Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Curricular Interventions in Medical Schools: Maximizing Community Engagement Through Communities of Practice.
This article explains the importance of a communities of practice (CoP) model for continually aligning medical education and clinical transformation with contemporary health issues. It describes the evolution and advantages of using CoP as a model for transforming medical education and clinical practice and applies the CoP methodology to addressing the changing needs of socially vulnerable populations (LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning], persons experiencing homelessness, and migrant farm workers). In conclusion, this article describes CoP-led activities, achievements, and value creation in medical education by the National Center for Medical Education Development and Research established at the Meharry Medical College.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Revolutionizing Health Professions Admissions to Achieve an Inclusive Workforce.
This article describes the "The Admissions Revolution: Bold Strategies for Diversifying the Healthcare Workforce" conference, which preceded the 2022 Beyond Flexner Alliance Conference and called for health professions institutions to boldly reimagine the admission process to diversify the health care workforce. Proposed strategies encompassed 4 key themes: admission metrics, aligning admission practices with institutional mission, community partnerships to fulfill social mission, and student support and retention. Transformation of the health professions admission process requires broad institutional and individual effort. Careful consideration and implementation of these practices will help institutions achieve greater workforce diversity and catalyze progress toward health equity.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Evaluation of the Oral Health Knowledge Network's Impact on Pediatric Clinicians and Patient Care.
Oral disease has a major impact on the overall health of US children, with dental caries being the most prevalent chronic disease in this age group. Given nationwide shortages of dental professionals, interprofessional clinicians and staff with proper training can influence oral health access. The American Academy of Pediatrics created the Oral Health Knowledge Network (OHKN) in 2018 to bring together pediatric clinicians via monthly virtual sessions to learn from experts, share resources, and network. ⋯ Overall, the OHKN had a positive impact on pediatric clinicians and nonclinicians and, as a learning collaborative, successfully educated and motivated health care professionals to improve their patients' access to oral health through rapid resource sharing as well as clinical practice change.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Study What You Do: Developing a Psychotherapy Tracking Database in a Large-Scale Integrated Behavioral Health Service.
Many individuals with behavioral health challenges receive services in primary care, and integrated behavioral health (IBH) programs can help increase access to evidence-based interventions. IBH programs can benefit substantially from integrating standardized tracking databases that allow for the implementation of measurement-based care to evaluate patient-, clinician-, and practice-level outcomes. We describe the development and integration of Mayo Clinic's pediatric and adult primary care psychotherapy tracking database. ⋯ The development and integration of a psychotherapy tracking database supports clinician communication, examination of patient outcomes, practice quality improvement efforts, and clinically relevant research. Our description of Mayo Clinic's IBH database may serve as a model for other IBH practices.
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Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023
Supporting Mental Health and Psychological Resilience Among the Health Care Workforce: Gaps in the Evidence and Urgency for Action.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, health care workers have faced various challenges to their mental health due to extreme working conditions. Yet these workers have continued to deliver care in the face of stressors and death among their patients, family, and social networks. The pandemic highlighted weaknesses within our health care work environment, especially pertaining to a need to provide increased psychological resilience to clinicians. ⋯ There is an urgent need for system-level strategies that not only transform the way workplaces are organized, but also destigmatize, recognize, support, and treat mental health conditions among health care workers. There is also need for more evidence-based resources to improve resilience on the job, and thereby increase clinicians' capacity to address new medical crises. Doing so may mitigate rates of burnout and other psychological conditions in times of crisis among health care workers.