Circulatory Health magazine

Patients are partners in care,
research and education
"Not just looking at the medical problem that a
patient has, but at the entire cardiovascular
system, the human being as a whole. That is the
core of the Center for Circulatory Health. Every
week, we treat an increasing number of patients in
the Center for Circulatory Health and we learn a
lot from that." Providing state-of-the-art care is
one of the goals of the strategic theme Circulatory
Health. An interview with vicechairman of the
UMC Utrecht Executive Board Frank Miedema and
strategic theme chairman Rick Grobbee.
Rick: "Just imagine the position of a patient who's had a stroke, who has to
go to the vascular surgeon to have his carotid arteries checked, visit the
cardiologist for a heart rhythm disorder, and 'pop by' the internist for
diabetes. Before you know it, you're four months down the road until
you've seen all these doctors. Here at the Center for Circulatory Health, we
do things differently. What is more effective than having the neurologist,
vascular surgeon and cardiologist be involved from the start? And having
them consult intensively about these patients?” This is possible at the new
Center of Circulatory Health of the strategic theme Circulatory Health,
because all these specialists work at one and the same location.
It was organized based on the patients' perspective. That focus not only
applies to care, but also to research. Frank is clear about that. "Patients are
increasingly becoming partners in our research. Their voice and that of their
patient organizations are important for the choice of research we conduct.
That really feels different. But this is a large public debate. Everyone is
thinking about how we can get more from research, have a greater impact.
The logical consequence is that doctors always have to ask themselves
whether they really have the patients and their families on board.
Knowing, captivating and holding on to new talents
"Real changes and innovation in care require more than one specialty.
That is where the strategic themes come in. "They bring more doctors of
all sorts and conditions together, across departments, and teams
consisting of a wide variety of researchers, such as epidemiologists,
geneticists and imaging specialists. When they understand each other,
you can generate real changes."
There are more and more of these cross-disciplinary collaborations in
the hospital. The Jacob Jongbloed Talent Society is a good example.
This successful talent program for young post-graduates was named
16 Circulatory Health Magazine