Tami Photinos, Executive Director, The Prince Charles Hospital

Welcome to the second week of 2023! We are starting to see more activity around the hospital with the return of staff, patients and visitors following the holiday break.

In the coming weeks, we can also expect to see many new starters throughout the hospital, so I encourage you to make them feel welcome and a part of our TPCH team.

Most staff would now be aware the Queensland Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 came into effect on 1 January 2023. This means that patients may now ask questions about or initiate a request for voluntary assisted dying (VAD).  This represents a significant change for us as healthcare workers, so it is essential we understand our rights and obligations to ensure we can appropriately support our patients and community. All staff, especially those in clinical areas, are strongly encouraged to complete the Voluntary Assisted Dying Education module for healthcare workers. The training only takes 45 minutes and will equip you with the knowledge to meet your obligations to our patients and community.

For more information, I invite you to read the first newsletter of Metro North’s VAD Support Service.
Metro North VAD Support Service Newsletter – January 2023

Executive Update

This week, Director of Operations, Heart and Lung, Karen Leighton and I had the opportunity to view a Transaortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure in our Hybrid Operating Theatre. It was exciting to see the team, led by cardiologists, Dr Karl Poon and Dr Chris Raffel in action, skilfully and calmly navigating their way through this specialised procedure. A special thanks to Prof Greg Scalia, Clinical Director Echocardiography for taking the time to explain the procedure to us, step-by-step, and to the entire team for allowing us to be present. It was a great experience!

Also this week, Acting Director Medical Services, Dr Paul Lane and I attended a special event to recognise those junior doctors who completed their medical internship at TPCH in 2022. It was interesting to hear from some of the interns who spoke about their experiences throughout the year, and we wish them all the best in their future careers as doctors. A big thanks to Dr Andy Teodorczuk, Dr Chaitanya Kotapati and the Medical Education Team for organising such a great event.

FAST FACTS

As the first Fast Facts for 2023, we will profile our Cardiac Investigations Unit.
Did you know?:

• The Cardiac Investigations Unit (CIU) consists of a multidisciplinary team of cardiac scientists, cardiac radiographers, medical, nursing, administrative and operational support staff.
• In 2022, CIU performed over 58,000 diagnostic tests
• The Cardiac Sciences Unit in CIU provides pacemaker telehealth service from Brisbane to Rockhampton, the approximate geographical area of South Korea. The Pacemaker Telehealth Service saves patients approximately 430,000 kilometres of road travel each year.
• The Catheter Lab in CIU performs close to 4,500 invasive procedures each year, recording the highest volume of percutaneous valve replacement in Queensland.
• In the last 12 months, the Echocardiography Lab used approximately 1,000 litres of ultrasound gel, which is equivalent to four wheelie bins.
• Last year, the CIU Administration team received approximately 52,000 phone calls.
• If you lay all the ECG tabs used on patients in 2021-22 end to end, you could line the road from TPCH to Redcliffe Hospital with ECG stickers. That around 24 kilometres!

Assoc Prof Darryl Burstow

Staff Profile

This week we will profile Cardiologist, Associate Professor Darryl Burstow.

Assoc Prof Burstow has this week seen his last clinical patient after over 30 years of service as one of Australia’s leading clinical cardiologists. Since the early 1980s, when Assoc Prof Burstow was a registrar at TPCH, patients and their loved ones have benefitted from his astute clinical judgement, wisdom and serene bedside manner.

Assoc Prof Burstow has contributed to the cardiology training of two generations of clinicians in Queensland.  Following his time at the Mayo Clinic in the late 1980s, he has been established as an international expert in the discipline of echocardiography.  He has mentored, tutored and trained almost every echocardiography doctor who has trained in Queensland, and many of the cardiac sonographers practising throughout Australia.

Instrumental in the establishment of the Echo Australia training program which has included over 20 of these conferences, Assoc Prof Burstow has supported the training of nearly 8000 people in the technical and clinical elements of echocardiography.  He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, hundreds of conference abstracts, and given thousands of hours of lecture time, both nationally and internationally. In recent years, he has also had the opportunity to travel to Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo to undertake humanitarian work with not-for-profit charity AusHeal, helping train local physicians in clinical cardiology and echocardiography.

As a wise and considered physician, Assoc Prof Burstow’s clinical opinion and judgement have been extensively sought and are widely respected by junior and senior medical staff alike.  TPCH looks forward to having Assoc Prof Burstow continue with his echocardiography practice over the next few years on a part-time basis.

When not at work, Assoc Prof Burstow enjoys serving within his church community, fun runs, watching cricket and spending time (and hopefully more) with wife Martha and their extended family.
Shout out

This week’s shout out goes to one of our Adult Emergency Department nurses who received an outstanding compliment from a patient who recently visited the department. The compliment highlights how our conduct and actions can make a real difference to the experience of our patients.

By far and away, the most incredible member of staff in their role was a particular nurse I came across during the end of my stay in emergency. I don’t think I have the words for what an incredible, special (all-round) employee and just even general person this lady is. She came into my room and was like the brightest light of a person I think I’ve ever come into contact with. Occasionally I come across people that are excellent in their professional roles, and I always take note, because it’s just something you have a great deal of appreciation for, and that level of excellence is truly uncommon enough now to be noteworthy. But this lady took it even past that level.

Not even on one hand can I say I’ve come across someone this truly, magnificently excellent in a professional role, and just in general, honestly. She was just endless humour, wit, charisma and personality, and she was just HUMAN in the best possible way. On top of this, she was just the most kind and compassionate person. She treated me with the utmost dignity, respect, and professionalism. She made me feel comfortable and laugh (despite my resolution not to with a tube down my throat that I couldn’t stand due to the nausea it invoked). I cannot thank her enough! TPCH has the biggest asset in this lady. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks TPCH!
Well done to this staff member, what wonderful feedback to receive! A shining example of values in action.

Today’s quote
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” –
Leo Buscaglia
Tami Photinos
Executive Director