Storylines of family medicine VIII: clinical approaches.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'VIII: clinical approaches', authors address the following themes: 'Evaluation, diagnosis and management I-toward a working diagnosis', 'Evaluation, diagnosis and management II-process steps', 'Interweaving integrative medicine and family medicine', 'Halfway-the art of clinical judgment', 'Seamless integration in family medicine-team-based care', 'Technology-uncovering stories from noise' and 'Caring for patients with multiple long-term conditions'. May readers recognise in these essays the uniqueness of a family medicine approach to care.

Health Care Equity for Family Medicine Patients and Family Physician Equity.

This is the first of two sequential equity and diversity-themed JABFM issues. Multiple articles address the social justice tenet of family medicine; ie, diversity and equity issues within the family medicine field and health care equity in the delivery of care to diverse patient populations. Within the field, we have a paper on how ABFM attempts to ensure equity in the board examination through differential item analyses review. Other articles report on the diversity of family physicians, the languages they use in their practices, family medicine department chairs, and deans of schools of medicine, as well as the diversity of the patients in family physician practices. Gender inequity is also important for family medicine. For care of diverse populations, there is a discussion of pseudofolliculitis barbae implications, race-specific blood pressure medications and control, location of family physicians and of social services by need, and a large study of laboratory testing by gender. Articles on various clinical topics are also included.

Primary Care 2.0: A Prospective Evaluation of a Novel Model of Advanced Team Care With Expanded Medical Assistant Support.

PURPOSE: Assess effectiveness of Primary Care 2.0: a team-based model that incorporates increased medical assistant (MA) to primary care physician (PCP) ratio, integration of advanced practice clinicians, expanded MA roles, and extended the interprofessional team. METHODS: Prospective, quasi-experimental evaluation of staff/clinician team development and wellness survey data, comparing Primary Care 2.0 to conventional clinics within our academic health care system. We surveyed before the model launch and every 6-9 months up to 24 months post implementation. Secondary outcomes (cost, quality metrics, patient satisfaction) were assessed via routinely collected operational data. RESULTS: Team development significantly increased in the Primary Care 2.0 clinic, sustained across all 3 post implementation time points (+12.2, +8.5, + 10.1 respectively, vs baseline, on the 100-point Team Development Measure) relative to the comparison clinics. Among wellness domains, only "control of work" approached significant gains (+0.5 on a 5-point Likert scale, P = .05), but was not sustained. Burnout did not have statistically significant relative changes; the Primary Care 2.0 site showed a temporal trend of improvement at 9 and 15 months. Reversal of this trend at 2 years corresponded to contextual changes, specifically, reduced MA to PCP staffing ratio. Adjusted models confirmed an inverse relationship between team development and burnout (P <.0001). Secondary outcomes generally remained stable between intervention and comparison clinics with suggestion of labor cost savings. CONCLUSIONS: The Primary Care 2.0 model of enhanced team-based primary care demonstrates team development is a plausible key to protect against burnout, but is not sufficient alone. The results reinforce that transformation to team-based care cannot be a 1-time effort and institutional commitment is integral.

What constitutes "behavioral health"? Perceptions of substance-related problems and their treatment in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Integrating behavioral health in primary care is a widespread endeavor. Yet rampant variation exists in models and approaches. One significant question is whether frontline providers perceive that behavioral health includes substance use. The current study examined front line providers': 1. definition of behavioral health, and 2. levels of comfort treating patients who use alcohol and other drugs. Frontline providers at two primary care clinics were surveyed using a 28-item instrument designed to assess their comfort and knowledge of behavioral health, including substance use. Two questions from the Integrated Behavioral Health Staff Perceptions Survey pertaining to confidence in clinics' ability to care for patients' behavioral health needs and comfort dealing with patients with behavioral health needs were used for the purposes of this report. Participants also self-reported their clinic role. Responses to these two items were assessed and then compared across roles. Chi square estimates and analysis of variance tests were used to examine relationships between clinic roles and comfort of substance use care delivery. RESULTS: Physicians, nurses/nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and other staff (N = 59) participated. Forty-nine participants included substance use in their definition of behavioral health. Participants reported the least comfort caring for patients who use substances (M = 3.5, SD = 1.0) compared to those with mental health concerns (M = 4.1, SD = 0.7), chronic medical conditions (M = 4.2, SD = 0.7), and general health concerns (M = 4.2, SD = 0.7) (p < 0.001). Physicians (M = 3.0, SD = 0.7) reported significantly lower levels of comfort than medical assistants (M = 4.2, SD = 0.9) (p < 0.001) caring for patients who use substances. CONCLUSIONS: In a small sample of key stakeholders from two primary care clinics who participated in this survey, most considered substance use part of the broad umbrella of behavioral health. Compared to other conditions, primary care providers reported being less comfortable addressing patients' substance use. Level of comfort varied by role, where physicians were least comfortable, and medical assistants most comfortable.

Ten Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Primary Care.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised as a transformational force in healthcare. This paper presents a current environmental scan, through the eyes of primary care physicians, of the top ten ways AI will impact primary care and its key stakeholders. We discuss ten distinct problem spaces and the most promising AI innovations in each, estimating potential market sizes and the Quadruple Aims that are most likely to be affected. Primary care is where the power, opportunity, and future of AI are most likely to be realized in the broadest and most ambitious scale. We propose how these AI-powered innovations must augment, not subvert, the patient-physician relationship for physicians and patients to accept them. AI implemented poorly risks pushing humanity to the margins; done wisely, AI can free up physicians' cognitive and emotional space for patients, and shift the focus away from transactional tasks to personalized care. The challenge will be for humans to have the wisdom and willingness to discern AI's optimal role in twenty-first century healthcare, and to determine when it strengthens and when it undermines human healing. Ongoing research will determine the impact of AI technologies in achieving better care, better health, lower costs, and improved well-being of the workforce.

Breast Cancer knowledge, perceptions and practices in a rural Community in Coastal Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Data on breast healthcare knowledge, perceptions and practice among women in rural Kenya is limited. Furthermore, the role of the male head of household in influencing a woman's breast health seeking behavior is also not known. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, perceptions and practice of breast cancer among women, male heads of households, opinion leaders and healthcare providers within a rural community in Kenya. Our secondary objective was to explore the role of male heads of households in influencing a woman's breast health seeking behavior. METHODS: This was a mixed method cross-sectional study, conducted between Sept 1st 2015 Sept 30th 2016. We administered surveys to women and male heads of households. Outcomes of interest were analysed in Stata ver 13 and tabulated against gender. We conducted six focus group discussions (FGDs) and 22 key informant interviews (KIIs) with opinion leaders and health care providers, respectively. Elements of the Rapid Assessment Process (RAP) were used to guide analysis of the FGDs and the KIIs. RESULTS: A total of 442 women and 237 male heads of households participated in the survey. Although more than 80% of respondents had heard of breast cancer, fewer than 10% of women and male heads of households had knowledge of 2 or more of its risk factors. More than 85% of both men and women perceived breast cancer as a very serious illness. Over 90% of respondents would visit a health facility for a breast lump. Variable recognition of signs of breast cancer, limited decision- autonomy for women, a preference for traditional healers, lack of trust in the health care system, inadequate access to services, limited early-detection services were the six themes that emerged from the FGDs and the KIIs. There were discrepancies between the qualitative and quantitative data for the perceived role of the male head of household as a barrier to seeking breast health care. CONCLUSIONS: Determining level of breast cancer knowledge, the characteristics of breast health seeking behavior and the perceived barriers to accessing breast health are the first steps in establishing locally relevant intervention programs.

Utilization of health services in a resource-limited rural area in Kenya: Prevalence and associated household-level factors.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Knowledge of utilization of health services and associated factors is important in planning and delivery of interventions to improve health services coverage. We determined the prevalence and factors associated with health services utilization in a rural area of Kenya. Our findings inform the local health management in development of appropriately targeted interventions. We used a cluster sample survey design and interviewed household key informants on history of illness for household members and health services utilization in the preceding month. We estimated prevalence and performed random effects logistic regression to determine the influence of individual and household level factors on decisions to utilize health services. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: 1230/6,440 (19.1%, 95% CI: 18.3%-20.2%) household members reported an illness. Of these, 76.7% (95% CI: 74.2%-79.0%) sought healthcare in a health facility. The majority (94%) of the respondents visited dispensary-level facilities and only 60.1% attended facilities within the study sub-counties. Of those that did not seek health services, 43% self-medicated by buying non-prescription drugs, 20% thought health services were too costly, and 10% indicated that the sickness was not serious enough to necessitate visiting a health facility. In the multivariate analyses, relationship to head of household was associated with utilization of health services. Relatives other than the nuclear family of the head of household were five times less likely to seek medical help (Odds Ratio 0.21 (95% CI: 0.05-0.87)). Dispensary level health facilities are the most commonly used by members of this community, and relations at the level of the household influence utilization of health services during an illness. These data enrich the perspective of the local health management to better plan the allocation of healthcare resources according to need and demand. The findings will also contribute in the development of community-level health coverage interventions that target the disadvantaged household groups.

Interplay of the physical microenvironment, contact guidance, and intracellular signaling in cell decision making.

The peritumoral physical microenvironment consists of complex topographies that influence cell migration. Cell decision making, upon encountering anisotropic, physiologically relevant physical cues, has yet to be elucidated. By integrating microfabrication with cell and molecular biology techniques, we provide a quantitative and mechanistic analysis of cell decision making in a variety of well-defined physical microenvironments. We used MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma and HT1080 fibrosarcoma as cell models. Cell decision making after lateral confinement in 2-dimensional microcontact printed lines is governed by branch width at bifurcations. Cells confined in narrow feeder microchannels prefer to enter wider branches at bifurcations. In contrast, in feeder channels that are wider than the cell body, cells elongate along one side wall of the channel and are guided by contact with the wall to the contiguous branch channel independent of its width. Knockdown of ß1-integrins or inhibition of cellular contractility suppresses contact guidance. Concurrent, but not individual, knockdown of nonmuscle myosin isoforms IIA and IIB also decreases contact guidance, which suggests the existence of a compensatory mechanism between myosin IIA and myosin IIB. Conversely, knockdown or inhibition of cell division control protein 42 homolog promotes contact guidance-mediated decision making. Taken together, the dimensionality, length scales of the physical microenvironment, and intrinsic cell signaling regulate cell decision making at intersections.-Paul, C. D., Shea, D. J., Mahoney, M. R., Chai, A., Laney, V., Hung, W.-C., Konstantopoulos, K. Interplay of the physical microenvironment, contact guidance, and intracellular signaling in cell decision making.

Applying HIV testing guidelines in clinical practice.

An estimated one fourth of persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are not aware they are infected. Early diagnosis of HIV has the potential to ensure optimal outcomes for infected persons and to limit the spread of the virus. Important barriers to testing among physicians include insufficient time, reimbursement issues, and lack of patient acceptance. Current HIV testing guidelines address many of these barriers by making the testing process more streamlined and less stigmatizing. The opt-out consent process has been shown to improve test acceptance. Formal pretest counseling and written consent are no longer recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nevertheless, pretest discussions provide an opportunity to give information about HIV, address fears of discrimination, and identify ongoing high-risk activities. With increased HIV screening in the primary care setting, more persons with HIV could be identified earlier, receive timely and appropriate care, and get treatment to prevent clinical progression and transmission.

Clinicians' knowledge of 2007 Food and Drug Administration recommendation to discontinue nelfinavir use during pregnancy.

In 2007, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Pfizer Inc recommended immediate discontinuation of nelfinavir (NFV) during pregnancy due to contamination with a potential teratogen. A few weeks after the announcement, we surveyed antenatal HIV care providers to determine how widely the warning was disseminated. Overall, 69 of 121 (57.0%) providers knew to discontinue NFV. Callers with more than 50 HIV-infected patients were 2.54 times as likely to be aware as callers with 1-3 HIV-infected patients (P < .01). Only 12 (33.3%) obstetricians were aware, compared to 21 (80.8%) infectious diseases specialists (P < .001). The FDA/Pfizer Inc recommendation to avoid nelfinavir mesylate (NFV) in pregnancy appears to have successfully reached HIV experts. However, not all pregnant women have access to experts and may receive most of their care from providers without extensive HIV experience. More effective dissemination of critical HIV-related information to all antenatal care providers, including general obstetricians, family physicians, and midwives, may be needed.

African-American clinicians providing HIV care: the experience of the National HIV/AIDS Clinicians' Consultation Center.

This analysis compares patient and provider characteristics of African-American clinicians and non-African-American clinicians who called the National HIV Telephone Consultation Service (Warmline). In 2004, a total of 2,077 consultations were provided for 1,020 clinicians, 70 (6.9%) of whom were African American. Compared to the non-African-American group, a higher percentage of African-American clinicians were nurses (20.0% vs. 8.8%, p=0.002). A significantly lower percentage of African-American physicians were infectious disease specialists (3.5% vs. 25.6%, p=0.007). African-American clinicians were more likely to work in a community clinic (48.5% vs. 34.1%, p=0.015). Both African-American and non-African American clinicians reported caring for a similar number of HIV-infected patients. Patient-provider racial concordance was common among African-American clinicians (76.4%), whereas non-African-American clinicians called about patients of more diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. African-American clinicians who called Warmline exhibited differences in patient and provider characteristics when compared to all other clinicians. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on HIV providers in the United States.

Minority faculty voices on diversity in academic medicine: perspectives from one school.

PURPOSE: To examine the perceptions and experiences of ethnic minority faculty at University of California-San Francisco regarding racial and ethnic diversity in academic medicine, in light of a constitutional measure outlawing race- and gender-based affirmative action programs by public universities in California. METHOD: In 2005, underrepresented minority faculty in the School of Medicine at University of California-San Francisco were individually interviewed to explore three topics: participants' experiences as minorities, perspectives on diversity and discrimination in academic medicine, and recommendations for improvement. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subsequently coded using principles of qualitative, text-based analysis in a four-stage review process. RESULTS: Thirty-six minority faculty (15 assistant professors, 11 associate professors, and 10 full professors) participated, representing diversity across specialties, faculty rank, gender, and race/ethnicity. Seventeen were African American, 16 were Latino, and 3 were Asian. Twenty participants were women. Investigators identified four major themes: (1) choosing to participate in diversity-related activities, driven by personal commitment and institutional pressure, (2) the gap between intention and implementation of institutional efforts to increase diversity, (3) detecting and reacting to discrimination, and (4) a need for a multifaceted approach to mentorship, given few available minority mentors. CONCLUSIONS: Minority faculty are an excellent resource for identifying strategies to improve diversity in academic medicine. Participants emphasized the strong association between effective mentorship and career satisfaction, and many delineated unique mentoring needs of minority faculty that persist throughout academic ranks. Findings have direct application to future institutional policies in recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority faculty.

Care of HIV-infected Latinos in the United States: a description of calls to the National HIV/AIDS Clinicians' Consultation Center.

HIV disproportionately affects the Latino population in the United States. Little is known about clinicians who provide HIV care to the Latino community or the types of issues they face. This report presents descriptive analyses of calls made by clinicians who care for HIV-infected Latinos to two lines of the National HIV/AIDS Clinicians' Consultation Center, the National HIV Telephone Consultation Service (Warmline) and the National Perinatal HIV Consultation and Referral Service (Perinatal HIV Hotline). Separate analyses of data from Latino clinicians are also presented. The majority of Warmline calls about Latino patients (81.0%) concerned antiretroviral treatment strategies or HIV-related conditions. More than half (54.3%) of perinatal-specific calls concerned HIV management during pregnancy and the care of HIV-exposed infants. Latino clinicians most frequently called about minority patients. This descriptive study adds to the growing literature about the care of the Latino HIV-infected patient. The Warmline and Perinatal HIV Hotline are resources for HIV care providers in the nursing and medical care of Latinos.

Consultation needs in perinatal HIV care: experience of the National Perinatal HIV Consultation Service.

This study evaluates the consultation needs of clinicians who provide perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care in the United States. The Perinatal Hotline (1-888-448-8765) is a telephone consultation service for providers who treat HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants. Hotline calls were analyzed for demographics about callers and their patients and information about consultation topics. There were 430 calls to the hotline from January 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006. Most calls (59.5%) were related to pregnant patients; 5.1% of the calls pertained to women currently in labor. The most common topic was HIV care in pregnancy (49.1%), particularly antiretroviral drug use (42.1%). HIV testing was discussed in 21.9%, and intrapartum treatment was discussed in 24.0%. Callers most often requested help choosing antiretroviral drug regimens; many of the discussions were about drug toxicities and viral resistance. Although the hotline received few calls about women in labor, the need for these consultations is expected to increase with the expanding use of rapid HIV testing. Access to 24-hour consultation can help ensure that state-of-the-art care is provided.