Block Clerkship Projects

Follow

• 

  Lead Testing Patient Education to Improve Primary Prevention of Lead Poisoning

  Sung Bin Roh

  Lead poisoning is an expensive problem for the state of Vermont. Primary prevention of lead poisoning in Vermont could generate at least $40 million. Information about lead testing is inaccessible and the accuracy of lead tests are dependent on proper use and surface material. Because lead tests are designed to be highly sensitive, false positives can occur. Understanding which tests are accurate for different materials and what can interfere with tests can help prevent false positives. Creating and disseminating education materials about lead testing can aid primary prevention by identifying lead hazards.

• 

  Improving Obstructive Sleep Apnea Support in Rural Primary Care: Enhancing Patient Resources and Provider Tools

  John L. Rustad

  Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent but underdiagnosed condition, particularly in rural populations with limited access to specialist care. This project aims to enhance OSA identification and management in a rural Vermont clinic by implementing an integrated patient education and screening initiative. Key interventions include a patient information pamphlet, a standardized screening tool, and a referral pathway to streamline diagnosis and treatment. Provider feedback highlighted the benefits of these resources in improving patient awareness, screening accuracy, and referral efficiency.

• 

  Gender Affirming Care within Primary Care in Northern New York

  Julie Scholes

  Gender affirming care is an integral part of healthcare, but is often difficult to identify or access. Primary care providers have the skillset to provide gender affirming care but identify education and resources as barriers to start prescribing gender affirming hormone therapy. This project aimed to assess existing access to gender affirming care and identify areas for improvement and support to enhance accessibility to care in northern New York

• 

  New food for thought: Promoting updated concussion management guidelines

  Ian A. Strohbehn

  Many in the general public are only aware of outdated concussion management strategies which emphasize strict rest. These strategies may delay healing and increase incidence of post-concussion syndrome. Current guidelines recommend early return to light physical activity which can shorten time to recovery.

• 

  Weight Management and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Practical Approach for Primary Care Patients

  Adam B. Thompson

  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability, with obesity being the most significant modifiable risk factor for its progression. Weight loss has been shown to substantially reduce knee joint load, yet knee pain often limits physical activity, creating a challenging cycle. In Connecticut, 21.3% of adults have arthritis, and obesity rates have risen to 30%. The high cost of knee OA management, including knee replacements, underscores the need for preventive strategies to reduce financial and healthcare burdens. A one-page pamphlet was developed to provide evidence-based guidance on weight management and knee OA, incorporating recommendations from peer-reviewed literature and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The pamphlet was distributed at a primary care clinic in New Canaan, Connecticut, offering information on beneficial exercises and local community resources for weight management. The pamphlet was made readily available to patients and well received by clinic staff. While direct patient feedback was limited, the intervention ensured that educational materials were accessible to those seeking guidance on weight management in the setting of knee OA pain. Future interventions should incorporate structured patient feedback, extend the distribution period, and expand availability to additional clinics and community centers.

• 

  Providing Vaccine Education to Immigrant and Refugee Populations in Bridgeport, CT

  Lauren Tien

  The population of refugees, immigrants, and migrants (RIM) across the United States is under vaccinated. Under vaccination puts the individual and community at risk for preventable communicable diseases.

• 

  Guiding Steps for Accessing Mental Health Care Resources in Danbury CT

  Alex Tran

  My work aims to offer easy to access resources for accessing mental health care in Danbury and Newtown, CT. It is aimed at newcomers to therapy, but is especially targeted as elderly patients who find navigating the system unfamiliar. By providing a rack card with basic information and scannable QR code with detailed steps, we hope to make this process less intimidating for patients in the area. Information was gathered from local therapists in the region and patient interview on what steps that found challenging or vague.

• 

  Gun Safety in Lewiston Maine FMR Clinic

  Ryan Trus

  Community project to help improve safe gun storage in Lewiston Maine

• 

  Expanding Access to Affordable Nutrition through Shelf-Stable Recipes in Brandon, Vermont

  Shannon M. Wasley

• 

  Addressing Mental Health and Intentional Self-Harm in Afghan Patients

  Muhammad H. Zeb

  Refugee and immigrant populations in the United States are at an elevated risk for a variety of mental health challenges. Post-traumatic stress, social isolation, experiencing racism, and elevated unemployment are among the correlates of increased mental health risks, including self-harming and suicidal behaviors. Among other factors, recent Afghan refugees or immigrants may encounter these issues due to the limited experience and resources available for healthcare providers working with them. To support healthcare providers in delivering care that is evidence-based and culturally appropriate, an educational resource was developed for identifying and then providing initial care for the mental health needs of the Afghan population. Following a literature review, multiple experts in working with Afghan patients (psychiatrists, other mental health providers, and primary care physicians) were interviewed about providing assessment and treatment services for this population. This information was consolidated to create an educational resource that can be delivered as a self-directed E-Learning module to be broadly distributed. The expectation is that these materials will support healthcare and other providers in their efforts to deliver high-quality, culturally informed mental health care for the Afghan refugee population.

• 

  Improving Mental Health Accessibility in South Burlington

  Leena R. Ziane

  Individuals in South Burlington continue to face difficulties accessing mental health services. Common barriers such as cost, wait time, and lack of cultural competence contribute to this difficulty. Exacerbation of mental health directly correlates to physical health. This project aims to address these barriers by developing a comprehensive handout highlighting available mental health resources counteracting each of these barriers and promoting inclusivity of diverse needs.

• 

  Elder Care Resources – Chittenden County

  Julie Adelman

• 

  Assessing accessibility in the primary care setting for people with disabilities in CT

  Anika Advant

  Accessibility goes beyond ADA compliance. It involves physical accessibility, and employing practices that allow and providing a space for people of all abilities to safely and freely seek medical care without judgement, shame, or barriers.This project aims to understand the current state of accessibility at the New Canaan Primary Care Office in CT, and to make recommendations for the health organization to increase accessibility for people with disabilities.

• 

  Cigarette Smoking Cessation Tool

  Pavan K. Anant

  In Vermont, tobacco use disorder is a pervasive problem that closely rivals national averages. The Cigarette Smoking Cessation Tool seeks to identify patients with significant motivation to quit smoking cigarettes' and aims to connect them with appropriate local resources and clinic advocates.

• 

  De-Escalation Training for Office Staff

  Robin Tucker Angier

  Office staff at Middlebury Family Health have experienced an increase in patient agitation, aggression, and verbal abuse since the start of the COVID pandemic. This project was aimed at providing the staff with de-escalation education to better serve themselves and their patients, as well as to decrease overall burnout and decreased quality of mental health.

• 

  Provider Perspectives on Implementation of CDC Guidelines for Opioid Maintenance Therapy

  Anayis M. Antanesian

  The opioid epidemic remains a complex and significant public health crisis in the United States, impacting millions with opioid use disorder (OUD). Despite efforts to raise awareness and address individual risks, high rates of opioid overdose persist, underscoring the need for more extensive and integrated prevention and management approaches. Primary care providers play a pivotal role in lowering opioid-related mortality and improving patient outcomes through office-based treatments; however they face numerous challenges in prescribing opioids. To explore these barriers, a survey was distributed to providers, aiming to assess their views, comfort levels in prescribing opioids for chronic pain, and perceived ease of implementing CDC guidelines into their practice. As part of this project, a poster summarizing guidelines was created which could be conveniently referenced and would align with the clinic providers' preferences for prescribing opioids in the setting of maintenance therapy.

• 

  Visual aids for setting up patient portal in rural primary care practice

  Georgia A M Babb

  With the use of the patient portal as a tool for patient-provider communication becoming increasingly integral to patient care, and it's becoming more important to ensure all patients have equal access regardless of any potential barries. In clinical visits, it's not uncommmon to observed conversations about portal use, including patient’s expressing having difficulties setting up the patient portal. Discussions with the team at Middlebury Family Health and the patient population, showed a gap in patient instructions or guides to setting up their patient portal. This work aimed to solve this barrier by creating and implementing visual aids to assist with portal activation.

• 

  Bringing Stop the Bleed Training to the Community

  Connor Barton

  This project evaluates the training in bleeding control and its necessity within the community. With the rise in violence towards healthcare workers and gun violence in the United States, blood loss remains the leading preventable cause of death in violent situations. The "Stop the Bleed" course aims to educate the public on bleeding control techniques, equipping them to save lives. This project involved surveying residents at CVPH Family Medicine regarding their confidence in bleeding control methods before and after undergoing "Stop the Bleed" training. The objective was to enhance their proficiency and comfort with these techniques, allowing them to then bring these skills to the greater community.

• 

  Safe Storage: prevention of Drug Misuse and Overdose with Locked Medication Bags

  Emily Claire Battle

  Safe storage of medications is critical to public health and safety in the state of Maine as well as across the country. Current public health efforts target education and prevention of accidental ingestion of medication by children and animals at home. This has become especially important in Maine with the increasing prevalence of substances used for treatment of opioid use disorder, as well as increasing prevalence of other non-prescription substances including fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. In Lewiston, Maine, interviews with public health leaders, patients, and providers at the Family Medicine Residency at Central Maine Medical Center reiterated concerns for the security of vital medications which are frequently lost or stolen, especially in those struggling with housing insecurity. This project attempted provide an intervention to promote public education, prevent substance misuse and overdose, and encourage patient-provider discussions about safe storage. This project entailed a didactic session to educate Family Medicine residents on the importance of safe medication storage, dissemination of locked medication bags to residents and behavioral health professionals, and placement of an educational display in the patient waiting room of the Family Medicine residency.

• 

  Older Adult Interpersonal Violence

  Haley Nicole Bayne

  Older adult interpersonal violence educational poster for healthcare workers developed during the family medicine rotation for 3rd-year medical students. This project was developed in Newtown, CT.

• 

  Reimagining the World of Healthcare: Implementing Artificial Intelligence into Family Medicine Practice

  Julia Bernier

  There is a significant shortage of primary care providers in the United States. Studies have found that a significant factor leading to primary care physician burnout is from overload from bureaucratic tasks, including charting. The use of Abridge, an AI service that records patient visits via audio and formulates a patient note, eliminates the need for the physician to document patient conversations during the visit, reducing physician burn-out and allowing more time to focus on the patient’s needs.

• 

  Quality Improvement of X-Ray Imaging for Unspecified Chronic Knee pain and Suspected knee osteoarthritis in the Primary Care Setting

  Ty E. Bever

  Although a comprehensive history and physical exam are the mainstays of initial evaluation, plain X-rays are clinically indicated for chronic knee pain of greater than 6 weeks duration and acute traumatic pain in patients who meet specific evidence-based criteria, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). However, there remains significant variation in what radiographic protocols are used in clinical practice, specifically in terms of what radiographic views are ordered and whether the imaging is performed with the patient weight-bearing (WB) or non-weight-bearing (NWB). In fact, several studies have shown that non-weight-bearing knee radiographs are frequently ordered by general practitioners for chronic knee pain and suspected osteoarthritis despite evidence that WB images are more sensitive and accurate in the assessment of joint space narrowing. Therefore, evaluation of chronic knee pain with the use of NWB radiographs has the potential to delay diagnosis and management of early osteoarthritis (OA), lead to less accurate grading of the severity of OA and delay in specialist referral, and contribute to an increase in repeat imaging during specialist consultation.

• 

  Utilizing a Community Resource for Diabetes Lifestyle Management

  Max Breidenstein

  Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital identified diabetes as a level one priority for community health improvement. VeggieVanGo is a program hosted at schools and hospitals hosted by the Vermont Foodbank which provides fresh produce to those in needs. Lifestyles modifications are essential for diabetes management including consuming fresh produce. This project sought to increase awareness of the role of diet in diabetes management for patients at Grace Cottage Hospital who may use the VeggieVanGo program.

• 

  Disaster Preparedness and Chronic Health Conditions

  Jackson Bressor

  With recent years bringing severe storms and flooding to Vermont more frequently, community members need to be more prepared than ever to overcome these disasters. Individuals with chronic health conditions face a unique set of challenges in these events, and require an extra level of planning. This pamphlet will outline some key steps for anyone with a chronic health condition to prepare for a disaster, with specific recommendations for individuals with diabetes and kidney disease.

• 

  Healthcare Against Human Trafficking: Promoting Identification and Support

  Michaela Busch

  Through direct correspondence with providers and community partners in Lewiston, ME, human trafficking was identified as a prevalent issue not receiving enough attention. These discussions revealed lack of provider knowledge as a limiting factor in potential victims receiving resources and support. This project aims to address and shrink this knowledge gap via informational sessions, resident training, and partnering with nearby nonprofits who work to provide support to victims.