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Patient Guide to Managing Post-Meal Blood Sugar for Metabolic Health
Sarah Pfreundschuh
Diabetes and prediabetes are highly prevalent metabolic conditions with significant public health and personal costs. Lifestyle modifications are widely recognized to play a key role in improving the management of such conditions and may prevent their progression. However, the conveyance of specific lifestyle modifications to patients with diabetes and prediabetes is often limited during standard primary care visits, and not all patients are able to meet with a Registered Dietician (RD) or Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). Access to concise, generalizable educational materials that can easily be distributed to patients through the electronic medical record system is accordingly a valuable tool for primary care providers. This project involved collaboration with two local RDs, one of whom is also a CDE, to create one such educational material with simple tips for improving post-meal glucose control.
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Transportation Options for Mad River Patients
Jake Bleau
UVM is closing the Mad River family medicine clinic in May of 2025. Many patients at this clinic, particularly elderly patients who live alone, already struggle with transportation to their medical appointments due to distance from the clinic and inability to drive themselves. This project was to create a flyer that the clinic may distribute to their patients that highlights two of the most widely used options for transportation to medical appointments. This flyer will be handed out to patients from now, January 2025, until the closure of the clinic.
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Updated Guidelines for Pre-Op Exams by the PCP
William Clark
This project involved developing and distributing educational materials on the 2024 Guideline for Perioperative Cardiovascular Management for Noncardiac Surgery. By providing key updates to staff, the initiative aimed to enhance provider awareness and support evidence-based perioperative decision-making.
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Silencing the Silent Killer: The Importance of At-Home Blood Pressure Monitoring and Community Resources to Improve Access
Elle G. Cunningham
Hypertension continues to be a highly prevalent and costly medical condition in the United States. Approximately half of adults in the US have hypertension, and 1 in 3 have hypertension but are unaware of it. The negative impacts of hypertension occur over time, so patient monitoring of blood pressure provides the opportunity for early intervention, but less than half of patients who should monitor their blood pressure at home do so. This project implements the distribution of an educational pamphlet to patients with hypertension who do not regularly monitor blood pressure at home in a community health setting. This intervention was shown to be effective in increasing patient awareness of the health impacts of hypertension, importance of monitoring blood pressure at home, and compliance with at-home blood pressure monitoring.
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Quality Improvements for Closing the Loop in Diabetic Eye Care Management
Caroline R. Duksta
There is an opportunity to improve closed loop communication of care plans across organizations and specialists. The concept of this project is to foster patient engagement through healthcare education and leverage that engagement to address areas of identified weaknesses in collaboration. If successful, this could improve communication and coordination of care plans.
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HTN in Hinesburg: Improving Patient Management of Hypertension
Jacquelyn Ferguson
One in four Vermont adults have been told they have hypertension. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, increases risk for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the U.S. and in Vermont. Lifestyle changes that can improve hypertension may include changing eating habits. This project focused on improving patient management of blood pressure through education and outreach efforts in Hinesburg, VT.
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Prevention Through Education: Advancing Women’s Health Through Screening Awareness
Emma Fleming
Preventive healthcare is essential in improving women’s health outcomes, yet adherence to screening guidelines remains inconsistent, partly due to rapidly evolving recommendations. To address this challenge, this patient-friendly handout was created outlining essential screening guidelines, their purpose, and the appropriate timing based on age and risk factors. This resource was designed to empower individuals to participate actively in their preventive care, highlighting the importance of accessible health information and the role of patient education in bridging gaps in healthcare delivery.
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Suboxone Starter Guide: Essentials for Healthcare Providers
Molly Greenblat
Suboxone is an affordable, effective, and frequently prescribed medication in the primary care setting. There are many anticipated challenges for patients who initiate medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with suboxone. Having guidance for providers in a single, accessible location has the potential to improve provider confidence with suboxone prescription as well as patient outcomes with MAT.
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Bridging the Gap in Mental Health Training of First Responders
Tyler Hastings
Recent studies have identified a mismatch in the amount of training first responders receive regarding the evaluation, treatment, and transport of patients with psychiatric conditions.
Therein lies the need institute a training system of first responders to include topics of mental illness.
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Addressing the Language Barrier
Steven M. Hepp
There is never enough time for patient education during office visits, this is especially true when using a translator service. Digital resources in many languages could now help improve patient education and outcomes.
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Xylazine Test Strips: Harm Reduction in Chittenden County
Ruja Kambli
Most opioid use disorder resources in Vermont are concentrated in Burlington. This project focused on harm reduction pertaining to the increase of xylazine-related fatalities in recent years. An educational brochure containing local test strip locations was created for the TCHC community and test strips were given to the office to raise awareness surrounding the opioid epidemic and the dangers of xylazine.
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Assessing Patient Comfort when Discussing Mental Health Topics with Primary Care Providers
Kristin Karpowicz
Mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression, remain critical public health issues. However, the extent to which individuals feel comfortable discussing these topics with their primary care providers (PCPs) varies by community. This study assesses the comfort levels of New Canaan, Connecticut, residents in discussing mental health issues with their PCPs and explores their awareness and use of third-party online platforms for obtaining prescriptions. A short electronic survey was distributed in a primary care clinic, with a subsequent paper survey to increase participation. Findings indicate that most respondents (75%) prefer in-person appointments for mental health discussions, and half have spoken to their PCP about anxiety or depression. Comfort levels were influenced by age, gender, and income, with older individuals and females reporting greater ease in discussing mental health concerns. Awareness of online prescription services was low, with only 14.3% of respondents having used such platforms. The study highlights the need for PCPs to initiate conversations about mental health and adapt their approach to patient preferences. Despite limitations such as a small sample size (n=20) and recruitment challenges, the findings offer valuable insights for improving mental health care accessibility in primary care settings. Future research should explore broader population samples and alternative recruitment strategies.
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Patient Education: Colorectal Cancer Screening
Grace Kim
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world with good prognosis if treated early, making routine screening essential. However, patients show reluctance to getting colonoscopies due in part to barriers in healthcare literacy, communication, and procedure discomfort.
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Maintaining Muscle Mass on GLP-1s
Sarah Krumholz
Many patients using GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss or diabetes management experience a reduction in both fat and muscle mass. While weight loss can have significant metabolic benefits, the accompanying loss of muscle mass can lead to decreased strength, functional impairment, and long-term health risks. This project aims to address this gap by providing accessible, evidence-based resources to help patients maintain muscle mass through targeted nutrition and resistance exercise strategies.
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Understanding Antibiotic Stewardship in the Outpatient Setting in Burlington, VT
Anna Landis
There are more than 230 million antibiotic prescriptions sent annually to pharmacies in the United States, and more than 28% of outpatient prescriptions are not necessary. This leads to antibiotic resistance and increased healthcare cost. To mitigate this risk, antibiotic stewardship aims to correct provider and patient behavior to ensure that the right drug, at the right dose, for the right duration and the right indication are prescribed. This project focused on community perspectives on this issue as well as provided resources to a local community health center for patients and providers on information regarding common infections and when antibiotics should be utilized.
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Colorectal Cancer Screening Options Made Simple
Joon Young Lee
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of death from cancer and one of the most common cause of cancers in men and women in the U.S. and worldwide. The USPSTF now recommends screening for CRC beginning at age 45. Studies have proven that increasing screening rates can significantly prevent new cases and reduce the number of deaths from CRC. Screening programs and outreach interventions have been successful in increasing patient participation rates and subsequently in reducing CRC incidence and mortality. This project aims to collect and utilize public recommendations and experiences to create a standardized communication in the electronic medical record in the form of a dot phrase as a method of intervention that provides express education on the available CRC screening tests to patients as a means of improving screening rate.
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Generating Language for an Electronic Medical Record Patient Deliverable on Lifestyle Approaches to Migraine Prevention
Jonah Levine
This project aimed to generate language on evidence based lifestyle modifications for migraine prophylaxis to be integrated into the Cerner EMR system at Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency such that it is made available for clinicians to deliver to migraine patients during an office visit.
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Patient Education of Non-operative Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis
Christopher Lin
Arthritis is a group of diseases that causes joint pain and requires long-term management. 22.5 million adults in the U.S meet criteria for osteoarthritis. 92% of these patients see their primary care physician for OA. Yet, only 6-25% receive care from a specialist. As a result, there is significant patient confusion regarding diagnosis, prognosis, management, and prevention, as well as a lack of understanding of treatment options. Patients have consistently indicated the desire for more information delivered clearly from multiple sources of health information. More effective communication strategies and visual aids are required
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Promoting Muscle Health During GLP-1 Therapy Through Nutrition
Erin Manogaran
The widespread use of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss and metabolic disease management has raised concerns about unintended loss of lean muscle mass, often resulting from reduced overall caloric and protein intake. This decline in muscle mass may contribute to physical weakness, increased risk of falls, and greater susceptibility to other chronic conditions. To address this concern, a patient-centered weekly sample meal plan was developed in collaboration with the clinic dietitian, offering a starting point for individuals to set nutrition goals that support muscle preservation during GLP-1 therapy.
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Anxiety Screening in a Rural Primary Care Setting
Erzsie Nagy
Anxiety disorders are one of the most commonly occurring mental health condition. It is recommended to screen for anxiety in adults under the age of 65, but there is insufficient research to make this recommendation for older adults. Caledonia County in northeastern Vermont is a rural area with a large proportion of older adults, and this unique population could benefit from anxiety screening.
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Addressing Resource Gaps for Autistic Adolescents and Adults
Christopher Pham
Autistic patients of all ages often experience greater difficulty accessing healthcare and worse health outcomes compared to neurotypical peers. Additionally, patients who are older when they are diagnosed as autistic (e.g. later adolescence, adulthood) frequently report increased comorbid medical problems and problems with mental and emotional health. Healthcare providers often feel they have inadequate knowledge and skills to confidently treat autistic patients, and are also often unaware of what resources are available to support patients. This project describes efforts to better equip primary care providers in Hardwick, VT with resources to support autistic patients, and discusses anticipated outcomes of similar interventions.
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GLP-1 Receptor Agonists & Dietary Recommendations...What We Know So Far
Olivia Richardson
GLP-1 receptor agonists have been increasingly prescribed to both diabetic patients as well as overweight/obese patients. However, there is ambiguity on dietary recommendations that should be made to these patients to avoid nutritional deficiencies/muscle wasting. This project includes a literature view on what current recommendations are for these patients.
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