MUSC Catalyst

February 10, 2012

MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA

Vol. 30, No. 24

Inside

SNOOZE

or you lose

Future Dentists

3

Wofford College students take advantage of dentistry partnership.

MUSC sleep experts share wake-up call to the critical role sleep plays in health

By Dawn Brazell Public Relations

T

he world would be a much better place if people would get more sleep.

That’s what Fitzgerald Drummond, M.D., and staff at MUSC’s Sleep Disorders Center believe. Drummond would like physicians to take sleep disorders more seriously, assessing patients on the quality of their sleep just as they gather information on other health markers, such as weight and blood pressure.

Recent studies indicate that nearly one in three adults in the U.S. reported getting less than seven hours of sleep per night, and about 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders. Sleep specialists are finding chronic sleep loss to be associated with a wide range of health issues, including

“

Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. It’s just as important as nutrition.

Joe Secondary

”

obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, depression and other psychological disorders.

What Joe Secondary, sleep technologist at MUSC, finds is that most people aren’t aware of the huge impact the quality of their sleep has on the quality of their waking hours.

“Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. It’s

just as important as nutrition. It’s just as important to sleep better as it is to eat better.

One of the things that we’re sacrificing big time in our busy, busy lifestyles is our nutrition – our obesity rates are higher.

We’re sacrificing our nutrition, and we’re sacrificing our sleep as well. We’re shaving time here and we’re shaving time there. Now we’re getting less sleep, and we’re seeing more sleep disorders.”

A common sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), affects more than 18 million Americans. MUSC soon will be offering portable sleep testing studies to evaluate adult patients for this condition, which is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep.

Secondary said the studies will allow

See Snooze on page 8

Charity Ball

6

Local charities will benefit from College of Medicine’s event.

4 Currents 5 Meet Woody 11 Classifieds

the C ata ly s t Online http:// www.musc. edu/ catalyst

2 The CaTalyST, February 10, 2012

Eliminating trans fats may help prevent heart attacks W

hat better month to focus on heart health than February. Hearts will be plastered on every greeting card, chocolate box and jewelry advertisement to promote Cupid and his sweethearts.

Let’s take advantage of all this attention on our impressive cardiac muscle to outline the importance that fats in our diet have for heart health. Americans have actually reduced the intake of calories from fats from 45 percent in the 1960s to 33 percent now. Experts point out that it’s the type of fat that impacts our cardiovascular health the most. Here’s a breakdown starting with the worst fats and finishing Lucie Maguire Kramer with the heart healthy fats.

Trans fats are a category of fats that are artificially created by partially hydrogenating an unsaturated oil yielding a solid, extremely shelf-stable fat, such as those in packaged baked goods and crackers. Trans fats wreak havoc on

Nutrition matters

our cardiovascular system by raising harmful LDL, lowering beneficial HDL and triggering inflammation.

By eliminating artificial trans fats from our diets alone, Americans could prevent approximately 200,000 heart attacks and associated deaths each year. While food labels list trans fats, a quantity is shown only if a serving of the food contains more than 0.5g of trans fats. There is no safe amount of trans fat, so to completely avoid them, read the ingredients.

If any ingredients are “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated,” then definitely skip that product. Fried foods in fast food restaurants are also a common source of trans fats.

Saturated fats, those found in animals, seafood and a few plant sources (coconut and palm oils), are nonessential, so our bodies make all the saturated fats we need. We actually don’t have to eat any. Saturated fats have undesirable effects on our cardiovascular system, primarily by raising our LDL cholesterol, which is the “bad” cholesterol in our blood. It is best to reduce saturated fat and focus on the healthy fats. Choose lean meats or vegetable proteins, low-fat dairy and olive or canola oils instead of butter or margarine.

Internal Medicine to sponsor student career day Feb. 17

The Department of Medicine will be hosting an Internal Medicine Student Career Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Feb. 17 on the first floor of the Colbert Education Center & Library building.

Any medical student wishing to learn more about the careers and opportunities available within Internal Medicine are welcome to attend. The divisions being represented will be Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, General Internal Medicine/Hospitalists, Hematology/

Editorial of fice MUSC Office of Public Relations 135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C, Charleston, SC 29425.

843-792-4107 Fax: 843-792-6723 Editor: Kim Draughn catalyst@musc.edu Catalyst staff: Cindy Abole, aboleca@musc.edu Dawn Brazell, brazell@musc.edu

Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Nephrology, Pulmonary/Critical Care, and Rheumatology. Representatives from Internal Medicine, Residency, Emergency Medicine Residency, Med/ Pediatrics and Med/Psychiatry will also be available to answer questions.

Free registration for the American College of Physicians will also be provided. There will also be opportunities for students to win prizes.

If you have any questions, contact Mary Ann Snell, student coordinator, at 792-7282 or email snellma@musc.edu.

The Catalyst is published once a week.

Paid adver tisements, which do not represent an endorsement by MUSC or the State of South Carolina, are handled by Island Publications Inc., Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or 843-958-7490. E-mail: sales@moultrienews.com.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, fish, walnuts and flax seeds. One type of polyunsaturated fats that gets a lot of attention is anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, which are found in fatty fish, flax seeds, walnuts, and canola oil. Omega-3 fats are essential, because our bodies cannot make them. They are crucial for brain development and maintenance.

Monounsaturated fats have a powerful protective effect on our cardiovascular system. Monounsaturated fats are found in canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil, nuts and seeds, and avocados. Both poly- and monounsaturated fats do the opposite of trans fats; they decrease LDL, increase HDL and have an antiinflammatory effect. Most Americans do not get enough unsaturated fats.

To summarize: q Replace trans fats and saturated fats with hearthealthy poly- and monounsaturated fats, such as fatty fish, nuts, seeds, avocados and canola and olive oils. q Strictly avoid foods with trans fats q For information, visit the American Heart Association at http://www.heart.org.

The CaTalyST, February 10, 2012 3

Partnership hopes to prepare state’s future dentists

By CinDy aBole Public Relations

Wofford students visit the College of Dental Medicine Jan. 12. and challenges. He signed up for Bass’ helpful. dental project class and was impressed “Being a participant in this program with what he saw. Mostly, Lakis was has helped me realize the hard work and commitment that’s involved in achieving drawn to the technical and clinical aspects of dentistry as featured in the a quality dental education. I’m glad to Aisic and Riva Hirsch Dental Simulation have been part of this experience.”

Lab and the James B. Edwards Dental Bennettsville native Lakis is a thirdClinical Education Center. year chemistry major. He initially felt The experience allowed the students to that medicine was his life’s calling. meet with dental faculty and enrollment But after spending time shadowing a and financial aid personnel to review physician as part of an internship, Lakis requirements necessary to apply to dental was unsure about the long work hours

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For years, Wofford College students who showed an interest in dentistry have taken advantage of a pre-dental advising and dental interim program established by the school. Results of this partnership have prepared some of the state’s dental professionals while improving the oral health of many South Carolinians.

In January, Wofford students Lindsay Warren, Emmanuel Lakis, Becca Bryson, Brantlee Tinsley, Greg Valainis and Andrew Hansen signed up with Charles Bass’ Independent Projects in the Sciences class. Bass, Ph.D., is the Dr. and Mrs. Larry Hearn McCalla Professor in Wofford’s Department of Chemistry, and has led this effort for more than 15 years. As part of the curriculum, students spent three days visiting MUSC’s dental school meeting with faculty, staff and students.

Bryson, a junior from Kingston, Tenn., is a third-year biology major and business minor. Bryson found the experience

school. They also attended scheduled dental classes for each dental year to sample the curriculum and met with current dental students, especially Wofford alumni.

Tariq Javed, DMD, associate dean for academic and student affairs in the dental school, is a proponent of the partnership. “We commend the leadership and commitment of Dr. Bass and the school’s successful pre-dental program throughout these many years.”

Matthew Nimmich, a third-year dental student and 2009 Wofford College alumnus, met with the visiting students.

These students shared their experiences including addressing questions about the dental school applications process housing, debt and student life.

“I thought that Wofford’s dental interim program was very helpful to me as an undergrad student. The program allows college students a chance to get a month’s worth of shadowing with dentists in the upstate area as well as a weeklong experience to observe daily life at dental school.”

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Currents Feb. 7 People – Fostering employee pride and loyalty

Employee of the Month – December Lori Stivers, Ambulatory Care administrative assistant, was praised for her efforts in helping a Hollings Cancer Center patient and her daughter realize a special Christmas gift and participation in the 2011 MUSC Holiday Parade. Stivers, who is a member of the MUSC Angel Tree board, responded by acquiring a Disney Cinderella costume and other items to share with the patient’s daughter. Stivers’ commitment inspired all types of support in time for the Dec. 9 event. (Nominated by Carmen Rice).

Service – Serving the public with compassion, respect and excellence

Maggie Thompson, Patient and Family Centered Care Group manager provided an overview about her group. The group has three key areas of responsibility: serve as patient family liaisons, work to support the adoption of patient and family centered philosophy and practices, and oversee the patient survey process.

She introduced her team including Lisa M. Montgomery, Torri Jacobsen and Trenace Washington.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires hospitals to have a formal process to receive and respond to patient complaints.

The patient family liaison process was established to centrally manage the medical center’s response to patient and family concerns or complaints.

Patients and families can express concerns via a phone line, 792-5555, letters, an intranet form, in-person meetings, as well as requests through staff or physicians. Complaints are tracked in

a secure database to ensure that all are resolved appropriately. The team also collaborates with Risk Management to manage clinical issues.

The medical center’s current complaint volume averages between 80 to 100 new complaints per month. Their goal is to resolve 75 percent or more within seven days. In the last quarter, the group resolved 90 percent within seven days. However, reports indicate that staff are receiving multiple call backs from patients asking for additional help, to disagree with an outcome from a complaint or share new concerns.

Thompson shared some complaint stories with managers using alias names for patient confidentiality. These stories illustrate how her group responds compassionately to patient complaints and how they use some to launch process improvement projects, which will result in overall improved care of patients.

For information, contact Thompson at thompsof@musc.edu.

Wellness update Susan Johnson, Ph.D., Employee Wellness Program coordinator, reviewed the campus’ plans for smoking cessation support aligning with the campus’ March 1 tobacco-free campus policy. Johnson discussed the Lunch and Learn events including a holistic approach to smoking cessation on Feb. 15 and successful quitting strategies on Feb. 29. Also scheduled are tobacco-free Tuesdays sessions on Feb. 14 and Feb. 28 (Pitch the Pack) and Feb. 21 (Quit for Life).

Other programs being explored are health care worker fatigue, which is a Joint Commission sentinel event alert.

Surveys will be administered to shift workers in the coming weeks. A Lunch and Learn event on sleep strategies for shift workers will be held at 12:15 p.m., Feb. 13 in Room 118, Colbert Education Center & Library building.

Other February wellness events mobile mammograms — Harborview Office Tower, Feb. 15; Pilates and yoga, Feb. 15; Tuberculosis Skin Test Satellite Clinic, Feb. 2l; and a worksite screening, Feb. 22 (Wellness Center auditorium).

To Medical Center Employees We have sought to increase attendance at the medical center town hall meetings and I am pleased we are on track to exceed 1,500 participants when the town hall sessions wrap up this week. A Tegrity recording of the town hall presentation will be posted on the intranet the week of Feb. 13.

Among other topics, we discussed plans for implementation of a tobacco-free campus policy throughout MUSC effective March 1. The tobacco-free campus implementation plan has been met with enthusiastic support, for the most part, but questions were raised during town hall meetings concerning enforcement. The monitoring and enforcement of this policy is the responsibility of all employees, students and volunteers. Each individual should consistently and politely bring any infraction of this policy to the attention of the person or persons observed violating the policy. MUSC Department of Public Safety and medical center Safety & Security will assist in the enforcement of this policy by reporting violations to the appropriate manager or supervisor. Tobacco-Free Campus Policy information cards will be available to facilitate the education and enforcement of the policy. Education concerning the implementation, including support for smoking cessation, will continue in the months ahead. Visit http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/tobaccofree/.

During our sessions we have recognized a outstanding accomplishments by individuals and groups, including recognition of PICU by the S.C. Hospital association for a track record of two years with no central line-associated blood stream infections. At the Feb. 7 management communication meeting, Bill Spring, Heart & Vascular Administrator, congratulated Dawn Taylor, interim operations coordinator, CTICU, and her team for being in their 21st month without a central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI). There are other demonstrations of quality excellence such as the team on 9West, under the direction of Ramona Smith, which has been 24 months CLABSI free.

Finally, I want to congratulate College of Nursing faculty members and medical center nursing leaders for being selected for the distinguished Palmetto Gold award. Each year 100 nurse professionals throughout the state are selected as Palmetto Gold recipients for their excellence in nursing practice and commitment to the profession.

CON winners: Berry Anderson, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor; Ruth Conner, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor; Brian Conner, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor; Sally Kennedy, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-C, CNE, assistant professor; and Ida Spruill, Ph.D., R.N., LISW, FAAN, assistant professor. Medical center winners: Perette Sabatino, R.N., BSN, Stroke Program manager; Linda Formby, BSN, CIC, manager, Infection Prevention & Control; Leianne Jinkins, R.N., BSN, CPUI, VABC, VAIN Team; and Deb Cassidy, R.N., BSC, assistant nurse manager and Unit Educator, 6 East.

W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center MUSC Excellence website Joan Herbert, organizational performance director, spoke about changes to the medical center’s MUSC Excellence information accessible via the MUHA intranet.

All Leadership Development Institute information will be merged to one MUSC Excellence link. This will include communications meeting reports, presentation materials, service teams and other resources.

Announcements q Dan O’Donnell was named the new director of Organizational Access,

Revenue Cycles Administration.

O’Donnell previously worked at the Cleveland Clinic and Akron (Ohio) Medical Center. q Dawn Taylor, CTICU interim operations coordinator, and her cardiothoracic team at Ashley River Tower were praised for reaching the 21st consecutive month without a central line-associated bloodstream infection q Leandra McHellon is the new office manager in Women’s Services.

McHellon worked previously as a grants administrator for the Digestive Disease Center. q The next meeting is Feb. 21.

The CaTalyST, February 10, 2012 5

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2012 MUSC Charity Ball marks 25th anniversary

By hollen DoDDS Public Relations

In what is the most anticipated social event of the academic year, the Charity Ball marks its 25th anniversary, with plans to break prior fundraising efforts.

The Charity Ball gives students, alumni, faculty and staff the opportunity to support local charities while interacting outside of the classroom.

Shivam Desai, a second-year College of Medicine (COM) student, decided to join the committee as soon as he came to MUSC. “I wanted to get involved in working for a good cause while becoming familiar with the community. I have definitely learned a lot about Charleston through this experience,” he said.

The ball is co-sponsored by members of the COM Student Council and the Medical Student Alumni Council (MSAC). The alumni council seeks donations for the silent auction while the student council promotes the event to the public and advertisers.

Attendees bid on silent auction items during the 2011 Charity Ball.

The committee members work months in advance with the help of Charity Ball director, Krista Mysock, to prepare for the event. Mysock said the ball raised more than $19,000 last year, with this year’s goal to raise even more money. More than 400 MUSC students, physicians, faculty and staff along with several members of the Charleston community attended last year.

Dean emeritus and professor Layton McCurdy, M.D., has been attending the ball since 1990. He has made several

contributions to the ball throughout the years ranging from donating artwork to auctioning off his bartending services for a night. “This event is just too good to miss,” McCurdy said.

The Charity Ball committee members work with MUSC Gives Back to review and select the charities from a large pool of non-profit organization applicants.

Some organizations have been recipients for many years while others are newcomers.

One charity, Crisis Ministries, has been a longtime recipient of ball funds since the event’s first year. Amy Zeigler, Crisis Ministries director of community outreach, said the organization is grateful for the continued support. “The funding helps us to finance our full-time health clinic and provide medication to those without financial assistance programs such as Medicaid.”

This year’s ball will be held at Memminger Auditorium Feb. 18.

Hamby Catering and Events will provide the décor and heavy hor d’oeuvres for

COM Student Council Kristie Day, Michael Fitzgerald, Kevin Gibbs, Stephanie Robinson, Stephen Ramey, Shivam Desai, Simone Maybin, Maggie Stafford and Taylor Stukes Medical Student Alumni Council Satara Brown, Crystal Fancher and Ryan Wade the evening. Guests will be entertained by live music from the band Permanent Vacation and given the chance to bid on artwork, jewelry and getaways.

2012 Charity Ball reCipients Crisis Ministries; The Community Center at St. Matthews Lutheran Church; Helping and Lending Outreach Support; Lutheran Hospice Lowcountry; Sea Island Habitat for Humanity; MUSC Student Initiatives: Community Aid, Relief, Education, and Support Clinic; Crisis Ministries Wednesday Night Clinic and Fight for Sight.

Tickets and donations may be made at http://www.musc.edu/charityball.

The Catalyst, February 10, 2012 7

Teddy Bear Clinic sees patients

eMployee Wellness

Child life specialist Erin Farella talks to Frida and Bambi during MUSC Pediatric Emergency Department’s (ED) Teddy Bear Clinic Jan. 28. Children were invited to experience the hospital in a nonthreatening way by bringing their favorite teddy bear or stuffed animal to the ED to be a patient for the day. At the clinic, children were exposed to the hospital environment in a hands-on experience and parents met the staff. The Pediatric ED’s Teddy Bear Clinic, located at 96 Jonathan Lucas St., saw 34 “patients,” 64 percent of whom had never been to MUSC prior to this event. The next Teddy Bear Clinic is planned for the summer.

q Tobacco Free Tuesdays: Free one-session class created to provide employees and students the opportunity to learn about cessation options during their lunch break. The next class is at noon, Feb. 14. To register, email muscempwell@musc.edu. q “Pitch The Pack” Smoking Cessation Clinics: Monthly three-session cessation clinics facilitated by a multi-disciplinary team is free for MUSC employees, students and family members. The next clinic begins at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 13. Visit http://mcintranet.musc.edu/health1st and click on “Smoking Cessation Enrollment Form” to register or email musc-empwell@musc.edu. q Lunch & Learn: This session, from 12:15 - 12:45 p.m., Feb. 15, will introduce techniques and supporting research that can lead to natural smoking cessation, with long-term efficacy that beats the odds of many pharmaceutical approaches. Email musc-empwell@musc. edu to register. q Lunch & Learn: Sleep Strategies for

Shift Workers. Discover how to reduce negative effects of fatigue though sleep hygiene from 12:15 - 12:45 p.m., Feb. 13.

Email musc-empwell@musc.edu. q MUSC Employee Fitness Series: Join Katie Blaylock for a free pilates/ yoga class from 4:15 – 4:45 p.m., Feb. 15. Registration is required. Sign up by sending your name and email to muscempwell@musc.edu. q Worksite Screening: The next worksite screening will be held Feb. 22 in the Wellness Center auditorium. This screening is available to employees with the State Health Plan for $15 (covered spouses can also participate for $15).

Employees and spouses without this insurance can participate for $42. Visit http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/ health1st and click "Worksite Screening." q Mobile mammograms: The Hollings Cancer Center Mobile Van will be conducting mammograms from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Feb. 15 at Harborview Office Tower. Call 792-0878 to schedule an appointment.

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Snooze Continued from Page One

testing to be done in the comfort of people’s homes, providing more screening and evaluation options and almost doubling the number of patients who can be treated.

The MUSC sleep center has purchased two portable units and will be initiating inpatient tests within the next few months to evaluate the procedure for home use. Ultimately these portable tests will reduce costs to insurance companies and patients.

“It’s an advantage of the patient to be in their home as opposed to being in a strange environment. There’s less equipment to wear. These studies are for obstructive sleep apnea patients specifically, which is the majority of our patients. It looks at respiration, oxygen levels, pulse and EKG. It’s four channels as opposed to 18.”

The field of sleep study compared to other medical specialties still is in its infancy. The first continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP devices began being used in the 1980s, he said. Now specialty areas are developing including research into pediatric sleep disorders and into the rising number of people who suffer from insomnia.

Andrei B. Vedeniapin, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and one of MUSC’s insomnia experts, said there is no magic pill so far to cure chronic insomnia. Chronic insomnia is more complicated than a case of sleep deprivation or poor sleep related to a condition such as sleep apnea. It’s a separate medical diagnosis, he said.

Chronic insomnia may lead to daytime sleepiness and fatigue and contribute to developing anxiety, depression or substance abuse. The patient is advised on good sleep hygiene rules, but sometimes following these rules still is not enough to give patients suffering from chronic insomnia a good night’s sleep where they awaken feeling rested.

“Then, sleep medicine together with psychology and psychiatry may provide important help to patients with chronic insomnia.”

MUSC has a Sleep Research Data Repository Project that is collecting comprehensive sleep-related information on people with sleep disorders, with one

tips FOr sweet Dreams

Here are sleep technologist Joe Secondary’s suggestions for a great night’s rest.

Sleep technologist Joe Secondary enjoys educating patients about sleep.

For information on the Sleep Disorders Center, visit http://www. muschealth.com/sleeplab/ or watch a video at http://tinyurl.com/74aj5xv. focus area being insomnia. This repository will provide information for future research projects in this area. There also are weekly sleep research meetings at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences that are dedicated to discussions about new sleep-related research being conducted within the department and worldwide.

The meetings are for all professionals interested in sleep research and sleep medicine, he said.

A problem for many people, whether they have chronic insomnia or not, is sleep deprivation. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults receive between seven to nine hours per night; school children age 5 to 12, 10 to 11 hours; and adolescents, 11 to 17 years old, eight and a half to nine and a half hours.

Secondary said the more consolidated REM or rapid-eye movement sleep happens during the second half of the night, more in the early morning hours.

Electronic stimulation and busy lifestyles make it harder to get to bed earlier, so that REM sleep often gets sacrificed.

Other important factors are medications that can interrupt sleep and substances such as alcohol and caffeine.

“In REM your brain is very active.

That’s where the brain is preparing for the new challenges of the day. Alcohol as a sedative makes you sleepy, but it can lead to a more fragmented and less restorative sleep. It also can increase

apnea problems.”

Secondary likes to educate the public on healthy sleep habits and the latest treatments, medications and devices – such as customized CPAP machines including a smaller one for women that’s now available. One of the new treatments is a clinical trial studying the effectiveness of a new therapy for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. MUSC is participating in the STAR clinical trial that uses an implantable therapy that works with the body’s natural physiology to prevent airway obstruction.

Secondary said it’s important that more research is being done about sleep disorders, especially given the rise of sleep disorders in children. In some cases, children are being medicated for such conditions as ADHD when their symptoms could be solved by addressing their sleep deprivation. It’s important that parents realize that children need more sleep than they may think. Some states have pushed back school start times in recognition that students need later start times, he said.

“I wish people knew how important sleep is to their long-term health. You sacrifice sleep, and you sacrifice years off the end of your life. If you sleep better, you’re going to live better. You’re going to have more energy during the day, and you’re going to feel more rested, and you’ll function better. It’s a general building block of your life.”

1. Train the brain that the bed’s for sleep. It’s a psychological factor. You want the brain to know it’s not your office or play area. It’s not your Facebook time. You want to train your body so that your sleep hormones initiate properly.

2. Create a dark environment.

Turn off the TV and other electronic equipment. The bursts of light from electronic sources can disrupt people’s circadian rhythm.

3. Limit nicotine, caffeine and alcohol before bed. Alcohol and caffeine can affect the quality of sleep. You can have increased arousals and fragmentation, and it decreases rapid eye movement sleep.

4. Set up a sleep schedule.

Make sleep intentional and adjust your schedule to allow the mind to wind down.

Try to settle issues before going to bed and have a relaxing routine before bed.

Any relaxation technique – breathing exercises or yoga – can help. “A lot of people find their minds are racing – there’s too much going, too much thinking – and they can’t wind down.”

5. Avoid exercise too close to bedtime.

6. Try keeping a sleep diary. You can download one at http:// yoursleep.aasmnet.org/pdf/ sleepdiary.pdf. Pay attention to your fatigue levels during the day. “People have gotten so used to it that they don’t realize they are fatigued.

Track what’s going on.”

The CaTalysT, February 10, 2012 9

Survey hopes to help shift workers, sleep habits

Health at work

The surveys are conducted by the MUSC Employee Wellness Program in partnership with the MUSC Dietetic Internship. The results will be used to help create a campaign designed to improve specific concerns and issues related to shift work. This survey is voluntary and anonymous.

One of the recent reports on the need for this kind of focus was an alert from The Joint Commission on health care worker fatigue and patient safety focusing on the need to address the issue, given the consequences of fatigue to both patients and workers, primarily based on research related to nurses working extended shifts and studies looking at the impact of long resident duty hours.

Recommendations in this alert give health care organizations strategies to help reduce the risks of fatigue that result from extended work hours, reducing the likelihood that fatigue will contribute to preventable patient harm.

For more information, visit http:// www.jointcommission.org/sea_ issue_48/.

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Shift work sleep disorder affects people who frequently rotate shifts or work at night, causing a recurrent pattern of sleep interruption, resulting in insomnia or excessive sleepiness during waking hours. Health care workers, nurses in particular who work the night shift are more likely to have poor sleep habits, a practice that can increase the likelihood of committing serious errors that can put the safety of themselves as well as their patients at risk, according to a study

published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

For information on the importance of sleep, visit http://www.muschealth.com/ sleeplab/ or attend “Sleep Strategies for Shift Workers” session at 12:15 p.m., Feb. 13 in Room 118, Colbert Education Center & Library. Email musc-empwell@ musc.edu to register.

Contact Susan Johnson at johnsusa@ musc.edu to become involved in employee wellness at MUSC.

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Responding to research citing the level of health care worker fatigue, MUSC Employee Wellness is developing a campaign to create a work environment that minimizes the effects of fatigue on employees.

The first part of the campaign will be to Susan Johnson gather information from nurses and other shift workers who are being asked to respond to surveys in a research study. Research suggests that health care workers, particularly nurses, tend to work longer shifts with fewer breaks than most Americans. The study is designed to determine the effects of this long and often unpredictable schedule on overall nutritional health and wellness.

There will be multiple surveys done to hit all shift workers, with the first set starting Feb. 17 to focus on nurses.

10 The CaTalyST, February 10, 2012

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The CaTalyST, February 10, 2012 11

Helping You Find the Right Place, at the Right Time!

CLASSIFIED P AGE • Household Personal Items for MUSC employees are free.

Finding the right place to live is a full time job so let us do all the work for you! Whether you are looking to buy or sell, we have all of our bases covered to make sure the price is right. Over the years, we’ve built a reputation as a team that cares about the community we serve, because the people we serve are our friends and neighbors.

All other classifieds are charged at rate below. Ads considered venture-making ads (puppy breeder, coffee business, home for sale, etc.) will be charged as PAID ADS •• PROOF OF ELIGIBILITY REQUIRED * NO MORE THAN 3 LINES * FREE ADS RUN 2 WEEKS ONLY!

PAID ADS are $3 per line ( 1 line = 35 characters) DEADLINE: TUESDAY – 10:00 AM * CLASSIFIED ADS CAN BE E-MAILED TO sales@moultrienews.com, OR MAILED (134 Columbus St., Charleston SC 29403) Please call 849-1778 with questions. *Must provide Badge No. and Department of Employment for employees and Student I.D. Number for MUSC Students.

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Wagner Terrace 2BR/1BA apt for rent $950/mo. 3 mi to MUSC, HW floors, no pets/ smoking 843-296-8263 West Ashley - Jervey St. 3BR/ 2BA brick, CH&A, new carpet, appliances, garage. No pets, credit check & refs. $1295/mo.

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12 The CaTalyST, February 10, 2012