Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Jan 2021
Using a Hybrid Lecture and Small-Group Standardized Patient Case to Teach the Inclusive Sexual History and Transgender Patient Care.
Previous negative experiences with the medical community often leave transgender people reluctant to seek medical care. Inadequate teaching and exposure to transgender health during medical training perpetuates the health disparities experienced by this community. Although undergraduate medical education is uniquely positioned to address these disparities, curricular coverage of these topics remains inadequate. ⋯ Our findings suggest that students found this brief, interactive sexual history workshop, which included a lecture and standardized patient case, to be an effective component of their medical training. Although our transgender patient case was acted primarily by cis-gender people, students perceived this as a realistic opportunity to actively explore the nuances of obtaining a history from a transgender patient. In addition, our findings suggest that it is possible to merge teaching on sexual history and transgender health care, which is important in time-limited undergraduate medical education curricula.
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Southern medical journal · Jan 2021
Do Geographic Region, Pathologic Chronicity, and Hospital Affiliation Affect Access to Care Among Medicaid- and Privately Insured Foot and Ankle Surgery Patients?
Studies have shown that patients enrolled in Medicaid have difficulty obtaining access to care compared with patients with private insurance. Whether variables such as geographic location, state expansion versus nonexpansion, and private versus academic affiliation affect access to care among foot and ankle surgery patients enrolled in Medicaid has not been previously established. The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in access to care between patients who are privately insured and those with Medicaid in need of foot and ankle consultation. Secondary objectives include assessment of whether access to care for foot and ankle patients with Medicaid differs between those with acute and chronic conditions, Medicaid expanded and unexpanded states, geographic regions within the United States, and academic versus private practices. ⋯ Patients with Medicaid experience fewer options when obtaining appointments for common nonemergent foot and ankle problems and may experience less difficulty scheduling appointments at academic rather than private institutions. The medical community should continue to seek and identify potential interventions which can improve access to orthopedic care for all patients and increase the visibility of practices that accept Medicaid.