J. Randall Curtis, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, has received a $1.5 million grant to assess quality-of-care provided by physicians treating terminally ill patients.
The three-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will use several evaluation instruments, including a questionnaire developed through a previous study. Sixty physicians in Washington and Oregon and 60 physicians in North Carolina and South Carolina will be recruited to participate. Gerard Silvestri at the Medical University of South Carolina is principal investigator for the Southeast portion of the study.
Other UW investigators on the three-year grant are: Paul Ramsey, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine; Donald Patrick, professor of health services in the School of Public Health; Jan Carline, professor of medical education; Ruth Engelberg, research statistician in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; and Marjorie Wenrich, director of medical affairs special research and communication projects in the Office of the Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine.
Curtis heads the End-of-Life Care Research Program at Harborview Medical Center. Through this program, clinical and health services investigators and staff undertake projects to improve end-of-life care and conduct clinical education for medical and nursing staff interested in improving patient-clinician communication about end-of-life care and improving the quality of care at the end of life.
May 3, 2002