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Promoting Spine Health For Adolescent Athletes, Taylor R. Walker Jan 2024

Promoting Spine Health For Adolescent Athletes, Taylor R. Walker

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Based on interviews with local stakeholders in public health and literature review, developed an informational brochure for high school athletes containing prevention and management strategies and resources for low back pain. The aim of this project is to help young athletes stay healthy and live well as they age by promoting spine health.


Improving Care For Lgbtq+ Patients, Justin Henningsen Jan 2024

Improving Care For Lgbtq+ Patients, Justin Henningsen

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

LGBTQ+ patients are at higher risks for many health conditions. Providers and staff are not always comfortable supporting conversations about gender and sexuality. In this project, I provided training to staff members of Hardwick Area Health Center on risks and best practices.


Increasing Patient Awareness And Education Surrounding Prescription Weight Loss Medications, Anirudh A. Hirve Jan 2024

Increasing Patient Awareness And Education Surrounding Prescription Weight Loss Medications, Anirudh A. Hirve

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Obesity is a growing problem in the United States. While it remains important for clinicians to emphasize health supportive behaviors including dietary modification and exercise when counseling patients, the advent of new weight loss medications has created a need for patient education materials regarding these interventions for a growing number of patients who request them at primary care visits. This project created a smart phrase in the electronic medical record summarizing weight loss medications currently available on the market to transform patient counseling and enable better shared decision making between patients and providers.


Quality Improvement Of X-Ray Imaging For Unspecified Chronic Knee Pain And Suspected Knee Osteoarthritis In The Primary Care Setting, Ty E. Bever Jan 2024

Quality Improvement Of X-Ray Imaging For Unspecified Chronic Knee Pain And Suspected Knee Osteoarthritis In The Primary Care Setting, Ty E. Bever

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Although a comprehensive history and physical exam are the mainstays of initial evaluation, plain X-rays are clinically indicated for chronic knee pain of greater than 6 weeks duration and acute traumatic pain in patients who meet specific evidence-based criteria, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). However, there remains significant variation in what radiographic protocols are used in clinical practice, specifically in terms of what radiographic views are ordered and whether the imaging is performed with the patient weight-bearing (WB) or non-weight-bearing (NWB). In fact, several studies have shown that non-weight-bearing knee radiographs are frequently ordered by general …


Bridging Language Barriers In Clinical Screening: Leveraging Large Language Models (Llms) To Generate Bilingual Screening Surveys For Patients With Limited English Proficiency (Plep), Tyler Vandyk Jan 2024

Bridging Language Barriers In Clinical Screening: Leveraging Large Language Models (Llms) To Generate Bilingual Screening Surveys For Patients With Limited English Proficiency (Plep), Tyler Vandyk

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This study addresses the critical need for accessible clinical screening in communities with a high incidence of Patients with Limited English Proficiency (PLEP). Recognizing the limitations of existing interpreter services and the scarcity of validated translations for standard clinical surveys like PHQ-9 and GAD-7, we developed a novel approach leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs). Our method utilizes GPT-4 to create bilingual versions of these surveys, which are then formatted into printable PDFs via a Python script and LuaLaTeX compiler. The resulting surveys, validated for translation accuracy and cultural competency, are made accessible through a Google repository. Preliminary results demonstrate that …


Cigarette Smoking Cessation Tool, Pavan K. Anant Jan 2024

Cigarette Smoking Cessation Tool, Pavan K. Anant

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

In Vermont, tobacco use disorder is a pervasive problem that closely rivals national averages. The Cigarette Smoking Cessation Tool seeks to identify patients with significant motivation to quit smoking cigarettes' and aims to connect them with appropriate local resources and clinic advocates.


Nutritional Support For Oncology Patients: Role For The Pcp, Annabelle S. Feist Jan 2024

Nutritional Support For Oncology Patients: Role For The Pcp, Annabelle S. Feist

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Adequate nutrition is a key prognostic factor in the treatment outcomes of patients with cancer diagnoses. Despite the increased morbidity and mortality of malnutrition, the importance of nutrition for oncology patients is often not well communicated and not well understood by patients. Part of this issue stems from the limited information most patient can absorb at any given doctors appointment, especially regarding their cancer. Primary care providers hold a unique position to fill this gap and have the information be heard and retained given their usual role in addressing overall health. This project compiles resources in an easily accessible and …


Increasing Equitable Cardiovascular Disease Screening And Prevention For Women Of Low Socioeconomic Status: You First, Isabel N. Martinez Daniel Jan 2024

Increasing Equitable Cardiovascular Disease Screening And Prevention For Women Of Low Socioeconomic Status: You First, Isabel N. Martinez Daniel

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death in females of all ages and races. Given the potential reduction in risk of coronary events with modifiable behaviors, primary care physicians are in a unique position to be able to use shared decision making and patient education to help dramatically reduce the potential burden of cardiovascular disease. Consideration for social determinants of health, such SES, should not be forgotten when aiming to provide adequate and accessible healthcare. Furthermore, the incorporation of unique programs, such as You First, into primary care offices can increase equitable care for patients and …


Extended Release Buprenorphine (Sublocade) Prescribing In Primary Care, Heather Kettlewell Jan 2024

Extended Release Buprenorphine (Sublocade) Prescribing In Primary Care, Heather Kettlewell

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

There are many barriers to accessing opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, especially for rural communities that may be far away from healthcare providers. There is a need for interventions to increase accessibility of OUD treatment. Extended release injectable buprenorphine (Sublocade) provides an option for patients to receive treatment via once a month injections. This could make OUD treatment more accessible to rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients by reducing the number of times they would need to travel to the clinic. Our intervention is to create a protocol for prescribing extended release buprenorphine at Family Medicine Hinesburg.


Planetary Health: Helping Providers And Patients Prepare For Climate Change, Chellam Nayar Jan 2024

Planetary Health: Helping Providers And Patients Prepare For Climate Change, Chellam Nayar

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Climate change has been called the greatest global health threat of the 21st century. The effects of changing temperatures and increasing pollution have been shown to increase the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases, affect respiratory health, increase the risk of new infectious disease outbreaks, affect mental health, and exacerbate inequities between those with means and those without. In Vermont, climate change is leading to an increase in average temperatures, more extreme heat events, shorter winters, more storms, poor air quality due to wildfire smoke, an increase in cyanobacteria blooms, and a longer tick season, among others. This project will …


Movement Matters: Encouraging Activity In Preventive Medicine, Stefanie Geiger Kelsey Jan 2024

Movement Matters: Encouraging Activity In Preventive Medicine, Stefanie Geiger Kelsey

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.


Vermont State Association Of Osteopathic Physician And Surgeons Inc.: Correspondence Soliciting New D.O.S To Vermont, Vermont State Association Of Osteopathic Physicians And Surgeons Inc. Jan 2023

Vermont State Association Of Osteopathic Physician And Surgeons Inc.: Correspondence Soliciting New D.O.S To Vermont, Vermont State Association Of Osteopathic Physicians And Surgeons Inc.

John McPartland, D.O. Collection

A letter from the Vermont State Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, Inc. soliciting D.O.s to move to Vermont.


Current Landscape Of Screening For Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms In Females, Maxwell T. Tulimieri, John G. King Jan 2023

Current Landscape Of Screening For Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms In Females, Maxwell T. Tulimieri, John G. King

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

There is some controversy over if females are under-screened for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). The USPSTF 2019 AAA screening guidelines give an I recommendation for females 65-75 who smoke, yet the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) highly recommends with strong evidence a 1-time screening ultrasound for men or women age 65-75 with a tobacco history. This project entails a 10-minute recorded PowerPoint educational session for Milton Family Practice providers on the current landscape of AAA screening in females including differing practice guidelines and their histories, cause of said discrepancies, associated cost and insurance coverage, and suggested creative solutions to billing …


Ordering Urgent Imaging In Outpatient Primary Care, Amanda Galenkamp Jan 2023

Ordering Urgent Imaging In Outpatient Primary Care, Amanda Galenkamp

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Current imaging order sets in EPIC allow for STAT (<48 hours) or routine (4-6 weeks) radiology scheduling. Patients requiring urgent imaging often are not scheduled in a timely fashion and either re-present to the office or the ED. The goal of this project was to provide a standard operating procedure to providers and staff for patients requiring urgent imaging.


Hazardous Materials In Firefighting: Educating The Exposed, Gregory J. Williams Jan 2023

Hazardous Materials In Firefighting: Educating The Exposed, Gregory J. Williams

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project interviewed volunteer firefighters at the Warren Fire Department to gain a better understanding of their concerns regarding exposure to chemicals while firefighting. It aims to provide information on mitigating the health risks posed by hazardous chemicals via a brochure.


Increasing Provider Awareness Around Siblings Of Individuals With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disability (Idd), Louisa Moore Jan 2023

Increasing Provider Awareness Around Siblings Of Individuals With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disability (Idd), Louisa Moore

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Siblings of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) are not often thought of as a group that needs support in the primary care setting. However, the literature on siblings demonstrates that they have a variety of needs, including support with future planning, caregiving, and their mental and physical health. This project aims to increase awareness of the unique experiences of siblings as well as suggest changes that can be implemented in primary care to provide better support.


Improving Identification Of Peripheral Arterial Disease In The Outpatient Setting, William Robinson Jan 2023

Improving Identification Of Peripheral Arterial Disease In The Outpatient Setting, William Robinson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Over 7 million Americans are known to have peripheral arterial disease (PAD). However, it is well established that many more live with the disease and are simply undiagnosed, often due to variations in presentation. Presence of PAD is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but when caught in its early stages, progression can be slowed with simple conservative measures. Therefore, a more targeted screening program with in-office ankle-brachial index capability (sensitivity and specificity >90% for diagnosing PAD) could identify a debilitating disease much earlier in its course regardless of symptom presentation, and create an opportunity to significantly improve preventative health …


Consent Education For Adolescents, Paige T. Song Jan 2023

Consent Education For Adolescents, Paige T. Song

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

In primary care practices, prevention and early intervention is key. Educating adolescent patients about consent and reinforcing the topic early on may help to decrease the downstream prevalence of sexual violence.


Patient Rights To Prescription Glasses, Louis Briones Jan 2023

Patient Rights To Prescription Glasses, Louis Briones

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Uncorrected Refractive Error (URE) accounts for vision loss in millions of Americans. Eyeglasses are the simplest and safest way to correct refractive errors. Prescription eyewear coverage is not universally covered across most health insurance policies. This project details Medicare and Vermont Medicaid coverage for Prescription Glasses. Also included is information outlining where to buy affordable frames and organizations in Vermont that can help acquire prescriptions not covered by insurance.


Cyanobacteria Blooms: Raising Awareness In A Primary Care Setting, Eliza A. Bradley Jan 2023

Cyanobacteria Blooms: Raising Awareness In A Primary Care Setting, Eliza A. Bradley

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.


Guide2labs: Integrated Patient Education In Epic, Jared Stone Jan 2023

Guide2labs: Integrated Patient Education In Epic, Jared Stone

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project aimed to build on a prior family medicine clerkship project which designed a pamphlet containing high-yield facts to help patients interpret common lab results. An Epic SmartPhrase was created from this information and made available for all users at Colchester Family Medicine. Fewer messages from patients inquiring about lab values would be expected to be routed to providers if this intervention were successful upon further evaluation. Future projects could create SmartPhrases which cover other frequently ordered tests, such as complete blood counts with differential, thryoid cascade, iron studies and urinalysis.


Community Resilience In Vermont After The 2023 Flooding Event, Alex Poniz Jan 2023

Community Resilience In Vermont After The 2023 Flooding Event, Alex Poniz

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Between July 10th-11th 2023 Vermont experienced catastrophic flooding after receiving prolonged heavy rainfall of up to 9” over 48 hrs. Damage from the 2023 event rivals the historic destruction of Hurricane Irene in 2011 and is exceeded only by the Great Vermont Flood of 1927, an event predating modern flood controls. We collected oral histories from Vermonters to better understand their lived experience of the flood and its impacts, and identifed common themes related to community and individual resilience.


Ambulance Service Coverage In Rural Coventry, Vermont, Katelynn Briere Jan 2023

Ambulance Service Coverage In Rural Coventry, Vermont, Katelynn Briere

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Ambulance service coverage is made difficult by the rural landscape of many Vermont towns. Discrepancies in quality and cost of ambulance service providers can make it difficult for town administrators to decide which service would be best for their town. This decision is even more important in towns like Coventry, Vermont where there is no in-town ambulance service. Providing town administrators with informative documents is one way to assist them in the decision making process.


Healthy Food Access And Education, Elizabeth Kelley Jan 2023

Healthy Food Access And Education, Elizabeth Kelley

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Providing resources and educational materials to families about healthy foods


Patient Pamphlet For Basic Lab Values, Robert A. Adamian Jan 2023

Patient Pamphlet For Basic Lab Values, Robert A. Adamian

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

As a result of lab results being immediately available to patients online, many patients experience unnecessary anxiety when viewing their results before speaking with their physician. Misleading lab values and increased patient concerns lead to more time spent by physicians answering messages on EPIC, which adds to the burden of public health costs. To combat this, a double-sided pamphlet was made with quick high yield facts about lab data that patients can use for information in the time between seeing their results and communicating with their doctor.


Suicide Screening At Tchc, William J. Yakubik Iii Jan 2023

Suicide Screening At Tchc, William J. Yakubik Iii

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vermont is currently battling with a mental health epidemic and one of the consequences of mental illness is suicide and self-harm. According to the Vermont Department of Health Vermont’s suicide rate is higher than the national average and suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the state. Every part of medicine especially primary care is struggling with providing adequate resources for the demand needed to provide quality mental health care. Thomas Chittenden Health Center (TCHC) is no stranger to these demands and is working on ways to ensure each patient has access to the care they need. The …


Increasing Access Of Outpatient Therapeutic Services For Adolescents With Persistent Symptoms After Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury, Natalie J. Bales Jan 2023

Increasing Access Of Outpatient Therapeutic Services For Adolescents With Persistent Symptoms After Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury, Natalie J. Bales

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Persistent symptoms lasting at least 21 days after initial traumatic brain injury occur in about 15-20% of adolescents. Initial assessment of concussions can be done using the SCAT5 and a wide variety of other standardized assessment tools. However, there are striking gaps in standard clinical procedure for follow-up care for athletes who have persistent symptoms. Furthermore, there are many issues with accessibility to therapeutic services including long wait times that prevent timely referral to those services. This pilot intervention was implemented at the University of Vermont to address those issues by providing a hotline resource for families to use and …


Improving Cardiovascular Health In Low Socioeconomic Status Women Through The Vermont You First Program, Bradley M. Anair Jan 2023

Improving Cardiovascular Health In Low Socioeconomic Status Women Through The Vermont You First Program, Bradley M. Anair

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States. Low socioeconomic status women are in a unique position because cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality is higher in lower socioeconomic status groups, and the risks of cardiovascular disease are often underappreciated in women. This project aimed to improve cardiovascular health in low socioeconomic status women through increasing awareness of the Vermont You First program. This program covers the cost of screenings for cervical cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease for low socioeconomic status women. They also offer lifestyle perks to improve cardiovascular health. This …


Adolescent Substance Use: Standardizing Screening Methods In Clinical Practice, Bryan D. Shin Jan 2023

Adolescent Substance Use: Standardizing Screening Methods In Clinical Practice, Bryan D. Shin

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Adolescent substance use is a highly pervasive issue that strongly correlates with increasing depression and anxiety rates. Standardized screening tools for substance use, such as the CRAFFT or the Screening to Brief Intervention Tool, are freely available but not widely utilized for every patient encounter in clinical practice. This project aimed to improve standardization of substance use screening at a primary care clinic located in Castleton, Vermont through implementation of the CRAFFT tool as an automatically-loaded form in each adolescent encounter note. The goal was to improve substance use detection rates by facilitating efficient incorporation of standardized screening into the …


Using Narrative Medicine To Address Healthcare Stigma In Washington County, Vermont, Finlay Pilcher Jan 2023

Using Narrative Medicine To Address Healthcare Stigma In Washington County, Vermont, Finlay Pilcher

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Stigma is a barrier to good health for people with certain medical conditions and non-medical circumstances. The purpose of this project is to use stories from members of the Washington County Community to advocate for the use of narrative medicine to mitigate healthcare stigma. A 10-minute recording was shared of an interview with someone with opioid use disorder during the presentation. Afterwards, healthcare professionals were asked whether the presentation, including the recording, impacted their percetion of narrative medicine and its clinical utility.