In a recent study by Dr. Andrew Quanbeck et al., coaching primary care doctors on opioid prescribing guidelines resulted in a 11% drop in opioid doses at UW Health clinics. Conversely, doses increased by 8% at other clinics in the health system where the coaching program was not implemented. The results from the study come at a crucial time as the opioid abuse epidemic continues in the state and nationwide.
Yao Liu, MD recently spoke on the Wisconsin Doctors program about how the UW Teleophthalmology program is working with the Mile Bluff Medical Center to screen patients close to their homes for diabetic eye disease, which is the leading cause of blindness in working age adults in Wisconsin and nationally. Through teleophthalmology, patients can be screened for diabetic eye disease through photos taken with retinal cameras at clinics near their homes. The images are then sent to UW-Madison, where ophthalmologists review them for signs of retinal damage.
View the episode below or on Wisconsin Doctors here.
African American young adults who have depression often suffer alone and lack the support and resources to manage their condition. In recent article in Ebony magazine discussing these issues, HealthExperiencesUSA.org is highlighted as a powerful resource that can help everyone better understand depression in diverse young adults.
We're excited to welcome Edmond Ramly, PhD as a new faculty member at HIP! Edmond is a health systems engineer and new Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. His work focuses on designing best practices for ambulatory care that balance standardization and local adaptations. Recently, he has worked closely with Dr. Christie Bartels to implement work system redeisgn for hypertension protocols.
Approximately 1 in 15 young adults have high blood pressure, and they have lowest rates of blood pressure control compared to other adult age groups, putting them at risk for a future heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, and/or kidney disease. To help address this issue, Dr. Heather Johnson and her team recently launched a new website, MyHEART, that aims to help young adults with high blood pressure live a healthier life, lower their blood pressure, and prevent heart disease. A toolkit with information for providers and administrators about how they can use and promote the website with patients is also available.
Several new patient and stakeholder engagement resources created by partners of the UW-ICTR Community Academics Partnerships program are now available on HIPxChange. The new resources include an interactive online training on deeply engaging patients with a mix and match of methods, a roadmap and materials for engaging hard-to-reach patient stakeholders, and workshop videos & materials on sustaining engagement of blended stakeholder boards across the research trajectory.
Researchers at UW-Madison, including Dr. Nancy Pandhi, recently launched a new web-based resource to help patients, doctors, and researchers learn more about patient experiences with illness and health. The first stories available on the website are about depression in young adults, and over time, the website will grow to include patient stories on other conditions and health issues. Learn more about the project here.
The State of Wisconsin is currently in the midst of a diabetes epidemic, and management of diabetes lies almost entirely in the hands of those who live with the condition. To help address this issue, the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging launched the Healthy Living with Diabetes Program in 2013 with support from the Health Innovation Program. The program consists of a series of self-management workshop sessions that are conducted by trained lay leaders, many of whom have diabetes themsevles. To date, the program has reached over 2,300 participants across the state.
Dr. Yao Liu spoke at a UW Health "Saving Sight Session" on April 21 on the topic of Telemedicine: Saving Sight at Home and Around the World. In this community lecture, she discusses expanding access to eye care through telemedicine, particularly for diabetic eye disease in Wisconsin's rural communities. You can view the lecture video in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Video Library.
