Presence and Characteristics of Student-Run Free Clinics in Medical Schools

Smith, Stephanie A.; Thomas, Robert; Cruz, Michael J.; Griggs, Ryan; Moscato, Brittany; Ferrara, Ashley N.

doi:10.1001/jama.2014.16066

Cited by 146 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…They highlight the need for advocacy and to focus on medical education to teach about the health consequences of food insecurity (Council on Community Pediatrics, 2015). Since the majority of medical students now participate in SRFCs during their education (Smith et al, 2014a), SRFCs may be an ideal setting in which students can be empowered to implement food insecurity screening and referral programs, alongside interdisciplinary partners.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implementation of a food insecurity screening and referral program in student-run free clinics in San Diego, California

Smith

Malinak

Chang

et al. 2017

Preventive Medicine Reports

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Food insecurity is associated with many poor health outcomes yet is not routinely addressed in clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to implement a food insecurity screening and referral program in Student-run Free Clinics (SRFC) and to document the prevalence of food insecurity screening in this low-income patient population. All patients seen in three SRFC sites affiliated with one institution in San Diego, California were screened for food insecurity using the 6-item United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Security Survey between January and July 2015 and referred to appropriate resources. The percentage of patients who were food insecure was calculated. The screening rate was 92.5% (430/463 patients), 74.0% (318/430) were food insecure, including 30.7% (132/430) with very low food security. A food insecurity registry and referral tracking system revealed that by January 2016, 201 participants were receiving monthly boxes of food onsite, 66 used an off-site food pantry, and 64 were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It is possible to implement a food insecurity screening and referral program into SRFCs. The prevalence of food insecurity in this population was remarkably high yet remained largely unknown until this program was implemented. Other health care settings, particularly those with underserved patient populations, should consider implementing food insecurity screening and referral programs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Student-run Free Clinics (SRFCs) are now present at over 75% of medical schools in the United States (Smith et al, 2014a). Like most SRFCs, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Student-run Free Clinic Project (SRFCP) serves patients who are uninsured and unable to access care through the traditional health care safety-net.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of a food insecurity screening and referral program in student-run free clinics in San Diego, California

Smith

Malinak

Chang

et al. 2017

Preventive Medicine Reports

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Professional students have privileges that allow, and in our view, require, that they take steps to better their community. As student projects, NEPs are often passed over – or never considered – in favor of student-run free medical clinics, where medical and other health professions students manage the clinic’s logistics and see patients (typically from underserved populations) under the oversight of a licensed clinician [32]. Many medical schools in the United States have at least one student-run free clinic, and often more.…”

Section: Why Students Should Organize Nepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students as effective harm reductionists and needle exchange organizers

Barbour

McQuade

Brown

2017

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

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BackgroundNeedle exchange programs are safe, highly effective programs for promoting health among people who inject drugs. However, they remain poorly funded, and often illegal, in many places worldwide due to fear and stigma surrounding drug use. Continued advocacy, education, and implementation of new needle exchanges are thus essential to improve public health and reduce structural inequality.CommentaryWe argue that students, and especially professional and graduate students, have the potential to play an important role in advancing harm reduction. Students benefit from the respect given to the professions they are training to enter, which gives them leverage to navigate the political hurdles often faced by needle exchange organizers, especially in areas that presently lack services. In addition, due to their relative simplicity, needle exchanges do not require much of the licensing, clinical knowledge, and infrastructure associated with more traditional student programs, such as student-run free medical clinics. Students are capable of learning harm reduction cultural approaches and techniques if they remain humble, open-minded, and seek the help of the harm reduction community. Consequently, students can generate tremendous benefits to their community without performing beyond their appropriate clinical limitations.Students benefit from organizing needle exchanges by gaining applied experience in advocacy, organization-building, and political finesse. Working in a needle exchange significantly helps erode stigma against multiple marginalized populations. Students in health-related professions additionally learn clinically-relevant knowledge that is often lacking from their formal training, such as an understanding of structural violence and inequality, root causes of substance use, client-centered approaches to health services, and interacting with clients as peers, rather than through the standard hierarchical medical interaction.ConclusionWe therefore encourage students to learn about and consider organizing needle exchanges during their training. Our experience is that students can be successful in developing sustainable programs which benefit their clients, the broader harm reduction movement, and themselves alike.

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“…For patrons, these clinics provide access to a variety of services free of cost, with most patients seeking care for primary prevention, acute care complaints or chronic case management . In a national survey from 2014, 75.2% of US medical schools have at least one SRFC, with nearly 37 000 patient visits to these clinics annually . Many studies have shown the diverse educational benefits that volunteering at SRFCs offers to participating medical students …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 In a national survey from 2014, 75.2% of US medical schools have at least one SRFC, with nearly 37 000 patient visits to these clinics annually. 2 Many studies have shown the diverse educational benefits that volunteering at SRFCs offers to participating medical students. [3][4][5] There is little information, however, commenting on the utility of integrating electronic medical records (EMRs) into the experience.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Utility of EMRs in Student Run Clinics

Ueberroth

Siegel

2019

The Clinical Teacher

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Summary Background A student‐run free clinic (SRFC) is a health care delivery system in which undergraduate medical students assume the responsibility of an outpatient health clinic. This provides a unique opportunity for early exposure to patients in a student's pre‐clinical years. Methods Pre‐ and post‐experience electronic surveys were sent out to first‐year medical students who were required to complete a minimum of three sessions as a volunteer at one of two SRFCs in the metro Detroit area. The Fisher's exact test was used to assess for a significant change after clinic experience with p < 0.05. Results Thirty‐one students completed the pre‐experience survey. Twenty‐five students completed the post‐experience survey. The Fisher's exact test demonstrated a significant increase in the proportion of positive answers for questions concerning comfort with taking a medical history (p = 0.002) and comfort with using an electronic medical record (EMR) (p = 0.048). There was no significant difference in comfort working as part of a team (p = 0.581), discussing a patient with a physician (p = 0.602) or interacting with different socio‐economic backgrounds (p = 0.720). Conclusion SRFCs provide a beneficial opportunity for early patient and clinical exposure for pre‐clinical medical students, including practice using an EMR, which is an essential tool in our electronic era. More research, however, is needed to determine the most effective way to teach skillful EMR use.

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Presence and Characteristics of Student-Run Free Clinics in Medical Schools

Cited by 146 publications

References 4 publications

Implementation of a food insecurity screening and referral program in student-run free clinics in San Diego, California

Implementation of a food insecurity screening and referral program in student-run free clinics in San Diego, California

Students as effective harm reductionists and needle exchange organizers

The Utility of EMRs in Student Run Clinics

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