Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2023
Telemedicine in Primary Care: Lessons Learned About Implementing Health Care Innovations During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine emerged as an important tool in primary care. Technology and policy-related challenges, however, revealed barriers to adoption and implementation. This report describes the findings from weekly and monthly surveys of primary care clinicians regarding telemedicine during the first 2 years of the pandemic. ⋯ The implementation of telemedicine during COVID-19 identified barriers and opportunities for technology adoption and highlighted steps that could support primary care clinics' ability to learn, adapt, and implement technology.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2023
Concerns Regarding Gynecological Aspects of Brazilian Girls and Women With Down Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study of Caregivers' Opinions.
Girls and women with Down syndrome (DS) and their caregivers may have more difficulties in dealing with puberty, menstruation, and sexuality than those without DS. Our aim was to understand the concerns of these caregivers about gynecological aspects, including menstruation, contraception, and sexual practice. ⋯ In our sample, females with DS had sexual development comparable to those without the syndrome. As these females become increasingly independent, it is necessary to guide caregivers and primary care physicians, especially gynecologists, about the difficulties related to the menstrual period.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2023
Presence of Primary Care Physicians and Patients' Ability to Register: A Simulated-Patient Survey in the Paris Region.
Using the health care system fully in some countries requires patients to register with a primary care physician (PCP). Public health policies measure PCP density to maintain satisfactory local PCP supplies and limit geographic inequalities. ⋯ Of 5,188 census blocks, 55.4% had at least 1 PCP; however, only 38.6% had at least 1 PCP accepting registration for office visits, and only 19.4% had at least 1 PCP accepting registration for home visits (P <.001 across the 3 indicators). Cross-block inequalities in accepting registration were steeper than those related to PCP density, indicating that this density metric offers false reassurance and is inadequate to support policy decisions.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2023
The Limits of Professional Identity: A Lesson From My Grandfather.
My grandfather was a prominent Jewish physician in Nazi Germany who escaped the Holocaust with his family but nevertheless came to a tragic end. As I, an American family physician, learned more about him, I was surprised by how much I identified with him. I was struck by how his success in his career had not been matched in other areas of his life, leaving him little to fall back on when his professional status was taken away. My grandfather's story has given me insights about him, my family, and myself and has taught me important lessons about the balance between professional and personal life.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2023
The Warmest of Handoffs: A Neighborhood Physician's Transfer of Care.
Transitioning care of a patient from an outgoing to an incoming physician provides a precious opportunity to transfer knowledge and trust. We explore this process from the perspectives of 2 practitioners, an incoming physician who recently completed training and a retiring physician leaving a practice of 40 years. The method we arrived at for this transfer provided the space for collaboration on what the essence of caring for a unique individual will entail. ⋯ It involves worrying and watching and relaxing into hopefulness. It is both witnessing and launching a life's work. It is reliving and inheriting and reinventing relationship.