Integrated models of education and service involving community-based health care for underserved populations: Tulane student-run free clinics

Throughout the United States numerous models of local programs, including student-run clinics, exist to address the issue of access to care. The role of these clinics in serving the local community and contributing to medical education has been documented only in limited detail, however. The purpose...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Southern medical journal (Birmingham, Ala.) Vol. 106; no. 3; pp. 217 - 223
Main Authors:	Rebholz, Casey M, Macomber, Meghan W, Althoff, Meghan D, Garstka, Meghan, Pogribny, Andrej, Rosencrans, Amanda, Selzer, Sydney, Springgate, Benjamin
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States 01-03-2013
Subjects:	Adult Ambulatory Care Facilities - organization & administration Ambulatory Care Facilities - statistics & numerical data Community Health Services - organization & administration Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods Female Humans Male New Orleans Retrospective Studies Students, Medical Volunteers Vulnerable Populations New Orleans
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Throughout the United States numerous models of local programs, including student-run clinics, exist to address the issue of access to care. The role of these clinics in serving the local community and contributing to medical education has been documented only in limited detail, however. The purpose of this article is to describe the clinic models, patient demographics, and services provided by four student-run clinics in New Orleans. This is a retrospective, multisite chart review study of adult patients examined at student-run clinics between January 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011. During a 19-month period, 859 patients collectively were seen at the clinics, for a total of 1455 visits. The most common reasons for seeking care were medication refills (21.6%) and musculoskeletal pain (12.0%). Counseling and health education were provided primarily for smoking cessation (9.0%), diabetes management (7.1%), and hypertension management (5.8%). Nearly one-fifth of patients were given a referral to primary care services. In the 2010-2011 academic year, 87.6% of preclinical medical students volunteered at ≥1 of these clinics and spent 4508 hours during 1478 shifts. This article highlights the role of student-run clinics in the community, the safety-net healthcare system, and medical education. Future directions include the establishment of a new clinic, fundraising, and prospective studies to further assess the impact of student-run clinics.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0038-4348 1541-8243
DOI:	10.1097/SMJ.0b013e318287fe9a