Family medicine
-
Improving the safety of prescribed opioids in clinical settings is a national priority. While co-prescribing naloxone is increasingly recommended, there is little understanding of the optimal way to implement this practice. ⋯ Academic detailing addressing opioid safety and naloxone prescribing was well-received by primary care providers and associated with an increase in naloxone prescriptions filled by Medi-Cal patients.
-
Specialty physician visits account for a significant portion of ambulatory visits nationally, contribute significantly to cost of care, and are increasing over the past decade. Marked variability in referral rates exists among primary care practices without obvious causality. We present data describing the referral process and specialty referral curriculum within the I3 collaborative. ⋯ Marked variability in referral rates and patterns exist within primary care residency training programs. Specialty referral practices are a key driver of total cost of care yet few curricula exist that address appropriateness, quantity, or process of specialty referrals. Practice patterns often develop during residency training, therefore an opportunity exists to improve training and practice around referrals.
-
Many US medical schools and family medicine departments have responded to a growing interest in global health by developing global health fellowships. However, there are no guidelines or consensus statements outlining competencies for global health fellows. Our objective was to develop a mission and core competencies for Family Medicine Global Health Fellowships. ⋯ The family medicine global health competencies are intended to serve as an educational framework for the design, implementation, and evaluation of individual family medicine global health fellowship programs.