Primary Care Commons^™

Improving Vaccination Rates In Bangor, Me, Noah Quinlan, Whitney Thomas

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Providers believe vaccination rates at EMMC Center for Family Medicine can be higher. A resurgence in some preventable diseases is likely due to decreased immunization rates. While other preventable diseases have not seen a resurgence, the potential for outbreak exists if immunization rates remain low. Factors contributing to low immunization rates are misinformation, lack of awareness, cost, inconvenience, and infrequent office visits by adolescents.

Mindfulness Resources In Lewiston, Me, Sabrina Bedell

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Mindfulness can be defined as open-hearted, non-judgmental, present moment awareness.
Evidence-based Benefits include
Decreased:
- Blood pressure
- Anxiety, stress, & depression
- Chronic pain
- Medical care visits (inpatient and outpatient)
Increased:
- Immune function
- Ability to act effectively under stress
- Self-esteem
- Quality of life

Creating Patient Instructions For Community Health Resources, Kevin Saiki

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

In the US, more than a third of adults are obese as well as 17% of children. A recent report estimates the annual cost of obesity in Maine amounts to approximately 452 million dollars. Additional reports estimate the cost of obesity to the entire country lies somewhere between 10-30 billion annually.

Encouraging patients to have healthy diet rich with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and to maintain regular exercise (150 minutes a week) are effective ways to combat higher BMIs and to stave off associated hypertension, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, and dyslipidemia.

Alternative Medicine Resources For Primary Care Physicians, Laura Lazzarini, Angelina Palombo

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Despite the prevalence of patients that would benefit from Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) at EMMC Center for Family Medicine (CFM), practicing physicians lack sufficient education on CAM and knowledge of community resources to refer their patients to.

Dietary Supplement Education In A Primary Care Setting, Suleiman Ismael, Mikaela Rodriguez

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

More than 50% of American adults use at least one dietary supplement. Despite their popularity, patients and physicians are often unaware of the limited regulation of these products as well as their potential risks and benefits. During our rotation at the Center for Family Medicine in Bangor, Maine, we observed several patients asking about the efficacy and safety of various supplements. Also, many patients wanted to avoid taking pharmacological drugs and inquired about any "natural" treatments to their illnesses. The residents we worked with expressed a lack of confidence in their ability to discuss dietary supplements with their patients. In …

Community Resources For Elevated Bmi In Downeast, Me, Nicolas Monte

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The US is currently mired in a decades-long battle against an epidemic of obesity. ­According to the CDC 69.2% of the US population over the age of 20 is either overweight or obese. As primary care clinics move towards becoming “Patient-Centered Medical Homes” the need exists to provide adequate and specific educational materials.­While a great wealth of educational resources exist to inform patients about the nature and pathogenesis of individual diseases, access to specific local treatment tools is lacking. Although nearly all clinicians screen patients for elevated BMI and provide general information about general healthy habits, this is often the …

Creating A Guide For Patient Self-Management Of Weight Loss (For Management Of Diabetes), Kelsey Preston

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

In my first week working with Dr. Flynn, I saw more patients coming in with a diagnosis of diabetes than those without; this is likely untrue, but it certainly felt like that. I realized how big of an issue diabetes really is, and hoped to work on a project targeted towards diabetes. While I noticed medical and medicinal management of patients with diabetes was adequate, there was a large gap in patient self-management of their diabetes – they followed their prescriptions, but did not seem to have changed other aspects of their lives, most importantly, their diets.