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Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients

PURPOSE: Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) provide service–learning opportunities for medical students and care to underserved patients. Few published studies, however, support that they provide high-quality care. In this study, the authors examined the clinical impact of a medical student health edu...

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Autores principales: Gorrindo, Phillip, Peltz, Alon, Ladner, Travis R., Reddy, India, Miller, Bonnie M., Miller, Robert F., Fowler, Michael J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Published for the Association of American Medical Colleges by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2014
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4854643/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24556762
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000164
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author Gorrindo, Phillip
Peltz, Alon
Ladner, Travis R.
Reddy, India
Miller, Bonnie M.
Miller, Robert F.
Fowler, Michael J.
author_facet Gorrindo, Phillip
Peltz, Alon
Ladner, Travis R.
Reddy, India
Miller, Bonnie M.
Miller, Robert F.
Fowler, Michael J.
author_sort Gorrindo, Phillip
collection PubMed
description PURPOSE: Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) provide service–learning opportunities for medical students and care to underserved patients. Few published studies, however, support that they provide high-quality care. In this study, the authors examined the clinical impact of a medical student health educator program for diabetic patients at an SRFC. METHOD: In 2012, the authors retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of diabetic patients who established care at Shade Tree Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, between 2008 and 2011. They compared clinical outcomes at initial presentation to the clinic and 12 months later. They analyzed the relationship between the number of patient–student interactions (touchpoints) and change in hemoglobin A1c values between these two time points and compared the quality of care provided to best-practice benchmarks (process and outcomes measures). RESULTS: The authors studied data from 45 patients. Mean hemoglobin A1c values improved significantly from 9.6 to 7.9, after a mean of 12.5 ± 1.5 months (P < .0001). A trend emerged between increased number of touchpoints and improvement in A1c values (r(2) = 0.06, P = .10). A high percentage of patients were screened during clinic visits, whereas a low to moderate percentage met benchmarks for A1c, LDL, and blood pressure levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that a medical student health educator program at an SRFC can provide high-quality diabetes care and facilitate clinical improvement one year after enrollment, despite inherent difficulties in caring for underserved patients. Future studies should examine the educational and clinical value of care provided at SRFCs.
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spelling pubmed-48546432016-05-03 Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients Gorrindo, Phillip Peltz, Alon Ladner, Travis R. Reddy, India Miller, Bonnie M. Miller, Robert F. Fowler, Michael J. Acad Med Research Reports PURPOSE: Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) provide service–learning opportunities for medical students and care to underserved patients. Few published studies, however, support that they provide high-quality care. In this study, the authors examined the clinical impact of a medical student health educator program for diabetic patients at an SRFC. METHOD: In 2012, the authors retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of diabetic patients who established care at Shade Tree Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, between 2008 and 2011. They compared clinical outcomes at initial presentation to the clinic and 12 months later. They analyzed the relationship between the number of patient–student interactions (touchpoints) and change in hemoglobin A1c values between these two time points and compared the quality of care provided to best-practice benchmarks (process and outcomes measures). RESULTS: The authors studied data from 45 patients. Mean hemoglobin A1c values improved significantly from 9.6 to 7.9, after a mean of 12.5 ± 1.5 months (P < .0001). A trend emerged between increased number of touchpoints and improvement in A1c values (r(2) = 0.06, P = .10). A high percentage of patients were screened during clinic visits, whereas a low to moderate percentage met benchmarks for A1c, LDL, and blood pressure levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that a medical student health educator program at an SRFC can provide high-quality diabetes care and facilitate clinical improvement one year after enrollment, despite inherent difficulties in caring for underserved patients. Future studies should examine the educational and clinical value of care provided at SRFCs. Published for the Association of American Medical Colleges by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2014-04 2014-02-25 /pmc/articles/PMC4854643/ /pubmed/24556762 http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000164 Text en Copyright © 2014 by the Association of American Medical Colleges
spellingShingle Research Reports
Gorrindo, Phillip
Peltz, Alon
Ladner, Travis R.
Reddy, India
Miller, Bonnie M.
Miller, Robert F.
Fowler, Michael J.
Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients
title Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients
title_full Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients
title_fullStr Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients
title_full_unstemmed Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients
title_short Medical Students as Health Educators at a Student-Run Free Clinic: Improving the Clinical Outcomes of Diabetic Patients
title_sort medical students as health educators at a student-run free clinic: improving the clinical outcomes of diabetic patients
topic Research Reports
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4854643/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24556762
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000164
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