Medical Student Patient Outreach to Ensure Continuity of Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Belzer, Annika; Yeagle, Erin; Kohlenberg, Lucille; Solberg, Muriel J.; Gudbranson, Emily; Budge, Mariana; Batchelor, Hannah M; Fitzpatrick, Sarah E.; Zhao, Anna; Armengol, Victor Diego; Hassan, Samer F.; Shum, May; Bia, Margaret J.; Bia, Frank J.; Desai, Nihar R.; Kahn, Peter A.

doi:10.1089/tmr.2020.0030

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

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“…[12][13][14][15] The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the feasibility of medical student involvement in bridging care gaps, such as contacting patients affected by appointment cancellations or no-shows. 16,17 Several programs have demonstrated the utility of enlisting medical students to conduct social needs assessments via phone, allowing preclinical exposure to address patients' social concerns and the development of quality improvement skills. [18][19][20] However, what sets our initiative apart is its inclusion of in-person digital needs screening, providing hands-on experience for students while aiding patients with substantial needs.…”

Section: Comparison To Other Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Medical Student-Led Multipronged Initiative to Close the Digital Divide in Outpatient Primary Care

Jiangliu,

Kim,

Lazar

et al. 2024

Appl Clin Inform

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of telehealth. However, this also exacerbated healthcare disparities for vulnerable populations. Objective: To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a medical student-led initiative to identify and address gaps in patient access to digital health resources in adult primary care clinics at a safety-net academic center. Methods: Medical students used an online HIPAA-compliant resource directory to screen for digital needs, connect patients with resources, and track outcome metrics. Through a series of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, the program grew to offer services such as information and registration for subsidized internet and phone services via the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and Lifeline, assistance setting up and utilizing MyChart (an online patient portal for access to electronic health records), orientation to telehealth applications, and connection to community-based digital literacy training. Results: Between November 2021 and March 2023, the program received 608 assistance requests. The most successful intervention was MyChart help, resulting in 83% of those seeking assistance successfully signing up for MyChart accounts and 79% feeling comfortable navigating the portal. However, subsidized internet support, digital literacy training, and telehealth orientation had less favorable outcomes. The PDSA cycles highlighted numerous challenges such as inadequate patient outreach, time-consuming training, limited in-person support, and unequal language assistance. To overcome these barriers, the program evolved to utilize clinic space for outreach, increase flier distribution, standardize training, and enhance integration of multilingual resources. Conclusion: This study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time a medical student-led initiative addresses the digital divide with a multi-pronged approach. We outline a system that can be implemented in other outpatient settings to increase patients’ digital literacy and promote health equity, while also engaging students in important aspects of non-clinical patient care.

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Section: Comparison To Other Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Medical Student-Led Multipronged Initiative to Close the Digital Divide in Outpatient Primary Care

Jiangliu,

Kim,

Lazar

et al. 2024

Appl Clin Inform

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Health professionals’ involvement in volunteering their professional skills: a scoping review

Strkljevic,

Tiedemann,

Souza de Oliveira

et al. 2024

Front. Med.

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BackgroundVolunteering positively affects overall health of both volunteers and recipients through social interaction, support and physical activity. Health professionals’ volunteering has considerable potential to improve health outcomes in communities.ObjectivesThis study aimed to summarize published scientific literature regarding volunteering by health professionals.MethodMedine, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO and CINAHLdatabases were searched to identify eligible studies published between 2010 and 2023. Data on study methods and findings were extracted and synthesized.ResultsOf the 144 eligible studies, 80 (56%) used quantitative methods, 46 (32%) used qualitative, 18 (12%) used mixed methods and 8 (6%) were interventional. Doctors (74 studies, 51%) and nurses (n = 40, 28%) were the professions with most reports of volunteering. Half the studies were from USA (n = 77, 53%), followed by UK (n = 19, 13%), Canada (n = 12, 8%), and Australia/New Zealand (n = 11, 8%). International volunteering in low-to-middle-income countries was reported in 64 studies (44%). Providing service and training were the dominant types of activities (n = 90, 62.5%), with health promotion reported in only 4 studies (3%). Studies reported positive impact from volunteering, both professionally and personally. Time and family commitments were the main barriers. Enablers, barriers and impact were summarized in a socio-ecological map.ConclusionHealth professionals volunteer in diverse activities and report multifaceted benefits. Studies of volunteering interventions could enable new, sustainable approaches to health promotion.

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Medical Student Patient Outreach to Ensure Continuity of Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

A Medical Student-Led Multipronged Initiative to Close the Digital Divide in Outpatient Primary Care

A Medical Student-Led Multipronged Initiative to Close the Digital Divide in Outpatient Primary Care

Health professionals’ involvement in volunteering their professional skills: a scoping review

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