Eileen Crehan, PhD

Project:

Increasing capacity in primary care and OB/GYN care: Exploring how we prepare providers to best care for autistic adults

Institution: Tufts University
 

Project Overview

Summary:
The project aims to improve health care access for autistic adults by developing provider training tools. This includes a co-created didactic and an augmented reality patient simulation tool, enhancing provider capacity to better serve autistic patients. The project evaluates providers' knowledge and attitudes pre and post-training, also gathering feedback from autistic adults on their health care experiences. The ultimate goal is to create tools for future clinical trials to improve health care experiences for autistic adults.

Methods:
A cross-sectional study using qualitative and quantitative methods will be conducted. Recruitment includes previous working group members and new participants from the autistic community. The project involves co-creating a simulation tool with augmented reality and assessing the impact of training materials through surveys, interviews, and thematic analysis.

Deliverables and Timeline:
Two main deliverables include the patient simulation tool and establishing continuing medical education credits for training. Research deliverables involve submitting manuscripts on primary care and OB/GYN training and community dissemination methods. The project has a structured timeline, with the first half of the year dedicated to creating the patient simulation tool and setting up continuing education credits, followed by provider training and data collection in the latter half.

Project Mentors and Contributors

Project Advisor: Dr. Laura Crane