ScholarWorks @ UVM

Follow

• 

  Promoting Measles Prevention and Awareness

  Elizabeth P. Lanata

• 

  Barriers to Smoking Cessation in Patients Enrolled in Suboxone Treatment Programs

  Thomas L. Arnell

  Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year. The prevalence of tobacco use among substance abuse treatment program enrollees is substantially higher than that of the general population, with recent estimates ranging between 75-97%. The aim of this project was to identify specific barriers to smoking cessation in patients enrolled in suboxone treatment programs in Franklin County, VT. The most commonly cited barriers among survey responders were related to fear of the effects of tobacco withdrawl, while the most important barrier was related to fear of increased desire to use drugs following smoking cessation.

• 

  Ensuring Adequate Recognition and Care for Lyme Disease

  Menna Awadalla

  Lyme disease is a common issue in the Northeast United States, particularly in New Milford, Connecticut. Lyme is a readily treatable condition generally requiring a simple 2-3 week course of antibiotics. However, if patients cannot identify their symptoms and thus, do not come in for treatment, then that puts them at risk for developing chronic Lyme disease and fatal sequelae as a result. This project focuses on informing the local public about this issue by providing essential information regarding signs/symptoms, treatment, prophylaxis, and complications of Lyme disease.

• 

  The Truth About Vaccines

  Ramin Badiyan

  Shedding light on childhood vaccinations

• 

  An exploration of the benefits and challenges associated with introducing point-of-care ultrasound to a rural primary care setting

  Daniel Bak

  Castleton Family Health Center serves the western portion of Rutland County, which is designated as both rural and medically underserved. The regional Community Health Needs Assessment set goals to increase primary care visits, decrease inappropriate utilization of the emergency department, and work towards seamless care transitions without loss of information or gaps in care. Additionally, the Vermont Department of Health (Rutland region) identified both transportation limitations and a shortage of medical specialists as significant barriers to accessing care in the region. Point-of-care ultrasound may serve to address these community needs by improving the quality and continuity of care provided by primary care physicians.

• 

  Promoting TIA Awareness: Decreasing Stroke Mortality in Vermont

  Nicole Becher

  The death rate from stroke in Washington County, VT was nearly twice that of the state in 2015. Risk of death from stroke can be decreased by timely intervention, however many patients are unaware as to signs and symptoms of stroke, and when to seek medical attention. A brochure was developed and distributed, aiming to shorten the time between experiencing TIA symptoms and point of contact with medical professionals.

• 

  Improving Awareness of Opiate Support Programs In Lamoille County

  Samantha Bissonette

  Despite Vermont having doubled the rate per 10,000 people ages 18 to 64 receiving Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opiate Use Disorder (OUD) since 2012, there are still numerous barriers preventing patients from seeking treatment, including confusion about how to go about entering a treatment program, fear of stigma, and many others. Lamoille County has started to expand outreach to people struggling with OUD by having emergency services personnel, outpatient medical offices, and recovery centers hand out a county-specific information card with clear information about how to enter treatment and support programs. This project builds upon this existing initiative.

• 

  Osteoporosis: What to be aware of as a patient

  Jonathan H. Borden

  The prevalence of Osteoporosis is increasing with the growing elderly population in our nation. Studies show that the incorporation of osteoporosis risk screening into primary care intake protocols significantly decreases the rate of osteoporotic fractures in patients. This project aimed to increase osteoporotic screening within a primary care office in St. Albans VT via the development and distribution of an “Osteoporosis: What to be aware of as a patient” brochure to patients that met the criteria for being at risk of being osteoporotic (women ages 65+, women who are post-menopausal but younger than 65, men ages 70+).

• 

  Exercise Promotion for Patients with Mental Health Conditions in Milton, VT

  Pirapon Leo Chaidarun

  Depression and anxiety are two highly prevalent mental health conditions and can often occur together. Research shows that sustained low-intensity exercise releases chemicals that promote nerve cell growth in the brain, which helps regulate mood and relieve symptoms. Exercise may seem like a logical solution for mental health to those with a medical background, but may be a new idea to many patients who are unaware of the added benefits of staying active.

• 

  Lyme Disease in Fairfield County, Connecticut: The Need to Know

  Jack Chen

  There has been a steady rise in number of cases reported of Lyme disease in the past 25 years. In fact, it is the 7th most common reportable infectious disease in US with an estimated over 300,000 people diagnosed and treated each year. The total medical cost attributable to Lyme disease has been estimated to be as much as $1.3 billion a year with the total cost of Lyme disease testing estimated to be $492 million. Moreover, Lyme disease is associated with higher total health care cost and more outpatient visits over a 12-month period. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the most number of cases of Lyme Disease in Connecticut is in Fairfield County. Therefore, education especially awareness and prevention is crucial to decrease the number of cases of Lyme each year, keep the cost down and have a healthier patient population without Lyme Disease.

• 

  Intimate Partner Violence: Improving Screening Rates in the Primary Care Setting

  Alexandra E. Churchill

  The high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) has led to recommended screening for all women of child-bearing age. Implementing validated screening tools within routine wellness visits at primary care offices facilitates awareness and patient support through identification and resource referral.

• 

  Implementing Easy-to-Read Advance Directives at the CMMC Family Residency

  Elizabeth Congdon

  Advance directives have been shown to improve patient End-of-Life satisfaction, reduce surviving family depression and anxiety, and save money on end of life costs. Patients, especially low income patients and those on public health insurance, are often limited in their ability to complete Advance Directives due to low health literacy and complicated forms. This patient population is the bulk of the patient population seen at the Family Medicine Residency Clinic at Central Maine Medical Center. Residents at the Family Medicine Residency were educated on the PREPARE for your Care method of Easy-to-Read Advance Directives and online guidance for patients.

• 

  Improving Patient Educational Materials for a Suboxone Clinic in Southeastern Vermont

  C. Wesley Cubberley

  Access to medical treatment for opioid use disorder plays a significant role in the ability of a community to support a person's recovery. In Springfield, VT, community workers and providers are attempting to organize a Suboxone (buprenorphine + naloxone) clinic in order to bridge the significant geographic and socioeconomic gaps implicit to this rural community's location. In order to garner interest and increase awareness of this forthcoming project, a short, accessible educational flyer was developed with the input of the health center's staff for future use.

• 

  Educating Parents on Newborn Health and Safety

  Jenna Rose Dafgek

  More than 90% of unintentional injuries in children aged 5 years or younger occur in and around the home. Recommended infant care practices are below national target goals. Adherence to these recommendations increases when parents receive appropriate advice from multiple sources, including physicians. The goal of this project was to identify major newborn health and safety concerns. These concerns included car safety, safe sleep practices, and lead exposure. Educational handouts specific for age ranges spanning from first week of life to 1 year old were created for parents to address these issues.

• 

  Improving patient knowledge of antimicrobial resistance and appropriate antibiotic use in a Rutland county acute care center

  Stephen D. Daniels

  Antimicrobial resistant infections are one of the most prevalent global health concerns of our time. It is paramount that action be taken to do all we can to reduce the burden that these “superbug” infections bring in the form of both serious illness and financial strain on healthcare systems. As healthcare professionals, the onus falls on us to educate the public on basic knowledge regarding bacterial/viral illness, as well as proper antibiotic utilization, so that we can all work in coercion with one another to combat this global health concern. The here-in project describes an educational piece with this goal in mind, and provides a projected financial advantage for a successful intervention.

• 

  Implementation of the Vermont Mini-Cog

  Hillary E. Danis

  Cognitive impairment screening is important for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cognitive impairment and dementia. Additionally, screening is mandated as part of the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. Colchester Family Medicine providers were surveyed about their current screening behaviors and then provided a training session on cognitive impairment screening and the Vermont Mini-Cog screening tool. Post-training, providers were surveyed about their likely future screening practices.

• 

  Addressing Food Insecurity in the Clinical Setting

  Annabelle Davey

  Food insecurity is defined as having inadequate resources to ensure that everyone in a household has enough food to be properly nourished, without disruptions. 12% of the population in Clinton County, NY is food insecure. The aim of this project was to identify barriers to clinicians addressing food insecurity, and to provide information for both patients and providers to improve utilization of food assistance resources among food-insecure patients.

• 

  What To Expect: Patient Education to Improve Follow-up for Well Child Visits in Rutland, VT

  Christina A. Dawson

  Well-child visits (WCVs) are the cornerstone of pediatric preventative care. Attendance at these visits may prevent illness, reduce adverse side-effects associated with some conditions, and improve health behaviors. Despite this fact, many patients are still missing routine visits, particularly in lower income communities across the United States, like Rutland, VT. The goal of this project is to implement the creation of parent educational handouts distributed at routine visits at CHCRR Family Practice in Rutland, VT, to provide anticipatory guidance and improve attendance of pediatric well visits from birth to 5 years old.

• 

  Promoting LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Sex Education

  Alexis Dela Cruz

  LGBTQ youths report less satisfaction with their sex education curriculum than their heterosexual counterparts. The discrepancy between heterosexual sex education and that of LGBTQ is alarming. Currently, as it is reported within the Unites States, students feel as though LGBTQ sex education and resources are not readily available. A brief handout of LGBTQ inclusive practices was created for educators to reference when creating future lesson plans. The aim of this presentation was to create a more open and inclusive dialogue surrounding LGBTQ+ health.

• 

  Falling Through The Digital Cracks: An EHR-Focused Approach to Promote Social History and Mental Health in the Outpatient Setting

  Daniel De Los Santos

  Although they may not call prevention centers, people considering suicide usually do seek help; for example, 64% of people who attempt suicide visit a doctor in the month before their attempt, and 38% in the week before. Given the recent suicide of a father in Newtown, CT whose daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook Massacre, it needs to be asked if his suicide could have been prevented by having his physician discuss his mental health with him at his most recent check-up. Of equal importance, it must be asked if there are flaws within the EHR platform that make it more difficult for physicians to access or document a recent major life event while reviewing a patient’s chart. This project's goal was to remind providers about a recent stressful life event for a patient by implementing a specific problem list entry on the EHR titled “History of Recent Stressful Life Event".

• 

  Increasing Advance directive utilization in Hardwick, VT

  Maeve Lauren Donnelly

  This project was created to increase advance directive use at the Hardwick Area Health Center in Hardwick, VT. The project was aimed at creating awareness of the lack of advance directive use both to the providers and patients, so persuasive educational flyers were made to hang around the office. This project helped increase the attitude and awareness of the importance of advance directive planning.

• 

  Preparation as Prevention – Reducing Morbidity and Mortality in the Vermont Outdoors

  Nathan T. Dreyfus

  While precipitants and outcomes of wilderness medical emergencies are numerous and diverse, wilderness rescues in Vermont are most often called for individuals or groups inadequately prepared for conditions or contingencies. In many cases, failure to bring one of a few key items such as equipment for navigation or illumination after dark can create a preventable emergency with subsequent requirement for rescue or retrieval.

• 

  Barriers to Implementation of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Primary Care

  Jack Dubuque

  Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a safe and rapidly evolving diagnostic tool that has changed the practice of many hospital based specialties and has been introduced into Family Medicine residencies over the last few years.

  While the UVMMC Family Medicine residency has introduced POCUS into the curriculum, many practicing physicians have limited knowledge about the technology. This study aims to document the views and concerns of primary care providers about use and implementation of POCUS.

• 

  Increasing Bicycle Safety in South Burlington

  Sam Epstein

  While there are many mixed use lanes in South Burlington, many people still do not use bicycle travel to get to work or the store. This occurs for many reasons, but one reason may be that people are not comfortable riding on roads. There is also a lack of bicycle friendly transportation between Burlington and South Burlington. This simple and easy to read handout provides tips on how to ride bicycles safely as well as a map of the existing bike and pedestrian friendly roads in SB.

• 

  Using design thinking to help practitioners and front desk staff schedule follow up appointments

  Jhaimy Fernandez

  Due to an increase of calls at the front desk, Western Connecticut Health Network has systemized scheduling through call centers. In Newtown Family Medicine, clinical staff become responsible for helping patients navigate between two call centers in order to schedule appointments or schedule imaging. I used design thinking to create stickers that saved practitioners time explaining the process and decrease patient confusion.