Residents focus on home visits in grant-funded project

University of Texas Medical Branch residents Dr. Jenna Reisler, Dr. Elena Diller and Dr. Alokika Patel, working with their faculty sponsor, Dr. Lindsay Sonstein, have been awarded a $15,000 Back to Bedside grant to fund structured medical home visits in the community.

Back to Bedside is a resident-led initiative to develop innovative strategies for finding deeper connections with patients, improving physician and patient well-being.

Over the next two years, each visit will be conducted by a resident and faculty member in the Galveston community. These providers will then determine which patients would most benefit from additional visits.

The home visit model adds the additional benefit of being able to assess a patient's true diet and lifestyle choices, evaluate the need for durable medical equipment in the home and bring resources such as blood pressure cuffs, scales, glucometers and educational materials. The project also aims to build a stronger connection between providers and patients.

In addition to funding, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education provides grant recipients with project and change management skills, leadership education, and mentorship.

"As physicians, we often have a very limited understanding of a patient's barrier to care," Patel said. "Often times, patient non-adherence to the recommended treatment plan leads to physician burn-out and mistrust between the patient-physician relationship. This project is an opportunity for physicians to better understand and address environmental factors that may be contributing to patient's healthcare."

The ACGME's resident council, the Council of Review Committee Residents, developed Back to Bedside in 2017 to combat burnout by fostering meaning in the learning environment through engagement on a deeper level with what is at the heart of medicine: their patients.

Patel said the team hopes to expand to other communities in the Houston-Galveston area in the future.