2009 DOM Annual Report - Department of Medicine - University of ...

Department of MedicineEducator Training Program (CETP) that offers a Master of Science anda Certificate in Medical Education, and the Clinical Scientist TrainingProgram (CSTP) that was developed to provide clinical researchtraining for medical students. Other programs include the K12 ClinicalResearch Scholars Program (CRSP) and new programs offering a PhD inClinical and Translational Sciences, a program offering a Certificate inClinical and Translational Research, the Minority Career DevelopmentProgram, and Web-based teaching and mentoring programs.For inpatient care, our Division, in cooperation with the Departmentsof Pharmacy, Nursing, and Respiratory Therapy, completed a patientsafety and quality initiative that was funded by the Agency forHealthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and focused on EnhancedPatient Safety Interventions to Optimize Medication Education(EPITOME). Many other initiatives are in process, including two largescaleprojects. One initiative is designed to improve communicationwith patients and among providers through Electronic Medical Recordmessaging functions, and the second initiative is designed to decreasethe time taken to respond to patients’ phone call requests regardingrefills, forms and care for illnesses.HIGH IMPACT PUBLICATIONSAfrican-Americans currently bear the greatest burden of morbidity andmortality due to smoking, and they are exposed to a greater amountQUALITYThe Division’s QI efforts were recognized this year by two awardsreceived at UPMC Quality Fairs. GIM at UPMC Shadyside received anaward for Outstanding Achievement in Quality Improvement. GIMat UPMC Montefiore won second place for Outstanding SustainedAchievement in Management of Diabetes in Primary Care. TheDivision completed an outpatient clinic QI initiative that was fundedby a UPMC Clinical Quality and Safety Initiative (CLIQS) grantentitled “Effect of Decision Support and Computerized Ordering onHypertension Management”. The initiative demonstrated that EMRdecision support tools resulted in a three-fold increase in the numberof ordered interventions. Additional QI interventions will continuethrough 2008 to improve population outcome measures for bloodpressure.of pro-tobacco media messages. Dr. Brian Primack and colleaguesconducted a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing protobaccoadvertising in African-American and Caucasian markets.This analysis was published in the September 2007 issue of PublicHealth Reports, the official journal of the U.S. Public Health Service.In that analysis, the authors found that there were 2.6 times as manytobacco advertisements in African-American markets compared withCaucasian markets. The authors concluded that it is urgent to studythe reasons for this differential marketing, as well as racial marketingdifferences in newer new types of media/promotions used by thetobacco industry. The article was covered by many important newsoutlets, including National Public Radio, the New York Times, thePhiladelphia Inquirer, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.28 Better medicine through research and education.