RCHC Community Project Abstracts

Back to subject search page or search by preceptor site Evidence-Based Medicine in Coquille, Oregon Project Date: 10/13/2008 Coquille physicians have no subscriptions to evidence-based medicine resources, and report no use of such resources in their daily practice. They routinely see 30-40 patients per day in clinic, and often must simultaneously cover ER call at the local hospital. Thus it is very difficult for Coquille physicians to remain abreast of new medical developments and current evidence-based guidelines. The goal of this project was to teach Coquille physicians how to use and incorporate into their practice a continuously updated evidence-based medicine resource: ACP PIER, via the Stat!Ref online library. As part of this project, I used a questionnaire to identify the types of resources physicians utilize to keep up with new medical information, registered all seven Coquille physicians for OHSU library barcodes in order to access off-campus OHSU resources for Oregon licensed physicians (which includes Stat!Ref), created a handout detailing how to use these resources, and taught each physician how to use these resources and how they could be incorporated into their daily practice of medicine. Inpatient Hospital Resources in Astoria, OR: Development of a Patient Library Project Date: 10/13/2008 Patient education is a critical part of effective healthcare delivery. Although patient education begins with healthcare workers, it must be reinforced by other modalities including pamphlets, books and the internet. This study aided in the completion of a patient library for inpatients at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, OR. The design was consisted of observation of patient care and exploration of current resources at CMH, meetings with the Stewards, data collection of population demographics and inpatient diagnosis. To aid in its completion, this project consisted of (1) Instructions of how to access WebMD for a novice computer user; (2) Pamphlets for the most common inpatient admissions at Columbia Memorial Hospital; (3) Development of a handout of patient friendly websites. These resources, including the internet, are cost-effective teaching tools. Increasing patient education will hopefully translate to increased compliance, improved patient-physician relationships, and greater patient autonomy. Telecommunications Technology and Medicine in Burns, Oregon Project Date: 1/1/2007 Telemedicine uses telecommunications technology for medical diagnosis, follow up, and therapeutic purposes when distance separates the patient from their doctor. It is ideal, in concept, for patients who live in rural ares, and are forced to travel long distances to see specialists typically centered in urban areas. Studies show that setting up this remote interaction is possible, but there is little evidence that is is an efficient and cost effective means of delivering care. High Desert Medical Center in Burns, Oregon was given equipment through various grants to set up telemedicine services, but little has been done in terms of implementing it into a useable practice. An analysis of the benefits of and barriers to creating a lasting operational telemedicine service was undertaken to help guide future efforts. A survey of patient opinion was performed, and a newsletter article was drafted to educate the public about telemedicine. Physical Activity and Youth in Jefferson County: The role of the healthcare provider Project Date: 1/5/2004 Physical inactivity among all ages is a growing health problem in the United States. Combined with poor nutrition, physical inactivity is second to tobacco-use as a preventable cause of death in Oregon and US. Physical inactivity is a relative risk for coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, strokes, obesity, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety. The prevalence of physical inactivity among youth is high. The “2002-2003 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey” showed that about 66% of eighth graders and 70% of eleventh graders participated in moderate activity less than 5 days per week. This is less than the minimum physical activity recommendations. From the same survey, in Jefferson County about 19% of eighth and eleventh graders exercised moderately 5 or more days in the past 7 days, thus meeting the minimum physical activity recommendations. Addressing physical inactivity in youth is multi-factorial including plan implications at the individual, family, healthcare, school, and community level. The objectives of the 2003 Healthy Active Oregon: The Statewide Physical Activity Plan targets each these various levels. To combine the objectives of the state initiative and needs of the medical clinic in which I worked in Jefferson County, I addressed the following question, “How can a Jefferson County healthcare provider help promote physical activity among youth?” The methods used included literature searches for recommendations for clinical counseling on physical activity, a questionnaire to assess the clinic’s current protocols, and current patients thoughts and questions regarding physical activity, and finally an assessment of what is offered in the community. The final products included an interactive-information questionnaire for patients intended to help healthcare providers assess patients’ physical activity levels, assess barriers and provide patients and their parents the health benefits of physical activity. Also, a list of community resources and additional clinical practice suggestions were made. Suggestions included regular BMI measurements and regular assessment of patients’ physical activity. Getting Wired In Klamath Falls. Project Date: 1/2/2002 In the past 12-24 months, electronic communications have begun to be accepted into the world of health care. Currently, 62% of consumers seeking health care information are interested in getting it from their own physician. Over two-thirds of U.S. consumers rate communications with their physician as a primary reason for physician selection. 54% of consumers would switch their physician for the ability to interact online. The Klamath Pediatric Clinic web site was created in August of 2001 as a result of a survey that indicated similar consumer interest in a physician web page. An email system was also set up that allowed patients and their families to access their doctor via email. However, since it's establishment, the site has received few visitors and only one email has been sent through this system in the last 6 months. The intent of this project was to determine why there's a disparity between the initial survey results and actual utilization of the web site. A survey was created which addressed general Internet use, awareness of and interest in the Klamath Pediatric Clinic site, as well as features that would motivate consumers to use the web site. Project goals include determining if and why individuals are not utilizing this resource, determining what features would motivate consumers to use the web site, and utilizing the survey results to direct further action in order to increase overall use of the web site. Survey Results: The majority of responders utilize the Internet at least three times per week. 69% of those surveyed were not aware of the Klamath Pediatric Clinic web site. 62% of desired features are currently offered on the site. 86% of those surveyed are interested in visiting this site. These findings suggest that the reason consumers are not utilizing the Klamath Pediatric Clinic web site is because of lack of awareness. Thus, advertising was increased with the hopes of increasing consumer awareness of the site. Business cards and pamphlets with the web site address were made available in the clinic. A link to the web site was created through the search engine, www.google.com. Surfing Lessons in Klamath Falls? Project Date: 5/6/2002 One third of the US population uses the Internet regularly. One half of these people have used the Internet to look up medical information in the last year. Half of these admit that what they read influenced their decision regarding treatment. There are 26,000 health-related websites as of March 2001. The public needs help in finding quality web pages, evaluating sites for reliability, and discovering the resources that are available. Klamath Falls is a diverse rural population with significant Internet use and poor statistical information regarding individual use and Internet access. In the future, a study to further investigate needs and use would be a great student project, and there are numerous local grants available. For the sake of this project, however, a brochure was created instructing the public where to look for medical information, and how to evaluate what they find. Increasing Information Accessibility Using Physician Webpages: The Development of the Klamath Pediatric Clinic Webpage Project Date: 7/2/2001 This project sought to address the need for increased access to community and health resources by creating a physician webpage. A webpage was developed for the Klamath Pediatric Clinic after researching available site options and content material. Patients and patients' parents were given an informal questionnaire that asked about Internet use and health topics they would like more information on. Results: 73% of respondents stated that either they or someone in their family used the Internet on a regular basis (defined as usage >1x/month). 70% stated they had at some point used the Internet to look up medical/health information, and 92% said they would use the Internet to look up medical information if they thought it were easily accessible. When asked what community resources they would like more information on, the following results were seen: 20% said mental health; 19% said social services, 17% said family planning; 9% said a specific medical condition; 6% said substance abuse. These results were used to tailor the site's resources and links. Goals the website hopes to accomplish include increasing overall resource accessibility and health information, and more efficient communication between Clinic personnel and patients. The website address is: http://doctor.medscape.com/klamathpediatrics Back to subject search page or search by preceptor site