seeking care at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital.” Within walking distance from the hospital’s cam- pus, the Family Support Home will have 12 suites, a communal dining lounge, a guest kitchen, a laundry area, and other amenities. The home will bring a positive and calming environment to help patients and their families focus on treat- ment outcome. “The Baton Rouge community has been faith- ful to our organization over the years, and we are thrilled to partner with Our Lady of the Lake Chil- dren’s Hospital on this project,” said Becker Hall, co-founder and CEO of Hogs for the Cause. “We hope that the Family Support Home will lessen families’ financial, emotional, and physical bur- dens while they focus on the healing of their children.” Study in Joint Commission JQPS Evaluates Retention of Inpatient Care Discharge Information Hospitalized patients receive a large amount of medical information from their healthcare team. Patient understanding of medical care reduces readmission rates and improves patient satis- faction, yet the literature suggests that patients often have poor retention of the large amount of care information they received despite numer- ous interventions. A new study in the February 2023 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety (JQPS) evaluated how well patients retain care information after hospital discharge and assessed patient perspectives on facilitators of this process, such as whiteboards, discussions with providers, discharge paperwork, and patient portal. Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Medicine conducted semi-structured phone interviews of patients admitted to general medicine resident teaching services within 24 to 48 hours post-hospitalization to assess their recall of four key domains of care: • Diagnoses addressed. • Inpatient treatment. • Post-discharge treatment plans. • Medication changes. Chart review verified patient responses, which were then categorized by independent reviewers as correct, partially correct, or incorrect. Results showed the vast majority (90%) of patients were confident in their knowledge of their diagnoses and treatment, yet independent review revealed the following: • 58.5% correctly recalled diagnoses addressed. • 64.2% correctly recalled inpatient treatment. • 50.9% correctly recalled post-discharge treatment plans. • 43.4% correctly recalled medication changes. Whiteboards were the most frequently used facilitator (96.2%), yet their content was rated least helpful for retaining care information. Patients suggested several areas for improvement, includ- ing prioritizing bedside pen and paper along with updating whiteboards with diagnostic and thera- peutic information. “Patient education and engagement is consid- ered a key component of transitional care efforts, leading to the development of standardized dis- charge instructions and patient-centered dis- charge tools,” said Blair P. Golden, MD, MS, and Karen Okrainec, MD, MSc, FRCPC, in an accom- panying editorial. “Health systems must proac- tively address disparities that exist with regard to patient and caregiver engagement surrounding care transitions, in addition to broader structural determinants of health that have been shown to contribute to health outcomes.” Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Announces NewChief of Physics Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has announced that Sotirios Stathakis, PhD, will serve as the orga- nization’s new Dr. Charles M. Smith chief of phys- ics. Stathakis will oversee the overall management and oversight of the cancer center’s physics and dosimetry teams in support of clinical, research, and educational activities. Having most recently served as the associ- ate chief of medical physics at the University of Texas Health San Antonio, Mays Cancer Cen- ter, an NCI-Designated cancer center, Stathakis brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Mary Bird Perkins. He has more than 20 years of global experience working as a radiation oncol- ogy physicist. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Honors Physics from the University of Waterloo in Canada, a Master of Science in Medical Phys- ics from the Medical Physics and Bio-Engineering Department at the University of Aberdeen, Scot- land, U.K., and a PhD in medical physics from the University of Patras, Hellas, Greece. Stathakis also earned a business certificate from the University of Texas San Antonio Business School. “We are excited to have Dr. Stathakis join us here at Mary Bird Perkins,” said Jonas Fontenot, PhD, MBA, president and CEO, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “The addition of Dr. Stathakis is the latest example of Mary Bird Perkins’ commit- ment to the highest standards of cancer care and a testament to our ability to attract some of the most talented scientists, oncology providers and specialists from premier academic cancer pro- grams across the country. The work of Dr. Sta- thakis and his team will bring new and exciting advances to our organization and accelerate our efforts bring the latest technologies, programs, and expertise to more patients across the Gulf South.” As the Dr. Charles M. Smith chief of physics, Stathakis will oversee his team’s efforts in pro- viding advanced clinical care, lead research that improves treatment outcomes for patients, and will work to train our region’s next generation of medical physicists. Since 2004, the cancer center has collaborated Sotirios Stathakis, PhD