Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Sun-Safety: Assessing Barriers And Promoting Sun-Safe Practices For Vermonters., Joy A. Benner

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Skin cancer continues to be the most common cancer in Vermont and the United States. About one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Vermont currently ranks second highest in the country for melanoma skin cancer rates. Rates continue to rise and skin cancer is impacting patients at younger and younger ages. Although several factors play into development of melanoma, a large risk factor for developing skin-cancer in one's lifetime is UV exposure. One way to combat this is to encourage regular sun-safe practices, such as daily sunscreen use, seeking shade, and wearing sun-protective clothing. The aim …

Updating Concussion Protocol Information Pamphlet, Susan K. Campbell

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Creating a concussion protocol pamphlet that helps guide patients through recovery with evidence based advice.

Transportation Is A Barrier To Accessing Primary Care In Vermont, Max L. Silverstein

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Transportation barriers lead to rescheduled or missed appointments, delayed care, and missed or delayed medication use. Rural patients are especially vulnerable to transportation barriers: In Chittenden County specifically, older adults surveyed reported difficulty with transportation, with 69% delaying medical appointments due to transportation barriers. Based on the data collected in this study, even among patients at South Burlington Family Medicine, distance from the office is correlated with declining important medical appointments.

Transportation Is A Barrier To Accessing Primary Care In Vermont, Max L. Silverstein

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Transportation barriers lead to rescheduled or missed appointments, delayed care, and missed or delayed medication use. Rural patients are especially vulnerable to transportation barriers; in Chittenden County specifically, older adults surveyed reported difficulty with transportation, with 69% delaying medical appointments due to transportation barriers. Based on data collected in this study, even among patients at South Burlington Family Medicine, distance from the office is correlated with declining important medical appointments.

Promoting Healthy And Active Lifestyles With Home Exercises In South Burlington, Vt, Jonathan Gau

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The barriers to exercise that patients face are often multi-factorial. Whether its due to weather, financial costs, lack of time, or if the individual simply isn't a gym person, we see a number of patients everyday who are not regularly exercising. This brochure is meant to provide patients during office visits with a tangible source of information that provides examples of in-home exercises, categorized by difficulty, that they can perform without any additional equipment.

Type 2 Diabetes Medication Breakdown, Kristen Keene

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

There are many new medications for treatment of type 2 diabetes and these medications have many positive effects that go beyond lowering blood glucose. However, many of these medications are expensive and some insurance plans don’t cover them. Many patients struggle to pay for their diabetes medications and providers often are unsure of which medications will be covered by insurance. This project was designed to enhance patient education regarding diabetes medications and potential costs associated.

Harm Reduction In The Emergency Department, Alexa J. Golden

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The number of overdose deaths in Vermont has been trending up over the past several years. A majority of these fatalities involved synthetic opioid fentanyl. The Emergency Department (ED) at Central Vermont Medical Center delivers medication assisted treatment (MAT) through the Rapid Access to MAT (RAM) program. This program has connected many people in the region to treatment for opiate use disorder. However it was identified that we lacked connection to harm reduction services for those not interested in MAT. Harm reduction education was provided for recovery coaches and ED nursing staff. Harm reduction kits containing life-saving supplies such as …

Evaluating Knowledge And Educating Patients About Diabetic Retinopathy Screening In Washington County, Vt, Delaney Curran

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in adults. Early detection and subsequent treatment of DR has been shown to be effective at saving vision and medical costs. However, adherence to annual dilated eye exams is relatively poor among people with diabetes. This project in Waterbury, VT aimed to identify patients' potential knowledge gaps about the connection between diabetes and eye disease, educate patients about DR with a 2 min educational video in the primary care office, and then assess their level of interest in getting an eye exam after watching the video.

Oral Health Screening For At-Risk Adults, Karla I. Brandao

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Oral health screening and prevention is common during well-child checks. However, this screening in adults is not as consistent. In addition, oral health has been implicated in a variety of medical conditions, making it a very important factor in systemic disease. The goal of this project is to create an oral health screening tool which can be distributed to adults, especially adults who are at high risk due to diabetes, substance use disorder, pregnancy, etc. Those with positive screening should receive a handout with some resources and information.

Type 2 Diabetes Medication Breakdown, Kristen Keene

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

There are many new medications for treatment of type 2 diabetes and these medications have many positive effects that go beyond lowering blood glucose. However, many of these medications are expensive and some insurance plans don’t cover them. Many patients struggle to pay for their diabetes medications and providers often are unsure of which medications will be covered by insurance. This project was designed to enhance patient education regarding diabetes medications and potential costs associated.

Food Security During Remote Schooling, Julia Lane Clemens

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project examined how remote schooling during the coronavirus pandemic affected patients' food security. Patients were surveyed about their access to food and how this had changed during the pandemic. Recommendations were made to the clinic following data collection.

Raising Awareness About The Vermont Donor Milk Center, Rosie Friedman, Emi Eakin

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The Vermont Donor Milk Center (VDMC) is an emerging community resource that provides donated, pasteurized breast milk to new parents for their infants. Upon questioning, we identified that many providers did not know about the VDMC or how to prescribe milk. In addition, VDMC expressed that they have not been able to complete the community outreach they had initially hoped for. We chose to dedicate our project to disseminating information about VDMC to perinatal care providers in Vermont.

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Raising Awareness & Creating Easier Access To Resources, Christina Sanchez-Grew

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) such as abuse, neglect, and witnessing household dysfunction are common throughout the United States and are occurring in our own communities. ACEs impose immediate health risks to children but also are associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood including higher rates of cancer, heart disease, chronic lung disease, obesity, depression and substance use. The goal of this project was to contribute to prevention strategies for ACEs. This was accomplished by using flyers to raise awareness and educate the community on the prevalence and outcomes of ACEs, and by using QR codes to make parenting resources easily …

Pilot Study: Healthcare Cannabis Assessment, Nicole Wershoven

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Due to state legalization and increased access to cannabis, there is increasing use of cannabis in Vermont and nationwide. Cannabis is used medically for certain qualifying conditions in Vermont in addition to recreationally. In a recent study they found 45% of adult primary care patients in Vermont had used cannabis in the last year and only 18% of patients reported their clinician as being a good source of information regarding cannabis. Educating clinicians about cannabis is critical for quality comprehensive patient care. The objective of this project was the development of a short survey to deploy to primary care clinicians …

Promoting Weight-Loss Via Smartphone Health Applications (Myfitnesspal), Michael S. Barnum

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Obesity has become a public health crisis in the United States. 68% of men and 64% of women in the United States are considered overweight or obese. Obesity is being addressed through a variety of strategies, the use of mobile apps is a relatively new development that could prove useful in helping people to develop healthy dietary habits. Tracking the consumption of certain foods and drinks may potentially help individuals achieve an improved understanding of their dietary patterns. The goal of this project was to develop and provide educational materials on the use of MyFitnessPal to patients seeking dietary advice.

Resource To Address Pandemic-Related Anxiety And Depression For Pregnant Patients In Vermont, Mohammed Wali

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to patient deaths, strained health care systems, and economic uncertainty. Distress during pregnancy can lead to adverse outcomes for both parent and baby. A patient-friendly handout was created for pregnant patients to offer reassurance, incorporate mind-body recommendations to address stress, and offer screening tools to empower them to address mood concerns with their obstetric providers in the COVID-era.

Increasing Public Perceptions Of Stroke, Juan A. Conde, Juan Conde Fabela

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Analysis of publicly available data for the selected county of Rutland Vermont was performed to understand the underlying health problems affecting the county. Although VT overall has better health status indicators, including better access to care, and lower rates of chronic diseases than the nation, pockets of the state have higher rates of chronic diseases including obesity, DM, and cerebrovascular accidents.

Increasing awareness of stroke risk factors and symptoms is a cost-effective method to reduced stroke burden and provide successful treatment.

Identifying Barriers To Sunscreen Use And Sun Safety Education, Seneca Hutson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Knowledge And Educating Patients About Diabetic Retinopathy Screening In Washington County, Vt, Delaney Curran

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.

A Motivational Interviewing Approach Toward Mask Wearing In Franklin County, Vermont, Ashleigh N. Peterson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

COVID-19 has caused significant morbidity and mortality in Vermont and worldwide since the start of the pandemic. Wearing cloth face masks has been proven to limit viral spread, but few studies have quantified how many people are wearing masks or what their reasons are for doing so. This study aimed to assess and encourage mask use in Franklin County, Vermont by piloting an in-office motivational interviewing intervention at a primary care office.

The Primary Care Shortage In Vermont And Medical Student Interest In Primary Care, Kenneth Michael Palanza

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The state of Vermont is currently faced with a primary care workforce shortage. There are currently not enough primary care physicians to meet the states needs and the problem is expected to get worse. The primary care physician workforce is aging, there is an inability to recruit primary care providers to Vermont, and there is stagnant interest of medical students in fundamental primary care fields such as family medicine. The aim of this project is to examine the barriers medical students identify that decreases their interest in pursuing a career in primary care, specifically family medicine, and how systematic changes …

Improving Hpv Vaccination Rates, Emily Eichner

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

HPV is a very common infection and can cause multiple types of cancers. The HPV vaccination is effective at preventing these infections and subsequent cancers. The HPV vaccine is most effective when given to adolescents; however, the vaccination rates for girls and especially boys remain low. Many reasons exist for parent's choice not to have their kids' vaccinated against HPV. Identifying and addressing these barriers through educational materials for parents will hopefully help improve HPV vaccination rates and reduce rates of these preventable cancers.

A Health Resource List For Transgender Patients In Vermont, Kathryn Kurchena

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Transgender folks encounter barriers to accessing healthcare for a multitude of reasons. Recent surveys have found that 28% of the transgender people delayed care due to past discrimination within healthcare. In an effort to improve upon this issue in the Burlington area, a list of affirming and effective healthcare resources, services, and providers was created to be distributed at the Community Health Centers of Burlington.

The Primary Care Shortage In Vermont And Medical Student Interest In Primary Care, Kenneth Michael Palanza

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The state of Vermont is currently faced with a primary care workforce shortage. There are currently not enough primary care physicians to meet Vermont's needs and the problem is expected to get worse. The primary care physician workforce is aging, there is an inability to recruit primary care providers to Vermont, and there is stagnant interest of medical students in fundamental primary care fields such as family medicine. The aim of this project is to examine the barriers medical students identify that decreases their interest in pursuing a career in primary care, specifically family medicine, and how systematic changes can …

The "Best Snacks Ever" Series, Catherine M. Westbom

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vermont rates of obesity jump from 15.1% 10-17 year-old children to 27.5% in adults. In addition, studies show that keeping weight off is incredibly difficult with low success rates. Of the many factors that contribute to obesity, nutrition is among those that can be altered with great results. Taken in combination, this information speaks to the great change that can be made in targeting healthy eating habits in the youth population prior to the jump in obesity rates. This project aims to provide education to the child population in Montpelier, Vermont through the local Step 2 after-school program. A class …

Identifying Food Insecurity In A Rural Vermont Primary Care Setting, Jessica Lyon

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Recent years have shown an emergence of interest in social determinants of health by healthcare providers, community leaders, and social service organizations alike. Among the social determinants of health, food insecurity has been associated with higher incidences of chronic disease and poor health outcomes as compared to rates among individuals not screening positive for food insecurity. This project aims to compare the effectiveness of screening patients for food insecurity via formal paper questionnaires versus the traditional approach of an open patient-provider dialog guided by provider intuition in identifying food insecure individuals in a primary care setting.

Distribution Of Resuscitative Measures In Lamoille County, Vermont Schools, Jared J. Bomba

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This study evaluates the availability of resuscitative measures within the public schools of Lamoille County, Vermont. This includes primarily access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), naloxone (Narcan), and epinephrine auto injectors (Epi-pens) subsequent to recent introduction of naloxone into schools in response to widespread opioid addiction in the region.

Safe Disposal Of Unused Pharmaceuticals In Vermont, Sarah E. Sherman

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This community project aimed to research local infrastructure for the safe disposal of unused pharmaceuticals and provide a user friendly summary to be made available to patients. In doing so, the long term goal was to increase participation in drug disposal programs to improve the health of the community by decreasing drug diversion, use of expired medications, and improper disposal resulting in environmental accumulation.

Coping Skills For Daily Life: Cost-Effective Strategies To Prevent And Address Mental Health Disorders, Shae Ian Rowlandson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Mental health disorders, along with their associated cost and negative outcomes, have continued to persist in Vermont and have become one of the largest, growing challenges to public health in the United States. Unfortunately, Vermont does not appear to have enough resources or providers to optimally address it. Concurrently, coping strategies of minimal cost that have the potential to prevent or address mental health disorders may often be underutilized or misconstrued by the population. A pamphlet providing information on evidenced, cost-effective coping strategies was designed and distributed to providers and patients to enable patients with the skills to help themselves …

Addressing Barriers To Physical Activity In Vermont's Geriatric Population, Stephanie Udawatta

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

A wide array of barriers exist which prevent many geriatric patients from engaging in regular physical activity. This project addresses the barriers unique to Vermont's population of geriatric patients and explores potential solutions.