Integrative Medical Group Visits

 

Congratulations to Dr. Paula Gardiner and her team for being awarded a Blue Ribbon by the Academy of Integrative Pain Management for Best Poster of Original Research!

Dr. Paula Gardiner has led several studies investigating the effects of Integrative Medical Group Visits. Integrative Medical Group Visits are a patient centered approach to reducing chronic pain and depression in a primarily under served urban population

Paula Gardiner, MD, MPH’s PCORI contract enables the inclusion of Codman Square and Dorchester House Health Centers on important research on the impact of Integrative Medical Group Visits.

Paula and the teams in the health centers are doing breakthrough work on telehealth for the underserved. They have developed and piloted Our Whole Lives (OWL), an interactive web-based resource. OWL provides all integrative medical group visit materials online including videos of clinician-led talks (stress reactivity, understanding pain, insomnia, obesity, depression, nutrition, and goal setting). Patients are also introduced to self-massage techniques, acupressure, and healthy cooking. They are also empowered to track their vitals, health goals, and participate in a monitored discussion group with peers. Patients can access OWL using a computer, tablet, or smartphone (click on the image below to see our site). Preliminary data indicate that this mHealth tool offers a feasible means of increasing access to non-pharmacologic options for treating chronic pain  among low-income, medically underserved populations.  A new award to Paula from the Aetna Foundation will build on her growing expertise in web-based delivery of self-care tools for meditation, yoga, and nutrition.

Gardiner P, Dresner D, Gergen Barnett K, Sadikova E, Saper R. Medical group visits: a feasibility study to manage patients with chronic pain in an underserved urban clinic. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 2014 July; 3(4):12-18.

Listening to Their Words: A Qualitative Analysis of Integrative Medicine Group Visits in an Urban Undeserved  Medical Setting. Dresner D, Gergen Barnett K, Resnick K, Laird LD, Gardiner P.

Integrative Medicine Group Visits: A Patient-Centered Approach to Reducing Chronic Pain and Depression in a Disparate Urban Population.

Integrative Medicine Group Visits: A New Model of Care.

Integrating CAM and Conventional Medicine: Group-based Models of Health Care Delivery for Underserved Populations.

Medical group visits: a feasibility study to manage patients with chronic pain in an underserved urban clinic.

Qualitative Evaluation of an Integrative Medicine Group Visits Program for Patients with Chronic Pain and Associated Comorbidities

Integrative Medicine Group Visits: A Feasibility Study to Manage Complex Chronic Pain Patients in an Underserved Inner City Clinic

Integrative Medicine Group Visits and Emergency Department Utilization

Harvard Grand Rounds Case presented by the Integrative Medicine Team concerning patient involvement in Integrative Medline Group Visits 

California Healthcare Foundation: Complementary Therapies in the Safety net

Engaging Clinicians in Patient Centered Research 

To learn more about Integrative Medicine Group Visits click here

 

To learn more about our research click on the links below

Chronic Pain Treatment without Opioids

A research project explores nonpharmacological alternatives for managing pain to help patients in low-income areas.

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/207533628
YouTube: https://youtu.be/1jYU9APKjik

Involving Patients in Chronic Pain Research

This researcher redesigned the intervention for her PCORI-funded project after working with patient advisors with chronic pain.

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/207533687
YouTube: https://youtu.be/P1jEQuPCgcM

Community Health Centers as Research Partners

Community health centers can help build trust with patients in the areas they serve.

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/207533727
YouTube: https://youtu.be/iiaP4FnuThI