Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2003
Mentor: Gregory L. Larkin, MD, MS, MSPH, FACEP
Department: Emergency Medicine/Surgery
Room number: CS2.102
Mail Code: 8579
Phone number: 214-648-2904
E-mail: Gregory.Larkin@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Emergency Provider Willingness to Respond to Disaster, Threats
of Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Effect
Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): IRB # 1202-722
Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): NA
Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Patient-based Research
Brief Description of Project:
Rationale: Emergency healthcare workers (EHCWs) have been recently identified as integral and corporate components of disaster, smallpox, and domestic preparedness teams in the United States. However, their individual readiness and willingness to assume this role has rarely been questioned.
Hypothesis: Provider willingness to respond to victims of disasters and weapons of mass effect (WME) may vary tremendously, mitigated in part by their readiness, understanding, and tolerance for personal risk when faced with either the specter of terror or untested federal policy.
Specific Aims: a) To assess EHCW's basic understanding of and preparedness for nuclear, chemical, or biologically mediated disasters; b) To compare objective measures of EHCW preparedness with self reports of readiness; c) To measure EHCW risk tolerance for smallpox; and d) To determine predictors of altruism as reflected in EHCW's willingness to incur job-related infectious risks.
Significance: This study will measure the coherence between EHCW's perceived duty and willingness to respond to disasters and terrorism, enabling more accurate prediction of workforce capacity in time of crisis. Ultimately, the lethality of an act of terror may depend in part, on the willingness of EHCWs to act bravely, in spite of personal risk.
Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
Mentor: Gregory L. Larkin, MD, MS, MSPH, FACEP
Department: Emergency Medicine/Surgery
Room number: CS2.102
Mail Code: 8579
Phone number: 214-648-2904
E-mail: Gregory.Larkin@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project I title: Emergency Provider Willingness to Respond to Disaster, Threats
of Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Effect
Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): IRB # 1202-722
Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): NA
Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Patient-based Research
Brief Description of Project:
Rationale: Emergency healthcare workers (EHCWs) have been recently identified
as integral and corporate components of disaster, smallpox, and domestic preparedness
teams in the United States. However, their individual readiness and willingness
to assume this role has rarely been questioned.
Hypothesis: Provider willingness to respond to victims of disasters and weapons
of mass effect (WME) may vary tremendously, mitigated in part by their readiness,
understanding, and tolerance for personal risk when faced with either the specter
of terror or untested federal policy.
Specific Aims: a) To assess EHCW's basic understanding of and preparedness for
nuclear, chemical, or biologically mediated disasters; b) To compare objective
measures of EHCW preparedness with self reports of readiness; c) To measure
EHCW risk tolerance for smallpox; and d) To determine predictors of altruism
as reflected in EHCW's willingness to incur job-related infectious risks.
Significance: This study will measure the coherence between EHCW's perceived
duty and willingness to Respond to disasters and terrorism, enabling more accurate
prediction of workforce capacity in time of crisis. Ultimately, the lethality
of an act of terror may depend in part, on the willingness of EHCWs to act bravely,
in spite of personal risk.
Project II title: Feasibility of Rapid, Computerized Mental Health Assessment in Adult Ambulatory Emergency Department Patients.
Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): IRB - 8843
Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): Not applicable
Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similarly types of projects). This is patient-based research.
Brief Description of Project: Many patients come to the Emergency Room with Occult Mental Health Issues. The students will do screening with a novel computer-based screening tool that can be utilized by the physicians in real time. We plan to have the students conduct mental health screening, substance abuse and alcohol screening to complete the health risk profiling for 12 hours/day for the next 2-3 months. This project could utilize 2-4 students to help with the evaluation and screening. When the students have completed the screening, this information will be directly transferred automatically from the hand held computer tablet to the desktop platform that prints out distribution curves and response scores to the various screening instruments to empower the real time evaluation of Emergency Department patients. This novel approach will allow clinicians to more thoroughly and accurately assess previously neglected health risks in Emergency Department patients.
Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students: Although
Dr. Larkin has only recently joined the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center,
he has been a mentor of over a dozen masters level and undergraduate students.
He has served on research committees for four students and enjoys time spent
with students.
Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
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