Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Reducing Falls: Merging Research And Community Resources, Alison Mercier

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

1/3 of older adults over the age of 65 fall, 10% of these falls can lead to serious injuries like hip fractures. The average length of life for someone who fractures their hip is 6 months. The risk and reasons for falling are multifactorial and often take a long time to assess. There are a few evidence based recommendations for reducing fall risk, yet a lack of awareness of these recommendations, and community resources to address this need. This project aimed to create a standardized assessment tool based on literature research and available community resources to facilitate fall risk assessment …

Regulating Kids' Meals To Combat Childhood Obesity, Y-Lan Khuong

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Obesity is an epidemic crossing genders, ages, socioeconomic status, geography, and race/ethnicity. In Vermont, 11.3% of 10 to 17-year old are considered obese, thereby increasing risk for numerous health issues. One contributing factor is an increased tendency to eat away from home. This project aims to provide qualitative evidence regarding response to policy setting nutritional standards for kids' meals in Vermont restaurants.

Tackling Obesity In Rural Vermont, Abishag Suresh

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Obesity is a growing epidemic across the United States. It affects rural areas such as those in Vermont deeply. An intervention addressing this problem using a health and exercise brochure was undertaken. Future direction will need to fully address the effectiveness of this intervention and take on other goals.

Integrated Care: Improving Coordination Of Care Between Primary Care And Psychiatric Services, Eunice Fu

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The majority of the highest utilizers of medical care are affected by mental health issues, yet multiple studies have shown that PCPs have mixed success in recognition and management of mental illness on their own. An integrated model of primary and mental healthcare is ideal to increase acceptability and availability of mental health services. However, there is a growing body of research demonstrating high rates of dissatisfaction with primary-specialty communication. Northwestern Counseling and Support Services has implemented a new care coordination model to address barriers to collaboration in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. This project summarizes results of the 1-year …

Diabetes And Your Eyes: The Importance Of Annual Eye Exams, I-Hsiang Shu

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. With diabetes, one has a 25 times higher risk of blindness than the average American and each year in the US, there are more than 12,000 new cases resulting from diabetes. This significant risk of developing blindness is because diabetic eye changes often occur silently, without symptoms, until it is too late and permanent damage to your eye has already occurred. The two most important things a diabetic can do for eye health is to properly manage blood sugars and receive an annual dilated eye exam from an eye …

Resources For Moms: Opiate Use In Pregnancy, Amy Schumer

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Substance use in pregnancy is not uncommon and the use of substances increases the risk of complications during pregnancy. In Vermont, opiate use in pregnancy is increasing as well as the number of people seeking treatment for opiate misuse. This project was designed to give pregnant mothers using opiates an idea of what to expect during their pregnancy as well as the resources that are available to them in the Springfield, VT area.

Increasing Naloxone Distribution In Vt Emergency Departments, Olivia M. Harris

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Fatalities caused by overdose from opioids are increasing in Vermont. Evidence shows that Naloxone safely and effectively reverses the effects of opioids in overdose. This project aims to determine why physicians in VT Emergency Departments are not consistently distributing Naloxone to all patients with an overdose, and to increase awareness and implementation of this practice.

Transportation Is A Barrier To Healthcare In Central Vermont, Apoorva Trivedi

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Transportation is a significant barrier to healthcare access in Central Vermont due to a variety of reasons that include low income households, poor access to public transportation, elderly populations, and populations with disabilities. Improving access to transportation is a goal for both the local public transportation authority and the UVMHN-Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, VT. The purpose of this project was twofold. The first goal was to find an underutilized transportation resource in the community by heavily researching the area's transportation system and coordinating the distribution of informational sheets regarding this resource with my family medicine clerkship site members. …

Vitamin D Screening And Supplementation, Christina Cahill

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vitamin D helps protect against osteoporosis (by promoting calcium absorption), moderates cell growth, aids in neuromuscular and immune function and reduces inflammation. However, there is insufficient data to access the benefits and harms for screening for Vitamin D deficiency. This study looks at current recommendations for Vitamin D screening and aims to provide information to providers and patients about Vitamin D.

Intimate Partner Violence: Providing Resources To Patients And Facilitating Understanding, Andrew R. Sheridan

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Intimate Partner Violence is defined as physical violence, emotional violence, sexual violence, psychological aggression and stalking against a current or former partner. High volume primary care offices like UVMHN Berlin Family Medicine address primarily medical concerns of patients. While this includes mental health, IPV is infrequently a part of doctor-patient interactions. This project assesses available data on IPV nationally and in Vermont. It aims to understand how IPV is currently addressed, recommendations regarding addressing it and provides resources to patients.

E-Cigarettes: What Primary Care Providers Need To Know, Jennifer S. Albert

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

E-cigarettes are gaining in popularity, yet our understanding of their health effects remains uncertain. Many people believe that they can aid in smoking cessation, however the evidence is inconclusive. The conflicting information in the public media has led some providers in Central Vermont to recommend e-cigarettes to their patients. This intervention aims to educate primary care providers about e-cigarettes by creating and distributing a fact sheet that can guide patient-provider interactions.

Patient Education: Assessing The Barriers To Utilize & Create Effective Educational Resources For Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2dm), Alexandra K. Miller

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Despite a myriad of diabetic information, group classes and diabetic patient educators, patient’s with poorly controlled diabetes persist. Educating patient's on diet and lifestyle modifications are particularly challenging for the patient and provider and making the changes are even harder. The use of printed patient education material in a primary care setting and referral practices to diabetic educators was evaluated by distributing a brief survey to staff in a primary care office. The convenience sampling showed that some staff did not offer printed materials at all and patient's seldom requested these resources. The referral practices and preference of counseling patient's …

Improving Community Health With Affordable Internet Access, Joshua Jeremy Pothen

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Internet access is associated with increases in health information seeking and benefits in health statuses. However, many individuals of low socioeconomic status (SES) lack Internet access, thereby creating significant disadvantages from a health perspective. In this project, we describe a potential project for providing affordable Internet access to a neighborhood of Newport, VT containing many SES individuals. This network includes a splash page that provides regular health event promotion and health information dissemination to everyone connecting the network. We then discuss how to determine the impacts of the Internet on multiple aspects of health within the community.

Lgbtq+ Health: Creating A Welcoming Environment In The Primary Care Office, Emily Forbes-Mobus

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

LGBTQ+ patients are at increased risk for discrimination and poor health outcomes. Many LGBTQ+ individuals report discrimination by health care workers, including being denied needed care. Culturally competent care improves overall health outcomes. Creating a welcoming clinical environment is an important component of culturally competent care.

Exercise Prescriptions To Improve Patient Adherence To Lifestyle Modifications, Alex W. Thomas

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of chronic preventable diseases, which are the leading causes of death in the United States. Vermont, specifically Washington County, is no exception: Heart disease, stroke and diabetes are 3 of the Top 6 causes of death. In Washington county, VT. Approximately 60% of residents are overweight or obese; >40% do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines. Physical inactivity is highest among patients with obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Studies have shown that despite heightened awareness of the need for exercise many continue to have sedentary lifestyles. Recent reviews of exercise prescriptions …

Chronic Pain Management: Local Resources And Education, Colby Russell Kearl

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Many patients with chronic pain are not aware of many treatment options and local resources available to them. Local providers know these resources, but often are not able to convey such vital information to patients due to time constraints. Educational handouts are often provided to patients allowing them to take time outside the clinical encounter to explore other options and resources.

Wellness Resources For Colchester Vermont's Senior Population, Shannon R. Brady

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vermont's elderly population (>65 years old) is growing rapidly- by 2032, almost 25% of the VT population will be >65. 90% of seniors in VT wish to age in place in their homes. Healthcare providers in VT could play an integral role in connecting seniors who are looking to remain active and involved in their community to resources. Older adults who are connected have a higher level of functional health and increased life satisfaction. Goal was to create a pamphlet highlighting services and activities that can fulfill three meaningful areas of VT senior's lives to help them to continue …

Incorporation Of Advance Directive Discussions In Annual Wellness Visits, Stephen M. Maurer

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.

Hematuria Awareness For Patients, David Arsanious

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

In the United States, cancer of the urinary bladder is the most common malignancy of the urinary system, and in the state of Vermont, the prevalence of bladder cancer exceeds that of the nation. The marked discrepancies in outcomes between different stages in bladder cancer represents an exceptional opportunity for improving cure rates by way of strenthening patients' motivation to present to their PCP for evaluation. The most common presentation of patients with bladder cancer is painless hematuria. As such, this project has produced a public service awareness poster that could be adapted for presentation in a variety of print, …

Williston, Vt: Evaluating Child Lead Screening Rates And A Potential Exposure, Ethan R. Harlow

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The CDC recommends that all 1-and 2-year-old children be screened for lead and that the most effective measure for mitigating lead poisoning in children is through primary prevention. This study evaluates lead screening rates at a Family Medicine Clinic in Williston, VT and seeks to gather community perspective on a potential failure of primary prevention in the town.

Attitudes Toward Influenza Vaccination, Miles W. Grunvald

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Influenza contributes to millions of dollars in healthcare expenses, lost economic productivity and morbidity and mortality of the Chittenden County, VT population. Despite the dire costs of influenza illness, yearly vaccination rates remain low in Vermont and Chittenden County. This study utilized a survey that aimed to gauge the attitudes toward influenza vaccination of patients at the Hinesburg Family Practice. Results of this study suggest that patients under 35 have lower attitude scores (p= 0.035) and that patients with high school level education or bachelor’s level education are more likely to have a negative attitude towards influenza vaccination. Only 60 …

Accessible Contraceptive Education In Vt, Alyssa Kwok

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Trying to understand options for contraception can be challenging given the myriad of complex options. Providers at CHCB requested a tool with a user-friendly format that takes the varying health literacy of their diverse patient population into account. It needed to contain key features such as efficacy, pros, cons, and usability. The goal of the tool is to be a visual aid for providers that will assist them in helping patients make informed decisions about contraception.

Recognizing And Treating Head Lice: A Guide For Families, Tabitha R. Ford

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Proper diagnosis and treatment of head lice is important in decreasing costs and the spread of pediculicide resistance, but many families do not know when or how to treat. The aim of this project was to provide a convenient educational resource on the recognition and management of head lice infestation for Vermont families.

Energy, Nutrition, And Exercise: An Effort To Prevent Childhood Obesity In Vermont, Eric Franklin Bennett

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States affecting 17% of all children. In Vermont 12.5% of children are obese. This carries increased risk for many health problems and an increased cost of medical care averaging $19,000 per obese child over a lifetime. This project aims to teach children about healthy food choices and exercise.

Broadening Perspectives On The Management Of Chronic Pain, Daniel Ianno

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Complementary and alternative treatments are often overlooked when managing patients with chronic pain. Given the prevalent problem of prescription opioid abuse, narcotics should be avoided in the treatment of chronic pain if possible. When appropriate, practitioners should ensure patients have explored a wide variety of pain relief therapies prior to initiation of narcotics for the treatment of chronic pain. Increasing awareness and understanding of complementary and alternative therapies among practitioners and patients will hopefully help to mitigate the perceived need for narcotics in the treatment of chronic pain.

Skin Cancer Prevention, Jameson T. Loyal

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The state of Vermont has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer, and in particular melanoma, in the entire country. In fact, melanoma is the fifth most common cancer diagnosed in Vermont. The purpose of this project is to determine the impact of skin cancer on the state of Vermont and to develop a patient-centered educational brochure in which to educate patients on skin cancer and ways to prevent it. Through interviews with subject experts it is clear that one of the best ways to prevent skin cancer is through education. The informational brochure on skin health met a …

Introducing Opiate Addicts To The Hub And Spoke Treatment System In Vermont, Richard T. Carrick

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Opiate abuse and addiction is an epidemic in the state of Vermont. Brandon Medical Center has recently become involved in Vermont's "Hub and Spoke" system of medically assisted opiate addiction treatment. This project involved the development of a pamphlet for safe, low-threshold transmission of information regarding opiate addiction and entrance into this system for patient's who may be suffering from this disease.

Evaluating Patient Literacy To Improve Health Outcomes In Milton, Vt, Lindsay R. Miller

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Health literacy is one aspect of overall literacy that has an enormous impact on patient health outcomes, including knowledge of disease, health markers, general health status, and number of hospitalizations, among others. More than 1/3 of the US population has basic or below basic health literacy status. In Chittenden County, diabetes and heart disease deaths are higher than the state average; these diseases require complex personal care and management. Health care providers working at Milton Family Practice in Milton, VT, often noted that patients were often unwilling to disclose literacy issues and there were often problems communicating instructions to patients …

Lyme Disease In Brattleboro, Vt: Office Triage And Community Education, Peter Evans

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The rates of Lyme disease are rising Vermont, with 710 reported cases in 2015. While preventable, the disease has significant sequelae and primary care offices in Brattleboro, VT are reporting high volume of calls from patients asking for more information about Lyme disease. Formal surveys of Brattleboro Family Physicians and their clinical support staff identify the need for a uniform triage protocol to answer patient calls, as well as further patient education materials, particularly regarding prophylactic antibiotic use following tick exposure.

A Confidential Sms Texting Service For Lgbtq Youth Sexual And Reproductive Health, Matthew A. Shear

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Compared to heterosexual youth, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth are at higher risk for depression, tobacco, alcohol and other drug use, suicide, and unhealthy sexual behaviors. The #1 priority set by Vermont's LGBTQ youth was access to queer-inclusive sex education during middle and high school. In collaboration with OutrightVT, an LGBTQ youth service organization based in Burlington, we worked to expand access to a 24 hour text-messaging based reproductive health hotline 724-888-7277 (SASS).

The number and frequency of text messages submitted to the hotline pre- and post-intervention were used measure the increase in access/awareness.