July 22, 2005

MGH care teams topic of seminar

Each month, the unit service associates (USA) task force sponsors an educational seminar on various topics of interest to USAs, operations associates (OA) and other support staff members. In the June USA seminar, Paul Uhlig, MD, of MGH Cardiac Surgery, presented new research about the benefits of having all role groups involved in a patient's care work together with the goal of improving communication among care team members and with patients and families. Uhlig and others on Blake 8 and Ellison 8 are working together to redesign patient care rounds and establish a collaborative care team project on those units. Above, Uhlig, far left, and members of the USA task force

Care teams include nurses, doctors, case managers, physical therapists, social workers, and other practitioners who give direct patient care, and also USAs, OAs and other staff members who help to care for a patient's many other needs during a hospital stay. For more information about the USA task force or the USA educational seminars, contact Ruth Dempsey, RN, at (617) 724-3920.