An Interinstitutional Academic Collaborative Partnership to End Health Disparities

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 580-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara N. Logan ◽  
Leroy Davis ◽  
Veronica G. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Collaborative Partnerships ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Improve Health

Much has been published in the health care literature describing partnerships between academic institutions and community or health care agencies that are designed to improve health outcomes in medically underserved populations. However, little has been published regarding partnerships between minority- and majority-serving academic institutions with this same aim. Key principles of collaborative partnerships are used in a descriptive analysis of the development, functions, and benefits of such an interinstitutional academic partnership that was formed to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities in rural South Carolina. Lessons learned from the partnership parallel other human relationships where mutual respect and trust, open and clear communication, and shared decision and problem solving are important for building and sustaining partnerships.

scholarly journals An Overview of Cancer Health Disparities: New Approaches and Insights and Why They Matter

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsion Zewdu Minas ◽  
Maeve Kiely ◽  
Anuoluwapo Ajao ◽  
Stefan Ambs
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Health Care Disparities ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Tumor Biology ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Cancer Health Disparities

Abstract Cancer health disparities remain stubbornly entrenched in the US health care system. The Affordable Care Act was legislation to target these disparities in health outcomes. Expanded access to health care, reduction in tobacco use, uptake of other preventive measures and cancer screening, and improved cancer therapies greatly reduced cancer mortality among women and men and underserved communities in this country. Yet, disparities in cancer outcomes remain. Underserved populations continue to experience an excessive cancer burden. This burden is largely explained by health care disparities, lifestyle factors, cultural barriers, and disparate exposures to carcinogens and pathogens, as exemplified by the COVID-19 epidemic. However, research also shows that comorbidities, social stress, ancestral and immunobiological factors, and the microbiome, may contribute to health disparities in cancer risk and survival. Recent studies revealed that comorbid conditions can induce an adverse tumor biology, leading to a more aggressive disease and decreased patient survival. In this review, we will discuss unanswered questions and new opportunities in cancer health disparity research related to comorbid chronic diseases, stress signaling, the immune response, and the microbiome, and what contribution these factors may have as causes of cancer health disparities.

scholarly journals Third-Year Medical Students’ Self-perceived Knowledge About Health Disparities and Community Medicine

PRiMER ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashida S. Smith ◽  
Alexis Silverio ◽  
Allison R. Casola ◽  
Erin L. Kelly ◽  
Maria Syl de la Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Community Medicine ◽  
Perceived Knowledge ◽  
Medicine Clerkship ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes

Introduction: Medical providers’ attitudes about caring for vulnerable populations have significant implications for persistent health disparities. Therefore, assessing medical students’ self-perceived knowledge about community-based medicine and care for underserved populations can provide insights for improving health care delivery to achieve health equity. We evaluated third-year medical students’ perceptions of their knowledge and attitudes about community medicine, and addressing health care needs of vulnerable populations. Methods: From October 2, 2017 to July 12, 2019, third-year medical students at a private, urban medical school were asked to complete an assessment survey during their family medicine clerkship orientation. The anonymous survey assessed students’ self-perceived knowledge and attitudes regarding community medicine and care of vulnerable populations. We examined differences in survey responses by student demographics. Results: A total of 401 students participated in the survey; 50.5% of respondents agreed that they had knowledge to assess health literacy of the patient, while only 22.2% of students agreed that they had knowledge about how to identify a community and conduct a community health needs assessment. Additionally, students agreed with being most comfortable providing care to adolescents (73.0%) and the elderly (69.5%), and that they were least comfortable caring for incarcerated individuals (31.7%) and immigrants/refugees (44.1%). Conclusion: Assessment of learners’ self-perceived knowledge can help highlight areas for educational interventions. Our findings suggest the need for improving medical student knowledge in areas of community health and health care for specific vulnerable populations.

scholarly journals A Longitudinal Underserved Community Curriculum for Family Medicine Residents

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Jacobs ◽  
Adam Seehaver ◽  
Sarah Skiold-Hanlin
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Family Medicine ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Underserved Community ◽  
Family Medicine Residents

Background and Objectives: Postgraduate education in cultural competence and community health is a key strategy for eliminating health disparities in underserved populations. Evidence suggests that an experiential, rather than knowledge-based approach equips physicians with practical and effective communication tools that generalize to a greater diversity of patients and cultures. However, there is limited data about the efficacy of a longitudinal, experiential residency curriculum. This study details the results of a longitudinal underserved community curriculum for family medicine residents training in a federally qualified health center. Methods: All residents in the first 5 years of a new residency participated in a longitudinal curriculum of workshops and seminars focused on social determinants of health and cultural competency for underserved patients. Pre- and postcurriculum surveys assessed knowledge gain. Self-reported Likert scale ratings assessed attitudes and confidence related to underserved care. Results: Pre/post learning evaluations after each seminar documented average knowledge increase of 31.0% and 28.8%, respectively. At the end of the 3-year curriculum, 81.8% of residents reported confidence in their ability to incorporate culturally relevant information into a treatment plan and 57.1% of residents reported feeling very aware of obstacles faced by underserved populations seeking health care and of the relationship between sociocultural background, health, and medicine. Conclusions: A longitudinal, experiential curriculum in underserved community health and cultural competence can improve resident knowledge and attitudes with respect to health disparities and delivering health care to diverse patient populations.

Why Primary Health Care Offers a more Comprehensive Approach to Tackling Health Inequities than Primary Care

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Keleher
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Collaborative Partnerships ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Comprehensive Primary Health Care ◽  
Improve Health Status ◽  
Primary Care Sector ◽  
Improve Health

As governments attempt to focus more intently on how to deal with alarming measures of health disadvantage and inequities, a reformist gaze seems to have settled on the primary care sector. Simultaneously, in literature about this area, whether intended or not, primary health care and primary care are terms that are increasingly interchanged. This article argues that the slippage in language is counter-productive, first because it disguises the transformative potential of strategies and approaches that can make the fundamental changes necessary to improve health status, and second because the structures and practices of the primary care sector are not necessarily compatible with notions of comprehensive primary health care. There is much to be lost if primary health care and health promotion are disguised as primary care, and not understood for their capacity to make a difference to health inequities although of course in some circumstances, comprehensive primary health care is interdependent with services provided by primary care. In this article, characteristics of primary care and primary health care are juxtaposed to show that if the strengths and limitations of each model are understood, they can be mobilised in collaborative partnerships to deal more effectively with health inequities, than our system has so far been able to do.

scholarly journals A Digital Health Intervention for Weight Management for Latino Families Living in Rural Communities: Perspectives and Lessons Learned During Development

10.2196/20679 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. e20679
Author(s):  
Zenong Yin ◽  
Vanessa L Errisuriz ◽  
Martin Evans ◽  
Devasena Inupakutika ◽  
Sahak Kaghyan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Weight Management ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Rural Residents

Rural residents face numerous challenges in accessing quality health care for management of chronic diseases (eg, obesity, diabetes), including scarcity of health care services and insufficient public transport. Digital health interventions, which include modalities such as internet, smartphones, and monitoring sensors, may help increase rural residents’ access to health care. While digital health interventions have become an increasingly popular intervention strategy to address obesity, research examining the use of technological tools for obesity management among rural Latino populations is limited. In this paper, we share our experience developing a culturally tailored, interactive health intervention using digital technologies for a family-oriented, weight management program in a rural, primarily Latino community. We describe the formative research that guided the development of the intervention, discuss the process of developing the intervention technologies including issues of privacy and data security, examine the results of a pilot study, and share lessons learned. Our experience can help others design user-centered digital health interventions to engage underserved populations in the uptake of healthy lifestyle and disease management skills.

scholarly journals 2496

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 81-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meryl Sufian ◽  
Derrick Tabor ◽  
Phuong-Tu Le
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Translational Research ◽  
Health Disparity ◽  
Minority Health ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Burden Of Illness ◽  
Adherence To Medication ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Clinical And Translational Research

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) To explain and discuss minority health and health disparities and the mechanisms, for example, individual behaviors and lifestyle, genetics and epigenetics, physical and cultural environment, and clinical events and health care, that lead to health disparities. (2) To explore the intersection between health disparity science and clinical and translational science. (3) To present and discuss the NIMHD Framework and how it can be used to guide multilevel research to address minority health and health disparities. (4) To highlight examples of NIMHD-funded novel and innovative research relevant to clinical and translational research from a health disparities perspective. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The NIMHD Research Framework will be introduced that is currently being used by NIMHD to address minority health and health disparity research. The Framework looks at targeted populations in relation to biological, behavioral, physical, and sociocultural environmental domains of influence as well as the health care system. These domains have different levels of influence: individual, family/interpersonal, community, and population. Targeted populations include NIH-designated health disparity populations, that include racial/ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities. The following research opportunities are among the many opportunities offered by NIMHD: Disparities in Surgical Care and Outcomes Social Epigenomics for Minority Health and Health Disparities Addressing Health Disparities Among Immigrant Populations. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Select examples of NIMHD supported minority health and health disparities research that intersects with clinical and translational research will be presented. Candidate examples include: Genetic Architecture of Lupus (SLE) in individuals with Asian ancestry; A Novel Racial Disparity Marker for Risk Prediction in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients; Self-Applied Wearable Ultrasound Therapy for Osteoarthritis Management in Rural Central NY; Design and Development of a Multifunctional Self-service Health Screening Kiosk. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Despite notable improvements gained as a result of medical and scientific advances, there continues to be an alarming disproportionate burden of illness and lack of representation in research among minority and other socially disadvantaged and underserved populations. To meet this challenge, NIMHD is committed to supporting a wide range of clinical and translational research aimed at the development of innovative strategies and approaches to reduce and, eventually, eliminate health disparities. NIMHD’s mission, research priorities, and funding opportunities are relevant to the efforts and interests of clinical and translational scientists, especially those interested in the translation of research findings into interventions, products, and tools that may improve minority health and quality of life, increase adherence to medication and treatment regimens, increase access, and improve the delivery of health services.

Infusing Health Disparities Awareness Into Public Health Curricula at a Rural Midwestern University

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuli Njoku ◽  
Fathima Wakeel
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Integral Role

Preventable differences in health outcomes between U.S. population subgroups, related to factors such as race or ethnicity, income, and geographic location, are troubling. Geographically, rural American communities experience higher rates of adverse health conditions when compared with urban areas, further widening disparities in health outcomes. Such disparities necessitate the creation of effective curricula to enable students to address the health needs of underserved populations. By intentionally incorporating health disparities awareness content into the curricula, undergraduate and graduate public health programs can play an integral role in developing conscious health practitioners to help close gaps in health outcomes. Moreover, rural health courses may increase students’ interest in rural health careers. This article presents the process and results of faculty efforts to design and deliver health disparities–related education in undergraduate and graduate public health courses at a rural Midwestern U.S. university. Various teaching development programs inspired faculty to use intentional instructional approaches to teach students about health disparities. Consequently, faculty incorporated a variety of assessment methods and teaching styles to infuse health disparities awareness content into public health courses. Results from students’ course evaluations and reflections are discussed along with lessons learned and implications for future pedagogical directions.

scholarly journals A Digital Health Intervention for Weight Management for Latino Families Living in Rural Communities: Perspectives and Lessons Learned During Development (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zenong Yin ◽  
Vanessa L Errisuriz ◽  
Martin Evans ◽  
Devasena Inupakutika ◽  
Sahak Kaghyan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Weight Management ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Rural Residents

UNSTRUCTURED Rural residents face numerous challenges in accessing quality health care for management of chronic diseases (eg, obesity, diabetes), including scarcity of health care services and insufficient public transport. Digital health interventions, which include modalities such as internet, smartphones, and monitoring sensors, may help increase rural residents’ access to health care. While digital health interventions have become an increasingly popular intervention strategy to address obesity, research examining the use of technological tools for obesity management among rural Latino populations is limited. In this paper, we share our experience developing a culturally tailored, interactive health intervention using digital technologies for a family-oriented, weight management program in a rural, primarily Latino community. We describe the formative research that guided the development of the intervention, discuss the process of developing the intervention technologies including issues of privacy and data security, examine the results of a pilot study, and share lessons learned. Our experience can help others design user-centered digital health interventions to engage underserved populations in the uptake of healthy lifestyle and disease management skills.

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