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  Improving communication in patient visits requiring medical interpreters

  Daniel J. Moroney

  Handout for effectively using medical interpreting services.

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  Where are you hiding, sugar? (Sugar content of popular drink and snacks, with suggestions for healthier alternatives)

  Ashta Narain

  Two flyers, with associated dotphrases, on the actual sugar content of popular drink and snack foods were created. Also provided is information about the long-term impact of sugar on our bodies over time from local dieticians, and healthier alternative food and drink choices with less sugar content.

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  Challenges with Diet during the COVID Pandemic

  Cinduja Nathan

  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on many individual's lives and their families. It has caused many people to change their lifestyles and daily routines. This project focuses on how diet has changed during the COVID pandemic and explores the reasons for these diet changes. 23 patients from the Central Vermont Medical Center were given surveys and their responses were analyzed and recorded. Out of the 23 patients, 20 patients reported that they noticed a change in their diet as a result of COVID 19. Of the 20 patients who noticed a change in their diet, 5 reported that their diet was more healthy, 11 reported that their diet was less healthy and 4 noted a balance of healthy and unhealthy changes during the pandemic. The two most frequently cited reasons for diet changes included going to the grocery store less often and engaging in compulsive eating. Understanding how diet is being affected during this pandemic is extremely important. The impact of temporary changes in diet due to the pandemic can result in permanent lifestyle changes that can result in health consequences and a number of chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.

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  Improving Access to Meditation and Mindfulness for the Management of Anxiety, Stress, and other Chronic Diseases of Chronic

  Jesse Naumann and Alex Cohen

  Chronic diseases can have an enormous burden on not only an individual’s quality of life, but their economic output as well. The challenge is that many patients with a chronic disease are not fully treated despite many different medications and doctor’s appointments. Mindfulness is an extremely beneficial tool that can be used as an adjunctive treatment for different chronic health diseases including anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic pain, and many others. An enormous barrier is that many patients are unsure about what mindfulness truly is, and where one can go about accessing mindfulness resources. Our goal was to create a quick and easy smart phrase that providers can add to any after-visit summary that provides basic information about mindfulness, different resources to access free mindfulness meditations, and our own unique 8 minute mindfulness meditation for patients to try free of charge.

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  Resources to Decrease Social Isolation in the Elderly

  Alexandra Novelli

  Social isolation has significant negative impacts on both the physical and mental health of the elderly. Older Vermonters face additional barriers to social engagement including living in a rural environment, lack of access to transportation, and financial barriers. The aim of this project was to provide information about opportunities for social engagement for older individuals by distributing a pamphlet at Colchester Family Practice in Colchester, VT.

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  Lifestyle Changes in Diabetes Management using Smartphone apps

  Michelle Oberding

  Type II Diabetes is a prevalent and costly disease in the state of Vermont. Making lifestyle changes decreases Hemoglobin A1c levels and the long term risk of complications from diabetes. Longitudinal programs help maintain these important changes but these programs are not always readily available. Using free smartphone apps may be an alternative for maintaining lifestyle changes.

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  Dry Eye: Patient Education

  Mark Oet

  Recent literature has shown increased incidence of dry eye and eye strain symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with an increase in screen time for almost all populations. This project aims to address this observation at a community level by creating a patient-friendly education pamphlet for Newtown Primary Care about dry eye and digital ocular strain based on American Academy of Ophthalmology guidelines.

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  Community Attitudes Towards Covid-19 Vaccination

  John P. O'Keefe

  Vaccination is a very valuable tool in combating the public health crisis of COVID-19 and will be essential in reducing transmission rates and deaths due to the pandemic. Public willingness to receive the vaccination in large polls has stayed well below the ~95% of the population needed to achieve herd immunity against the virus. Here were survey Vermonters to determine their attitudes towards receiving the vaccine and what sources of information patients use to inform themselves about the different vaccines available.

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  Assessing and Improving Awareness of Safe Prescription Drug Disposal in Hinesburg, Vermont

  Kaitlyn Peper

  Millions of Americans misuse prescription drugs each year and over half of these people obtained a prescription from friends or family. Additionally, medications that are disposed of improperly lead to contamination of the environment. This project aimed to assess awareness of proper medication disposal amongst patients at Hinesburg Family Practice and to increase communication with patients regarding options for prescription drug disposal in Hinesburg, Vermont.

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  Screening for Disordered Eating Among High-Risk Groups

  Julia B. Purks

  Many patients with disordered eating will not present with objective manifestations such as low BMI, physical exam findings, or electrolyte abnormalities. Among patients that meet DSM-V criteria for an eating disorder, the majority do not fit criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, but instead fall into a category known as "Otherwise specified feeding and eating disorders." As such, it can be difficult to identify these patients. This project proposes adding 2 validated screening questions to outpatient intake forms, or incorporating them into patient visits, to identify disordered eating among high-risk groups.

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  Low-cost At-home Cardio Solutions for Patients During the Covid-19 Pandemic

  Anna G. Quinlan

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  Resource Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorders

  Jennifer Risi

  Children with autism spectrum disorder and their families have numerous needs for health and social support. The system through which they receive this support is complex and foreign to many parents. Interactions with patients and their families have made it clear that many of them do not know what resources are available to them or how to access these resources. Furthermore, healthcare provides frequently do not have the time to educate patients fully during visits. To address this, we created an educational pamphlet that acts as a resource guide for families with various unmet needs which can be handed out at primary care offices in Chittenden County.

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  Patient Perceptions on the COVID-19 Vaccine

  Claudia E. Russell

  With COVID-19 cases and deaths on the rise in Vermont and nationally, it will be important for as many people who are able to receive the COVID-19 vaccines when available. The WHO considers vaccine hesitancy to be a major threat to public health. This study aims to examine patient attitudes and concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. An informational brochure about the recently approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines was then distributed to all participants.

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  Patient Knowledge and barriers to care for their Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) Condition

  Diana A. Salama

  This project is investigating the patient knowledge and barriers that may be present which may contribute to a lack of effective care of their Type II Diabetes condition. This project is also investigating key components which may improve patient-centered care.

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  The Cures Act: How can we alleviate patient confusion and provider workload?

  Michela Salusti Simpson

  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 write notes since the Cures Act and all providers felt that a handout with tips to interpret lab results would be helpful.

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  Improving Identification of LDCT Lung Cancer Screening Eligible Patients

  McKenna L. Schimmel

  USPSTF updated lung cancer screening guidelines this year to include all patients 50-80 years old who have 20+ pack years of smoking history and are active smokers or who have quit within the last 15 years. While providers and patients both support lung cancer screening efforts, only a small fraction of eligible patients end up getting screened annually. One way we can improve this metric is by making sure we are correctly identifying which patients meet screening criteria.

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  Impact of MyChart Communication on Provider Burden

  Samantha R. Schuetz

  Patient portals have shown promise in engaging individuals in the management of their health by allowing exchange of secure electronic messages with their providers. Increased messaging increases physician workload and contributes to burnout among primary care physicians. This project examines both patient and provider perspectives of MyChart messaging and suggests ways in which this tool can be better utilized.

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  Infant Care in Our Community: Development of an Infant Care Guide

  Justin G. Schulz

  Improving health outcomes for infants and parent-provider communication at FQHCs by designing patient/parent focused health education literature.

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  At Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

  Aneesh Singal

  Blood pressure measurements in the office are often falsely elevated and do not reflect a patients at-home measurements. This project explores the values of home blood pressure monitoring and includes a pamphlet for use at the Colchester Family Medicine office. It has information on how to check blood pressure, which cuffs to buy, and how to enter home measurements into Epic so the physician can easily view them.

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  Improving Sleep: Patient Education on Sleep Hygiene Techniques

  Anya Srikureja

  Approximately one third of adults in the United States sleep less than the recommended 7 hours a night. Insufficient sleep is associated with increase risk of chronic diseases and all-cause mortality. While pharmacologic sleep aids are available, cognitive behavioral therapy is recommended as an effective, first line treatment for insomnia. This project aimed to create patient education materials on sleep hygiene techniques that could be easily distributed by providers through the electronic medical record in order to help improve sleep for the patient population in Vergennes, Vermont.

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  Implementation of the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Model: Information for Patients

  Amy Stedman

  UVMMC Primary Care is transitioning to the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) model of care, in which behavioral health and/or psychiatric treatment is provided within a primary care setting via in-house consulting clinicians. There are currently no standardized informational materials to educate patients on the details of the PCMHI program, which is a new treatment model for most patients and clinicians involved. Development of educational materials, as well as broader public health implications of the PCMHI model of care, are addressed.

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  Evaluating Patient and Provider Knowledge of Safe Pharmaceutical Disposal Procedures in Vermont through a Public Health and Environmental Lens

  Emily R. Straley

  Patient and provider knowledge of safe pharmaceutical disposal procedures is crucial from both a public health and environmental standpoint. Unfortunately, studies have shown that Vermont residents are largely unaware of safe drug disposal programs in their communities. This project evaluated patient knowledge of drug disposal practices and awareness of safe pharmaceutical disposal procedures at Hinesburg Family Medicine. A short phrase was created to better disseminate information about safe drug disposal in Hinesburg, which can be added to a patient’s after visit summary. Many patients report never discussing medication disposal with their physician. Therefore, increased provider communication regarding leftover and unused medications is critical to encouraging participation in safe drug disposal practices in Vermont.

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  Mental Health Technology During the Era of COVID-19

  Michael Tabet

  Mental health symptoms - especially those of depression and anxiety - have become more prevalent during the COVID pandemic. As seen in previous years, direct and indirect costs of depression can be staggering. Apps exist on smart devices that are based in evidence-based practices that can be therapeutic for mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. A simple handout with some suggested popular mental health apps and accompanying descriptions was created to be used in the CVPH Family Medicine clinic to increase awareness of these apps among patients suffering from depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

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  Patient Attitudes and Education about the COVID-19 Vaccine

  Zeynep Tek, Faith Wilson, and Claudia Russell

  We gave patients a survey about if they were interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and if not why across three different sites in Vermont and Connecticut. We also made and handed out a pamphlet about commonly asked questions about the vaccine and what the state's distribution plan was. A majority of patients were interested in the getting the vaccine, and those who were unsure were worried about the long term side effects.

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  Implementing an Intimate Partner Violence Screening at a Connecticut Family Medicine Practice

  Nikkole Turgeon

  Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem throughout the United States. The aim of this project was to implement a validated IPV screening form into the work flow of the Newtown Primary Care office and increase awareness about IPV throughout the office. The Hits, Insults, Threatens, Screams (HITS) screening form was implemented and resources from local domestic violence agencies were obtained for the office. A system was set up for patients who screen positive to be referred to the in-house therapist and to local domestic violence agencies. Future steps could include further training and education for the office.