Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
ReviewTransforming Medical Education to Provide Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients: A Policy Brief.
Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) patients experience a greater burden of health disparities compared with their heterosexual/cisgender counterparts. Some of the poorer health outcomes observed in these populations are known to be associated with the prevalence of implicit bias, bullying, emotional distress, alcoholism, drug abuse, intimate partner violence, sexually transmitted infections (eg, human immunodeficiency virus and human papilloma virus), and cancer. ⋯ Additional barriers to implementing affirming care training for TGD patients are lack of expertise among medical education faculty and preceptors both in undergraduate and in graduate medical education programs. Drawing on a systematic review of the literature, we propose a policy brief aimed at raising awareness about gender-affirming care among education planners and policy makers in government and advisory bodies.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
100 Million Mouths Campaign: Creating a Pilot Program to Advance Oral Health Equity.
More individuals access primary care compared with oral health services. Enhancing primary care training to include oral health content can therefore improve access to care for millions of individuals and improve health equity. We developed the 100 Million Mouths Campaign (100MMC), which aims to create 50 state oral health education champions (OHECs) who will work with primary care training programs to integrate oral health into their curricula. ⋯ The 100MMC pilot program was implemented successfully, and the newly trained OHECs have the potential to improve access to oral health within their communities. Future program expansion needs to prioritize diversity within the OHEC community and focus on program sustainability.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Partnering for Integrated Care: A Learning Collaborative for Primary Care and Oral Health Teams.
The Teaming and Integrating for Smiles and Health (TISH) Learning Collaborative was developed to help health care organizations accelerate progress in integrating delivery of oral and primary care. By providing expert support and a structure for testing change, the project aimed to improve the early detection of hypertension in the dental setting and of gingivitis in the primary care setting, and to increase the rate of bidirectional referrals between oral and primary care partners. We report its outcomes. ⋯ The TISH project is evidence that a virtual Learning Collaborative is an accessible and productive avenue to improve interprofessional education, further primary care and oral partnerships, and achieve practical progress in integrated care.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Building Rural Primary Care Research by Connecting Rural Programs.
Both research and medical education make substantial contributions to rural primary care and health. An inaugural Scholarly Intensive for Rural Programs was conducted in January 2022 to connect rural programs within a community of practice focused on promoting scholarly activity and research in rural primary health care, education, and training. Participant evaluations confirmed that key learning objectives were met, including stimulating scholarly activity in rural health professions education programs, providing a forum for faculty and student professional development, and growing a community of practice that supports education and training in rural communities. This novel strategy brings enduring scholarly resources to rural programs and the communities they serve, teaches skills to health profession trainees and rurally located faculty, empowers clinical practices and educational programs, and supports the discovery of evidence that can improve the health of rural people.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Our Souls Look Back and Wonder: Reflections on Belonging and Being Invisible in Medicine.
Addressing the unequal impact of health disparities on historically marginalized communities is a top public health priority. Diversifying the work force has been lauded as key to addressing this challenge. Contributing to diversity in the workforce is the recruitment and retention of health professionals previously excluded and underrepresented in medicine. ⋯ The lack of representation, unequal expectations, and over taxation contributes to the feeling of not belonging, leading to emotional, physical, and academic fatigue. Feeling invisible, yet paradoxically being hyper-visible, is also common. Despite the challenges, the authors conclude with a sense of hope for the future, if not for them, for the generations to come.