Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

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.

Caring For Patients At Risk Of Suicide In Vermont, Lindsay R. Aldrich

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Vermont among all age groups. 34% of people who died by suicide had a primary care visit for their mental health within the last year. As a response to this statewide issue, I assisted Richmond Family Medicine’s application for this year’s Suicide-Safer Care Mini-Grant.

Improving Mental Health Access In A Rural Setting Via Telehealth, Timothy W. Greenfield

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

There are several barriers patients face when accessing mental healthcare in rural areas including: lack of internet, lack of resources, and stigma.

Local options are limited, and patients face barriers such as access to transportation.

These factors position telehealth as a unique, tangible solution for patients in the community.

Peri-Operative Optimization: Social Determinants Of Health, Adam F. Kohutnicki

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project investigated how clinicians at a rural Vermont family medicine practice observed various social determinants of health (SDOH) of their patient population affected patients' preparedness for surgery. Two clinicians involved in the community, a practicing family medicine physician and a practicing social worker, were interviewed to collect qualitative data on how various SDOH they have observed through their clinical practice have influenced patients' preparedness for surgery. This information was then utilized to create a "dot-phrase" that clinicians can use as part of a patient's pre-operative visit in the outpatient setting to assess SDOH and plan subsequent targeted interventions to …

Implementation Lgbtq+ Health Education Through Case-Based Learning, Bradley A. Blansky

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Primary care graduate medical education programs often do not provide adequate training regarding the healthcare needs of the LGBTQ+ population. The purpose of this community project was to develop a case-based teaching session to help provide family medicine residents a basic understanding of LGBTQ+ healthcare. This didactic session was found to be an engaging and effective method of teaching physicians about LGBTQ+ health. Additional work is needed to further train physicians and other healthcare professionals about the challenges faced by marginalized populations in our healthcare system.

Harm Reduction In Family Medicine, Tess Hickey

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

In Lewiston, Maine the opioid epidemic is a public health crisis resulting in overdose-related deaths, infectious disease transmission, and public health costs. Harm reduction through resources such as syringe service centers, peer counseling, and Narcan distribution can help negate the negative health impact of substance use disorder. This project focused on creating a list of local harm reduction resources for providers so they can educate patients on how to be as safe as possible when using substances.

The Cures Act: How Can We Alleviate Patient Confusion And Provider Workload?, Michela Salusti Simpson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project aimed to develop a better understanding of patient and provider needs at all UVMMC family medicine and urgent care offices in regards to the new Cures Act. Data was gathered via a 8 question multiple choice survey and we had 24 provider responses. Most providers have found that they are receiving more phone calls from patients with questions in regards to their medical notes or results since the enactment of the Cures Act. Providers mentioned common patient questions are about imaging results, CBC, and electrolytes. Nearly half of providers noted they have changed the way in which they …

Educating Patients On Flu Shot Importance In The Covid-19 Era, Nicole Delgado, Shayan Mcgee

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

As fall approaches in 2020, it is even more important than previous years for patients to receive the influenza vaccine. The CDC believes that influenza and Covid-19 will both be spreading in the fall and winter of 2020. For this project, educational pages were designed for display in patient exam rooms at Milton Family Practice in Milton, Vermont. Information included the symptom overlap of Covid-19 and influenza, the distinct features of Covid-19, an epidemiological comparison of 2019 influenza statistics vs. Covid-19 statistics, and an emphasis on the importance of getting a flu shot to prevent a dangerous co-infection with both …

Family Medicine Resident Education On Perioperative Management Of Patients On Anticoagulation, Hanna Mathers

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Family Medicine residents at CMMC in Lewiston, Maine manage patients in an outpatient clinic as well as on an inpatient family medicine teaching service. Many patients in the community are anticoagulated for native valve atrial fibrillation and undergo surgical procedures both in the inpatient and outpatient setting. Residents are often asked on to determine the necessity and timing of anticoagulation discontinuation for patients that they see. With patients on newer oral anticoagulants and various degrees of risk, it can be a challenge to make an informed choice. Residents have found that they would feel more confident in perioperative management of …

Evaluation Of Patient-Centered Tool For Measuring Opioid Addiction Recovery, Laura A. Till

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vermont has expanded access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) since the onset of the opiate epidemic. This has included the use of family medicine clinicians as waivered prescribers of buprenorphine. In the absence of clear expectations or knowledge of discontinuation and detox, patients and providers must now reframe the traditional understanding of addiction recovery success as simply abstinence, maintenance medication detox, and survivorship. A 20-question, interactive “POWERS Form” has been developed by Stowe’s MAT team as part of routine counseling and clinical visits. Tracking score changes with patients allows reflection on the broader life changes during recovery process. This activity …

Restoring Self-Sufficiency With Suboxone Group Therapy, Jacob Thomas Lehman

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No different than many other Northeastern states, Maine continues to face an opioid epidemic. Drug-induced deaths continue to rise each year and Lewiston, ME remains no exception. In 2017 Maine saw 418 deaths related to drugs, a number that is only increasing every year. There remains a rising need for effective treatments such as medically assisted therapy. Starting in 2018, the Family Medicine Residency at the Central Maine Medical Center created such a group and began treating patients. The scope of this research is to track improvements in self-sufficiency among patients and to aide in advertisement of the program. Programs …

Primary Care To The Rescue, Again! Autopsy And The Death Certificate, Emily E. Ryan

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

An pre and post testing, an educational module, a presentation, and a dot phrase were developed to improve providers' knowledge of the hospital autopsy and the correct completion of death certificates.

Vermont Food Insecurity: Implementing Screening Tools And Interventional Assistance At Thomas Chittenden Health Center, Quinn Self

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Hunger Free Vermont estimates that over 11% of Vermonters experience Food insecurity defined as a lack or access to adequate nutritious food due to lack of money or other resources. Food insecurity has been linked with numerous health problems including obesity, depression, poor school performance, heart disease, anemia and increased number of hospitalizations. Despite the adverse health outcomes associated with food insecurity, primary care providers don't usually screen for it. There are short validate tools to screen with high sensitivity and specificity for food insecurity. The goal of this project was to generate a screening poster for waiting rooms and …

Facilitating Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Familiarity Among Vermont Primary Care Providers, Michael Ohkura

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Please see the updated version of this presentation: Ohkura, Michael; Bonefant, Nicholas; and Upton, Michael D., "A Sex-Positive Approach to Healthcare, and Truvada as HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)" (2018). College of Medicine Faculty Publications. 3. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comfac/3

Nationally, incidence of new HIV infections has hovered around over 50,000 per year and men who have sex with men (MSM) carry the largest burden. In Vermont, 56% of individuals newly diagnosed are MSM, with 25% of diagnoses among youth ages 13-24 years old. Despite the proven efficacy and approval of daily Truvada (emtricitabine + tenofovir) as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV infection, …

Optimizing Transitional Care Management, Mary Katherine Lopiccolo

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Since the institution of the Transitional Care Management billing codes by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2013, primary care practices nationwide have worked to meet expectations and provide high-quality care to patients upon discharge from hospitalization. In St. Albans, Vermont, the complexity of preparing for successful transitions of care has challenged family medicine providers and supporting staff. Thus, this project sought to provide a structured process by which the primary care team may communicate with inpatient staff, the patients, and each other and collect information required to ensure smooth transitioning of the patient back into the setting …