Practicum/BMC Memory Disorder Clinic
Implementation Study of BMC Memory Disorder Clinic
Under the direction of Hollis Day, MD and Heidi Auerbach, MD, Boston Medical Center’s Section of Geriatrics will be implementing a Memory Disorder Clinic. The primary goal of the clinic will be to conduct neuropsychiatric testing, with a focus on both English and non-English speaking patients. Following completion of the testing, patients will be provided with referrals, including referral to the Department of Neurology for follow-up as appropriate.
It is expected that this clinic will be somewhat time-intensive for the providers in the clinic, and therefore, Boston Medical Center wants to ensure that services, including provider time, are used most efficiently. One goal is to assess the impact of the service on other clinics in the Department, including the Geriatric Assessment Clinic and to decrease the back-log within that clinic. In addition, it will also be important to ensure that the new clinic’s services are useful for all patient populations, including non-English speakers.
Boston Medical Center proposes to conduct a formative evaluation of the Memory Disorder Clinic in order to examine both the implementation process and some clinical outcomes. Mixed methods will be used to conduct this evaluation, which will be guided by the PARIHS implementation framework. Outcomes and proposed methods include:
• Appropriate referrals to neurology, wait time for clinic services (including differences for English and non-English speakers) – assessed via medical record
• Impact on other clinics – assessed via medical record examining time to appointments in the geriatric assessment clinic
• Caregiver satisfaction – assessed via post-services caregiver survey, including differences for English and non-English speakers
• Provider satisfaction, including Memory Disorder Clinic providers and referring providers – assessed via qualitative interview or survey
• Provider views of feasibility, acceptability, sustainability – assessed via qualitative interview
• In non-English speakers, presence of live interpreters: both quantifiable (how often are they there) and qualitative for both patients and providers: i.e. how clearly are they giving instructions, making sure there is no assistance with answering the questions etc.
• Time for completion of battery needed for non-English speakers vs English speakers.
We anticipate that the student will be an essential part of designing the qualitative and quantitative data collection materials, as well as data collection and analysis. The student will have the opportunity to learn about implementation sciences and also work on their program management skills.
We are looking for a total of 240 hours. So, that would be 10 weeks at 24 hours a week or 12 weeks at 20 hours per week (or another combination that equals 240 hours). We can offer a stipend of $3,000 for the work this summer. Work hours and location are flexible.
For information and to apply:
Please contact Caitlin Allen, cgallen@bu.edu, T: 617-638-7281
