How the Private Health Insurance Perpetuates Health Disparities: Do Our Presidential Candidates Have A Viable Solution?

Currently, 60% of all Americans receive health insurance through their employers, down from 68% in 2000. A closer look at this statistic reveals that minority populations are largely disadvantaged by our employer-based system since they are over-represented among parttime workers, temporary workers and those working for small companies which do not offer health insurance. Is there a viable solution in sight? In the upcoming presidential campaign the two likely nominees have very different views on how to cure our broken system. This presentation will discuss the candidates\u27 health care proposals (expanding our current system vs. severing health insurance from one\u27s employer) and the likely impact they would have on minority populations

A Student-Designed Multimodal Sex- and Gender-Based Women\u27s Health Elective Program: Advocacy Curriculum for Medical Students

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this article is to describe the design and implementation of a multimodal, student-driven, sex- and gender-based women\u27s health (SGBWH) elective with a curricular focus on patient and legislative advocacy. In this single arm, pre/post design, interventional study, we detail and evaluate the use of social media, newsletters, and round-table discussions in conjunction with a traditional lecture-based educational format to engage medical students in a virtual learning environment. METHODS: We developed a 22-week SGBWH curriculum for pre-clinical and clinical medical students, which included a series of lectures on multi-specialty and gender-inclusive topics related to SGBWH, small group discussions with community leaders and legislators involved in women\u27s health advocacy, and other self-directed resources such as social media, a website, and digital newsletters. Students were surveyed before and after completing the curriculum to assess for increases in self-reported confidence in advocating for their female and gender minority patients. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: One hundred and one students completed the anonymous pre- and post-elective surveys. There was statistically significant improvement in 8 of the 12 self-reported confidence measures. Eight (8%) participants identified their sex as male. Fifty-five (55%) participants stated future interest in primary care specialties (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics). Our curriculum improved medical students\u27 self-reported confidence in advocating for their female and gender minority patients when controlling for sex and specialty interest of participants. The success of our multimodal approach demonstrates the value in incorporating resources such as social media as tools for education and advocacy in the evolving landscape of medical education

Disability Awareness Education and Implications for Genetic Counselor Training

The genetic counseling (GC) community has faced criticism concerning the duality of promoting patient autonomy while advocating for individuals with disabilities. Research suggests that focusing on the education of GC students could ensure GCs feel prepared to have conversations about disability, as well as strengthen the relationship with the disability community. This study aimed to evaluate the landscape of GC disability awareness education to identify gaps and strengths. The study also aimed to assess attitudes and perspectives of GCs and the disability community to identify content that should be included in GC student’s disability awareness curriculum. GCs and members of the disability community completed an electronic survey with questions unique to each cohort. A total of 76 responses from the GC community and 596 responses from the disability community were analyzed. Most of the GC cohort reported receiving disability awareness training as a student (86%), however, variation was seen in the types of experiences offered by GC graduate programs. Most GC participants (71%) felt they received adequate knowledge of disability topics. However, a discrepancy was revealed when 89% of GC participants reported feeling comfortable discussing medical aspects of disability while only 65% reported feeling comfortable discussing social and lifestyle aspects of disability. Members of the disability community reported consistent perceptions which highlights a gap in GC training and indicates the need for additional guidance in creating disability awareness curriculum. For curriculum content recommendations, both GCs and the disability community agree on the importance of emphasizing four key aspects of disability including medical, social and lifestyle, lived experience, and the disability rights movement. Participants of both cohorts stressed the inclusion of exposure to persons with disabilities, understanding of the lived experience of persons with disabilities, and familiarity with support and resources. The disability community identified additional content that they felt was important to be included such as empathy training, family hardships, and mental health. While many of these factors are already included in GC training, it emphasizes the need to address these factors in disability awareness curriculum. Results from this study highlight the importance of providing a comprehensive curriculum structure for GC programs and the need for the creation of an accessible disability awareness education toolkit to minimize potential challenges with standardization

Medical ethics principles underscore advocating for human papillomavirus vaccine

Studies have consistently shown that vaccination rates against human papillomavirus (HPV) lag far behind other adolescent vaccinations recommended at the same age, resulting in exposing adolescents to unnecessary future risk of infection, and genital and head and neck cancers. Studies also have demonstrated that a major barrier to vaccination is lack of a strong provider recommendation. Factors that providers offer for failing to give a strong recommendation range from perception that the child is not at risk or the need to explain that the vaccine is not mandated (lack of equity and justice) or respect for parental autonomy. We look at the issue through a different lens, and reframe the above viewpoint by describing how failing to make a strong recommendation means the provider is not meeting the four principles of medical ethics (justice, beneficence, non-maleficence and autonomy)

Investigating the Attitudes of the d/Deaf Community Towards Genetic Counseling and the Utilization of Genetic Services

The Deaf community has previously expressed concerns about the process of genetic counseling/testing and the potential implications it can have for Deaf individuals. Prior studies have explored the motivations of Deaf individuals for pursuing genetic testing related to deafness; however, information regarding the interest and motivations for indications other than deafness is limited. Our study aims to characterize attitudes of individuals within the d/Deaf community towards genetic counseling and testing and to assess interest and motivations to seek genetic counseling for indications other than deafness. Individuals were recruited through local and national d/Deaf organizations to participate in an anonymous, online survey. Of the 54 responses, 61% identified with the Deaf community. Thirty percent indicated having prior experience with genetic counseling and testing. Overall scores of satisfaction were consistent with most participants being satisfied with their sessions. Both individuals with prior experiences and individuals without experience expressed interest in genetic counseling about a variety of indications, although individuals still seemed to feel overall neutral towards genetic counseling and testing. Surprisingly, 60% of individuals who identified with the Deaf community agreed with the statement that deafness is a disability. These findings indicate that despite literature and generalizations about the Deaf community and their beliefs, these views may not be representative of all Deaf patients and can further damage rapport and trust if wrongly assumed. To overcome the decades of distrust and injustices, healthcare providers need to engage in culturally competent, patient-centered care, especially in historically marginalized communities like the d/Deaf community

A Student-Designed Multimodal Sex- and Gender-Based Women's Health Elective Program: Advocacy Curriculum for Medical Students

OBJECTIVES The objective of this article is to describe the design and implementation of a multimodal, student-driven, sex- and gender-based women's health (SGBWH) elective with a curricular focus on patient and legislative advocacy. In this single arm, pre/post design, interventional study, we detail and evaluate the use of social media, newsletters, and round-table discussions in conjunction with a traditional lecture-based educational format to engage medical students in a virtual learning environment. METHODS We developed a 22-week SGBWH curriculum for pre-clinical and clinical medical students, which included a series of lectures on multi-specialty and gender-inclusive topics related to SGBWH, small group discussions with community leaders and legislators involved in women's health advocacy, and other self-directed resources such as social media, a website, and digital newsletters. Students were surveyed before and after completing the curriculum to assess for increases in self-reported confidence in advocating for their female and gender minority patients. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION One hundred and one students completed the anonymous pre- and post-elective surveys. There was statistically significant improvement in 8 of the 12 self-reported confidence measures. Eight (8%) participants identified their sex as male. Fifty-five (55%) participants stated future interest in primary care specialties (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics). Our curriculum improved medical students’ self-reported confidence in advocating for their female and gender minority patients when controlling for sex and specialty interest of participants. The success of our multimodal approach demonstrates the value in incorporating resources such as social media as tools for education and advocacy in the evolving landscape of medical education

Stakeholder Insights from Zika Virus Infections in Houston, Texas, USA, 2016–2017

Responding to Zika virus infections in Houston, Texas, USA, presented numerous challenges across the health system. As the nation’s fourth-largest city, in a subtropical region with high travel volume to Latin America and the Caribbean, Houston was an ideal location for studying experiences encountered by clinicians and public health officials as they responded to the Zika virus crisis. To identify the challenges encountered in the response and to explore strategies to improve future responses to emerging infectious diseases, we interviewed 38 key stakeholders who were clinical, scientific, operational, and public health leaders. From the responses, we identified 4 key challenges: testing, travel screening, patient demographics and immigration status, and insufficient collaboration (between public health officials and clinicians and among clinical providers). We also identified 5 strategic areas as potential solutions: improved electronic health record support, specialty centers and referral systems, standardized forms, centralized testing databases, and joint academic/public health task forces

Book of Abstracts: 2019 Health Equity Summer Research Summit Organized by the Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA on June 18th, 2019

Copyright © 2020 Harris. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited