Demand for abortion training and technical assistance in primary care: Unmet need and programmatic interventions.

OBJECTIVE: Quantify primary care provider requests for abortion training and technical assistance (TA) and availability of programs to support abortion provision. STUDY DESIGN: We reviewed requests for training and TA from four programs focused on capacity building for abortion care. Collectively, these programs serve every region of the United States. RESULTS: Between January 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022, the programs received 207 requests for training and/or TA from individuals and organizations in 30 states. Approximately 60% of requests went unfulfilled due to programs' capacity constraints. CONCLUSIONS: Unmet demand for training and TA to integrate abortion into primary care is significant. Increasing the availability of training and TA could increase the abortion workforce and improve access to care.

Empowering Future Physicians and Communities on Chicago's South Side through a 3-Arm Culinary Medicine Program.

The purpose of this pilot evaluation was to assess the impact of a university culinary medicine program on participating medical students and community members, which included individuals managing chronic illness and public middle school students. A total of 59 program participants enrolled in the study. Data were obtained using pre- and post-course surveys and qualitative interviews from September 2021-July 2023. Results show increased confidence in medical students' ability to provide nutrition counseling, with a high significance in their ability to provide counseling regarding chronic conditions. Participants managing chronic conditions demonstrated significant increases in self-reported confidence in their understanding of overall chronic disease management and care and in their kitchen skills, with participants who attended five or more classes having significantly higher means. Qualitative feedback from middle school students highlights their knowledge and willingness to try new foods after engaging with the curriculum. Findings add to the growing literature on culinary medicine and provide insight into the effectiveness of culinary medicine programming to increase knowledge and promote positive changes among future healthcare professionals and community members. However, more extensive research across a longer time span is needed to confirm the potential for sustained change.

Preconception, Interconception, and reproductive health screening tools: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To identify and describe the standardized interconception and preconception screening tools for reproductive health needs that are applicable in general outpatient clinical practice. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: This systematic review identifies research on pregnancy intention screening and counseling tools, and standardized approaches to preconception and interconception care. We focus on tools designed for clinical settings, but also include research tools with potential for clinical implementation. These tools may include a component of contraceptive counseling, but those focusing solely on contraceptive counseling were excluded. Data were collected from studies done in the United States between January 2000 and March 2022. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a systematic literature search to generate a list of unique tools, assessed the quality of evidence supporting each tool, and described the peer-reviewed clinical applications of each. We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to appraise the quality of individual studies. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases for standardized preconception and interconception health screening tools published in English from January 2000 through March 2022. We used keywords "preconception care," "interconception care," "family planning," "contraception," "reproductive health services," and "counseling." Utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews guidelines, we screened titles and abstracts to identify studies for full text review. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The search resulted in 15,399 studies. After removing 4172 duplicates, we screened 11,227 titles/abstracts and advanced 207 for full-text review. From these, we identified 53 eligible studies representing 22 tools/standardized approaches, of which 10 had evidence from randomized clinical trials. These ranged widely in design, setting, and population of study. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians have a choice of tools when implementing standard reproductive screening services. A growing body of research can inform the selection of an appropriate tool, and more study is needed to establish effects on long-term patient outcomes.