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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Intimate Partner Violence: Improving Screening Rates In The Primary Care Setting, Alexandra E. Churchill
Intimate Partner Violence: Improving Screening Rates In The Primary Care Setting, Alexandra E. Churchill
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
The high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) has led to recommended screening for all women of child-bearing age. Implementing validated screening tools within routine wellness visits at primary care offices facilitates awareness and patient support through identification and resource referral.
Screening For Developmental Delays During The Well-Child Visit, Ellen Walker Seyller
Screening For Developmental Delays During The Well-Child Visit, Ellen Walker Seyller
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Due to recent staffing transitions, family medicine physicians at Newtown Primary Care in Danbury, CT are now managing the care of an increasing number of pediatric patients. The goal of this project was to develop a screening tool to allow practitioners to assess for developmental delays during well-child visits. The tool includes 10-question surveys for ages 1mo, 2mo, 4mo, 6mo, 12mo, 15mo, 2yo, 3yo, or 4yo with a scoring guide and a list of some concerning signs at each stage.
Food Label Made Easy, Hanaa Shihadeh
Food Label Made Easy, Hanaa Shihadeh
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
The use of food labels and adherence to dietary recommendations are important, especially for those with chronic diseases due to the well known relation between chronic disease and poor nutritional habits. Although food labeling has been introduced since 1994 with the aim of combating obesity and diet-related chronic disease in the USA, the rates of food label use among US adults have decreased over the past decade.
Perceived Barriers And Trends In Hpv Vaccination Among Young Men In Newtown, Ct, Alexander D. Karabachev
Perceived Barriers And Trends In Hpv Vaccination Among Young Men In Newtown, Ct, Alexander D. Karabachev
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Although the HPV vaccine has been proven to be effective and safe, the vaccination rates are significantly less compared to other vaccines. In males, HPV infection may lead to the development of numerous forms of cancer including oropharyngeal, anal and penile cancer, however, the HPV vaccination rate for males is significantly less than it is for females. This project aims to highlight various medical providers' opinions on the barriers to HPV vaccination for young men in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as, address methods for improvement including …
Educating Patients On Screening Guidelines And Expectations For Well-Woman Examinations, Cyrus Maxim Jalai
Educating Patients On Screening Guidelines And Expectations For Well-Woman Examinations, Cyrus Maxim Jalai
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Female patients seeing primary care in rural settings often do not seek out specialized care from a practicing OB/GYN, favoring instead to utilize their family practitioner to respond to their complaints. As such, it would be effective to work to educate these patients at their well-women examinations on routine screenings, immunizations, and health maintenance methods they should expect based on their presenting age. A handout simplifying and synthesizing the main screening and general health guidelines for annual well-women examinations may be helpful for female patients using primary care practitioners as their source for obstetric and gynecologic care.
Art Interventions For Seniors In New Milford, Ct, Lauren Gaffaney
Art Interventions For Seniors In New Milford, Ct, Lauren Gaffaney
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
There is a growing body of evidence that art therapy for seniors has been shown to improve sociability and mood, reduce the risk of dementia, decrease agitation, depression, isolation, and improve the overall quality of life. Recent research conducted in Burlington with the UVM LCOM Public Health Program suggested that art appreciation and history sessions can have similarly beneficial effects while requiring less volunteer/caregiver time, equipment, and with a lower cost. I surveyed the art interventions available in New Milford, CT and found there were limited active art classes available and no art appreciation sessions. I presented an art appreciation …
Conjunctivitis: Patient Information, Nicole Jedrzynski
Conjunctivitis: Patient Information, Nicole Jedrzynski
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Conjunctivitis or “pink eye” is a common affliction encountered frequently in family medicine. Most cases are viral and do not require antibiotics, and more accurate information for patients and their caregivers is needed to minimize unnecessary visits to urgent care and the emergency room. This will facilitate better patient care and fewer healthcare costs.
Community-Based Exercise Education During Colder Months, Cole S. Shapiro
Community-Based Exercise Education During Colder Months, Cole S. Shapiro
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Approximately 50% of US adults and 75% of US high school students don't meet recommended weekly physical activity guidelines, and physical activity declines further during colder seasons. Resources describing local suggestions for physical activity should be made broadly available to community members, such as at their primary health care office.
Interventions For Fall Prevention In Community-Dwelling Older Persons, Gregory S. Roy
Interventions For Fall Prevention In Community-Dwelling Older Persons, Gregory S. Roy
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Falls in individuals over the age of 65 is a pervasive problem resulting in significant health and economic burden in our country. Thus, effective fall prevention strategies are an important public health measure, especially in an age group that is growing rapidly. Research has shown a multifactorial approach to fall prevention addressing environmental hazards, strength and balance, medications, and medical comorbidities to be most effective. Despite there being strong evidence to support this, many individuals are unaware of the factors that put them at risk and ways to mitigate them. An educational pamphlet containing evidence-based strategies to reduce fall risk …
Education And Expectations For Patients With Viral Upper Respiratory Infections, Kathryn Thomas
Education And Expectations For Patients With Viral Upper Respiratory Infections, Kathryn Thomas
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Non influenza viral upper respiratory illnesses are responsible for a significant percentage of sick visits to primary care physicians. Patients who expect antibiotics are more likely to be given them, and this contributes to growing antibiotic resistance. Setting appropriate expectations for the course of a typical upper respiratory infection can reduce repeat visits, and reduce the number of antibiotic prescriptions. Additionally, many over the counter cold and flu remedies do not have a significant impact on cold duration or symptoms. The flyer produced in the course of this project details the average time course for an upper respiratory infection, instructs …
Falling Through The Digital Cracks: An Ehr-Focused Approach To Promote Social History And Mental Health In The Outpatient Setting, Daniel De Los Santos
Falling Through The Digital Cracks: An Ehr-Focused Approach To Promote Social History And Mental Health In The Outpatient Setting, Daniel De Los Santos
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Although they may not call prevention centers, people considering suicide usually do seek help; for example, 64% of people who attempt suicide visit a doctor in the month before their attempt, and 38% in the week before. Given the recent suicide of a father in Newtown, CT whose daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook Massacre, it needs to be asked if his suicide could have been prevented by having his physician discuss his mental health with him at his most recent check-up. Of equal importance, it must be asked if there are flaws within the EHR platform that make …
Increasing The Use Of Probiotics Concurrently With Acute Antibiotic Treatment: A Community Perspective In Newtown, Ct, John Vandenberge
Increasing The Use Of Probiotics Concurrently With Acute Antibiotic Treatment: A Community Perspective In Newtown, Ct, John Vandenberge
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Acute antibiotic courses are known to cause gastrointestinal side effects including nausea, bloating, and diarrhea. Patients at Newtown Primary Care in Newtown, CT being treated with antibiotics for upper and lower respiratory infection often present with these side effects. These symptoms may deter patients from taking the full course and promote bacterial resistance, delayed recovery, and increased patient healthcare costs. Safely tolerating antibiotic regimens is important especially in those at high risk for Clostridium difficile colitis. Probiotics have been shown to prevent antibiotic associated diarrhea and effectively balance bacterial species within the gut microbiome. An educational, easy-to-read handout was developed …
Lyme Disease In Fairfield County, Connecticut: The Need To Know, Jack Chen
Lyme Disease In Fairfield County, Connecticut: The Need To Know, Jack Chen
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
There has been a steady rise in number of cases reported of Lyme disease in the past 25 years. In fact, it is the 7th most common reportable infectious disease in US with an estimated over 300,000 people diagnosed and treated each year. The total medical cost attributable to Lyme disease has been estimated to be as much as $1.3 billion a year with the total cost of Lyme disease testing estimated to be $492 million. Moreover, Lyme disease is associated with higher total health care cost and more outpatient visits over a 12-month period. According to the Connecticut Department …
Ensuring Adequate Recognition And Care For Lyme Disease, Menna Awadalla
Ensuring Adequate Recognition And Care For Lyme Disease, Menna Awadalla
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Lyme disease is a common issue in the Northeast United States, particularly in New Milford, Connecticut. Lyme is a readily treatable condition generally requiring a simple 2-3 week course of antibiotics. However, if patients cannot identify their symptoms and thus, do not come in for treatment, then that puts them at risk for developing chronic Lyme disease and fatal sequelae as a result. This project focuses on informing the local public about this issue by providing essential information regarding signs/symptoms, treatment, prophylaxis, and complications of Lyme disease.
Using Design Thinking To Help Practitioners And Front Desk Staff Schedule Follow Up Appointments, Jhaimy Fernandez
Using Design Thinking To Help Practitioners And Front Desk Staff Schedule Follow Up Appointments, Jhaimy Fernandez
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Due to an increase of calls at the front desk, Western Connecticut Health Network has systemized scheduling through call centers. In Newtown Family Medicine, clinical staff become responsible for helping patients navigate between two call centers in order to schedule appointments or schedule imaging. I used design thinking to create stickers that saved practitioners time explaining the process and decrease patient confusion.
Tobacco Cessation Support In New Milford, Ct, Laura R. Nelson
Tobacco Cessation Support In New Milford, Ct, Laura R. Nelson
Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects
Smoking tobacco is one of the most significant risk factors for several deadly diseases; nevertheless, roughly 13% of Connecticut residents smoke cigarettes. Most people who smoke cigarettes realize that it is bad for their health, but many don't understand why it is unhealthy, or just how unhealthy it truly is. Furthermore, quitting smoking is often extraordinarily difficult, due to the addictive nature of nicotine, and the increasing content of nicotine inside cigarettes over time. This project created supportive and educational pamphlets about tobacco use and cessation, and proposes that primary care doctors can help their patients quit smoking by providing …