Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Hematological Neoplasms: Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Andrea Bakalakis

Senior Honors Projects

Hematological neoplasms, more commonly known as blood cancers, pose great concern within the United States healthcare system. These cancers originate within the bone marrow or lymphatic tissue and progress into the circulatory system. Hematological neoplasms are a result of genetic mutations in which the normal cell growth cycle is ex-changed for the uncontrollable growth of malignant cells. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, blood cancers accounted for 9.5 percent of all cancer related deaths in 2009. Every four minutes, a new patient is diagnosed with blood cancer and every ten minutes, someone dies from this malignancy. Research and development …

Addressing The Lack Of Palliative Care Resources For Icu Patients And Families, Jeffrey Chiv

Senior Honors Projects

An alarming trend in hospitals across the United States is the increased prevalence of end-of-life care issues the healthcare team must face. This increase can be attributed to the advent of new medical technology; the average life expectancy of the population is increased due to new treatment options for acute diseases. The dire tradeoff of this benefit is that the main cause of death has shifted from acute disease to chronic diseases such as cancer. These debilitating diseases often result in situations where patients are no longer able to exercise autonomy or communicate, relying on family and healthcare providers to …

Effectiveness Of A Multidisciplinary Patient Assistance Program In Diabetes Care, Edward Joseph Doyle, Iii

Senior Honors Projects

This retrospective chart review is to evaluate the changes in personal health markers that serve as prognostic indicators in the progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Subjects in the Patient Assistance Liaison (PAL) Program at the Diabetes Resource Center (DRC) of the St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island Hospital for Specialty Care have no health insurance to pay for needed services and medications. It is desirable to know if the care they are receiving is equivalent to patients at the DRC that have prescription drug insurance from a third party provider.

Presently there are over 23.6 million Americans with …

Lowering Cholesterol: Through The Use Of Plant Sterols And Stanols, Nicole St. Jean

Senior Honors Projects

Heart disease has been the number one killer of American men and women over the past hundred years, with high blood cholesterol as a major risk factor of this disease. High Cholesterol can be a result of a number of different lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise. However, genetics and family history also play a role in the levels of cholesterol in the human body. Those who have high blood cholesterol levels are usually advised by their health professionals to consume a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol, high in fiber and to exercise frequently. However, sometimes these …

Type 1 Diabetes: A Non-Fiction Perspective/ Just A Kid: Emily’S Diabetes Story, Kristen Moody

Senior Honors Projects

How many people do you know with diabetes? Many Americans are living with this disease in our society today. As adults, acknowledging this prevalence seems to be an easy task. However, imagine yourself as a young elementary school child. How much do you know about diseases? What happens if a student in your classroom has a disease? What do you think of this person? For some children, these questions are an imminent reality, part of their everyday childhood life. Thinking about the answers to similar questions mentioned above, I understand the importance of a reliable, accurate, and knowledgeable source for …

A Medical Mission: Healing Wounds, Improving Health, And Discovering Hope In Honduras, Michaela Maynard

Senior Honors Projects

According to the United Nations, less than one-sixth of the world’s population is made up of the industrialized world. In contrast, the developing world, consisting of approximately 125 low and middle-income countries, is home to about 5.1 billion people. It is in these developing counties that there is an insatiable need for improved public health. In January of 2007, I spent a week working in a medical clinic in Guaimaca, Honduras. I witnessed first hand the suffering, poverty, and injustice of one small town. Yet, what struck me the most was that despite the hardships and the lack of basic …