BCMS Medical Record Fall 2020 - 33

mer Research Projects
CONCLUSION: Standardized clinical guidelines significantly
increased the frequency of laboratory follow-up per year and thus
may have led to the stabilization in estradiol and testosterone levels
seen after implementation. While incidence and total number of
side effects were reduced after guideline implementation, total
number of side effects per year remained significantly higher after
implementation.
Anna Roble is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame
and is currently a second-year medical student at the Drexel
University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. She
volunteers with the DUCOM Health Outreach Project in local
health clinics for the underserved and as a reading tutor
for kindergarten students at the John B. Kelly School in
Philadelphia.

A Quality Improvement Project
to Enhance Patient Knowledge of
Their Physician Care Team
by Cassiopeia Roychowdhury, MD, Dept. of Family Medicine,
Reading Hospital, Reading, Pa.; Sarah Mummau Houseal,
MS2, Drexel College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa.
INTRODUCTION: The physician-patient relationship is a vital
part of providing high quality and patient-centered care. However,
it has been noticed that most hospitalized patients (i.e. inpatients)
are not familiar with their physician care team. The current study
sought to improve inpatients' knowledge of their physician care
team and gauge how important patients feel it is that they know
their physician care team. By increasing inpatients' knowledge of
their physician care team, it is thought inpatients would have a
greater sense of involvement in their treatment, be better able to
ask questions, and have an increased sense of comfort with their
physician team.
METHODS: Inpatients who were hospitalized at Reading Hospital,
an academic medical center, were voluntarily surveyed after being
read a script telephonically about the survey itself and confirming
that participation would be anonymous. The intervention was a
flyer given to each patient with their physician care team members'
names, pictures, and days working. The first half of the study
gathered baseline data while the intervention half of the study
evaluated if the flyer was effective in improving patient knowledge
of their physician care team. Seventeen patients participated. Results
were analyzed via run charts.

RESULTS: Inpatients who were hospitalized for at least two days
for observation, inpatient medical care, or the intermediate care
were included in the study. One eligible participant opted not to
participate. A translator was used for patients who spoke a language
other than English. Excluded from the study were patients who are
non-verbal or patients who had an intellectual or visual disability.
Patients' average comfort level with their physician care team
increased 5.93% from pre- to post-intervention. An increase in the
percent of patients who felt they knew their physician care team and
an increase in the percent of patients who felt comfortable asking
their physician care team questions was observed as well. A decrease
was seen in the percent of patients who said they knew their
"current doctor." This may be due to patients initially stating that
they "knew" their doctors, but in a follow-up question, realizing
that they were unable to identify their doctor by name. Lastly, it
was observed that patients favored getting to know who was caring
for them in person vs. a more indirect method such as a flyer or
another staff member introducing them to a physician.
CONCLUSION: The current study shows promise that flyers
could be a way to increase patient knowledge of their physician
care team alongside patients' preference of meeting physicians in
person. In the future, outcomes could possibly be improved by
addressing identified barriers, such as having multi-language flyers,
in-person meet and greets, and displaying the flyer in a consistent,
semi-permanent location. It could even be considered to put the
treatment team on the televisions in each patient's room to be
more easily accessible and in their native language. Ultimately, this
could help patients feel more comfortable and satisfied with their
treatment while hospitalized.
Sarah Mummau Houseal is a graduate of the University of
Pittsburgh and is currently a second-year medical student
at the Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia,
PA. She serves as a leader for the DUCM Mothers and
Baby Dragons program, which connects medical students
with local expectant mothers in order to provide mutual
learning and social support.

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FALL 2020

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BCMS Medical Record Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BCMS Medical Record Fall 2020
