Promoting academic excellence through leadership development at the University of Washington: the Teaching Scholars Program.

The University of Washington Teaching Scholars Program (TSP) was established in 1995 to prepare faculty for local and national leadership and promote academic excellence by fostering a community of educational leaders to innovate, enliven, and enrich the environment for teaching and learning at the University of Washington (UW). Faculty in the Department of Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics designed and continue to implement the program. Qualified individuals from the UW Health Sciences Professional Schools and foreign scholars who are studying at the UW are eligible to apply for acceptance into the program.

Dying patients' need for emotional support and personalized care from physicians: perspectives of patients with terminal illness, families, and health care providers.

This study addressed the emotional and personal needs of dying patients and the ways physicians help or hinder these needs. Twenty focus groups were held with 137 individuals, including patients with chronic and terminal illnesses, family members, health care workers, and physicians. Content analyses were performed based on grounded theory.

Physicians' interactions with health care teams and systems in the care of dying patients: perspectives of dying patients, family members, and health care professionals.

This study investigated the specific physician skills required to interact with health care systems in order to provide high quality care at the end of life. We used focus groups of patients with terminal diseases, family members, nurses and social workers from hospice or acute care settings, and physicians. We performed content analysis based on grounded theory.

Patients' perspectives on physician skill in end-of-life care: differences between patients with COPD, cancer, and AIDS.

Objectives: Patients' views of physician skill in providing end-of-life care may vary across different diseases, and understanding these differences will help physicians improve the quality of care they provide for patients at the end of life. The objective of this study was to examine the perspectives of patients with COPD, cancer, or AIDS regarding important aspects of physician skill in providing end-of-life care.

Design: Qualitative study using focus groups and content analysis based on grounded theory.