Page 12 - COMP Magazine - Winter 2018
P. 12
Rural Health
Community Engagement
By Raquel Moore
While commuting to the WesternU campus in Lebanon, patient through the discharge period, behaved as patient
Oregon, you’ll more than likely see a beautiful sunrise over advocates, and established professional relationships. During
a snowy mountain or cross a field speckled with hens or the final week of the 30-day period, students worked with
sheep out for their morning graze. This is because a vast discharge planners to complete a long-term care plan for
amount of land in Oregon is considered rural, and the the patient, and presented the plan to the patient during
campus naturally lends itself to training medical students their final in-home visit.
to care for the people that inhabit these spaces. Students The Acute Care Transition Program research project helped
in the Rural Health Track have dedicated their free time inspire another research project from Rural Health Track
to serving this growing population. students. While helping with the first project, second-year
During the 2017 Oregon Rural Health Conference, second- medical students Alexi Shean and Matthew Johnson noticed
year medical students Monica Thurston and Mary Herberger presented findings a lull period when they were not receiving many calls. After further discussion, it was
from their rural health research project, Acute Care Transitions Program. discovered that some minor cases patients were failing the participant inclusion
The purpose of their research was to identify contributing factors that may lead criteria due to previous health issues. This inspired them to initiate a retrospective
to patients being readmitted within 30 days after having been discharged from the multi-year cohort study to understand if there was a statistically significant
hospital. The hospital discharge staff contacted the student team when a patient met correlation between these conditions and the increased likelihood of 30-day hospital
the criteria for participation. Students initially met the patient at the hospital prior readmission in rural settings. While this and other research projects are still in the
to discharge, and the clinical team reviewed the discharge plan with the patient and planning phase, all of the students have displayed engagement and commitment not
students. During a subsequent 30-day period, the pair of medical students followed just to the rural community of Lebanon, but to Oregon as a whole. n
up with the patient via telephone calls and home visits. Students then guided the
10 The Future of Medicine
Community Engagement
By Raquel Moore
While commuting to the WesternU campus in Lebanon, patient through the discharge period, behaved as patient
Oregon, you’ll more than likely see a beautiful sunrise over advocates, and established professional relationships. During
a snowy mountain or cross a field speckled with hens or the final week of the 30-day period, students worked with
sheep out for their morning graze. This is because a vast discharge planners to complete a long-term care plan for
amount of land in Oregon is considered rural, and the the patient, and presented the plan to the patient during
campus naturally lends itself to training medical students their final in-home visit.
to care for the people that inhabit these spaces. Students The Acute Care Transition Program research project helped
in the Rural Health Track have dedicated their free time inspire another research project from Rural Health Track
to serving this growing population. students. While helping with the first project, second-year
During the 2017 Oregon Rural Health Conference, second- medical students Alexi Shean and Matthew Johnson noticed
year medical students Monica Thurston and Mary Herberger presented findings a lull period when they were not receiving many calls. After further discussion, it was
from their rural health research project, Acute Care Transitions Program. discovered that some minor cases patients were failing the participant inclusion
The purpose of their research was to identify contributing factors that may lead criteria due to previous health issues. This inspired them to initiate a retrospective
to patients being readmitted within 30 days after having been discharged from the multi-year cohort study to understand if there was a statistically significant
hospital. The hospital discharge staff contacted the student team when a patient met correlation between these conditions and the increased likelihood of 30-day hospital
the criteria for participation. Students initially met the patient at the hospital prior readmission in rural settings. While this and other research projects are still in the
to discharge, and the clinical team reviewed the discharge plan with the patient and planning phase, all of the students have displayed engagement and commitment not
students. During a subsequent 30-day period, the pair of medical students followed just to the rural community of Lebanon, but to Oregon as a whole. n
up with the patient via telephone calls and home visits. Students then guided the
10 The Future of Medicine
