Posters
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Medical Student
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Discipline Track
Patient Care
Abstract
Purpose: Health professions students of the UTRGV AHEC Scholars Program sought to improve coordination of care and reduce barriers to care recommendations for patients of the UTHealthRGV AHEC clinics. We enacted a student-run multidisciplinary health care system navigation intervention, to address health disparities experienced by residents of colonias in the RGV.
Description: Health professions students voluntarily signed up to become “health care system navigators” (HCSNs) as part of a community-engagement activity sponsored by the AHEC Scholars Program. Students received informal training from AHEC staff in the use of the clinic EMR related to identifying patient contact information, documenting patient tele-encounters, and messaging clinic staff. Student navigators interacted via phone with clinician-identified at-risk patients on a regular basis to discuss care recommendations, care progress, and any barriers present in addressing recommendations. Using a student-created community resource directory, navigators connected patients to needed resources and services according to their identified care recommendations and barriers to care. Students met virtually on a weekly basis with clinic providers of AHEC clinics to discuss patient care updates, concerns, and questions. To determine initiative feasibility and effectiveness, three stakeholder groups were surveyed: clinicians, HCSNs, and patients who completed their use of patient navigation services. Each stakeholder group was surveyed monthly for the first three months of program implementation to account for possible addition of members and/or a shift in opinion over time. Survey results revealed uniformly positive feedback from clinicians, HCSNs, and patients.
Partners: The AHEC Scholars Program and its community engagement activities, including the HCSN initiative, are financially supported by UTRGV SOM and HRSA. The AHEC Clinic staff at the San Carlos, Bob Clark, and La Victoria locations facilitated clinician and patient interactions with HCSNs.
Looking Ahead: Standardized communication procedures and formal HCSN trainings are areas for refinement as the program matures. Stakeholder feedback suggests that the HCSN intervention is a promising and acceptable link between patients, providers, and community resources to address barriers to care and to instill the importance of addressing social determinants of health for health professional trainees. Expansion of this pilot program to other UTHealthRGV clinics awaits future implementation.
Presentation Type
Poster
Recommended Citation
Orta, Sabrina R.; Suleman, Saba; Alvarez, Samuel; Garza, Miguel; Bouls, Ruayda; Ronnau, John; Saladin, Shawn P.; and Ramirez, Aracely, "Patient Navigation Services in the Rio Grande Valley: Impacts on Clinicians, Students, and Patients" (2024). Research Colloquium. 51.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/colloquium/2023/posters/51
Included in
Patient Navigation Services in the Rio Grande Valley: Impacts on Clinicians, Students, and Patients
Purpose: Health professions students of the UTRGV AHEC Scholars Program sought to improve coordination of care and reduce barriers to care recommendations for patients of the UTHealthRGV AHEC clinics. We enacted a student-run multidisciplinary health care system navigation intervention, to address health disparities experienced by residents of colonias in the RGV.
Description: Health professions students voluntarily signed up to become “health care system navigators” (HCSNs) as part of a community-engagement activity sponsored by the AHEC Scholars Program. Students received informal training from AHEC staff in the use of the clinic EMR related to identifying patient contact information, documenting patient tele-encounters, and messaging clinic staff. Student navigators interacted via phone with clinician-identified at-risk patients on a regular basis to discuss care recommendations, care progress, and any barriers present in addressing recommendations. Using a student-created community resource directory, navigators connected patients to needed resources and services according to their identified care recommendations and barriers to care. Students met virtually on a weekly basis with clinic providers of AHEC clinics to discuss patient care updates, concerns, and questions. To determine initiative feasibility and effectiveness, three stakeholder groups were surveyed: clinicians, HCSNs, and patients who completed their use of patient navigation services. Each stakeholder group was surveyed monthly for the first three months of program implementation to account for possible addition of members and/or a shift in opinion over time. Survey results revealed uniformly positive feedback from clinicians, HCSNs, and patients.
Partners: The AHEC Scholars Program and its community engagement activities, including the HCSN initiative, are financially supported by UTRGV SOM and HRSA. The AHEC Clinic staff at the San Carlos, Bob Clark, and La Victoria locations facilitated clinician and patient interactions with HCSNs.
Looking Ahead: Standardized communication procedures and formal HCSN trainings are areas for refinement as the program matures. Stakeholder feedback suggests that the HCSN intervention is a promising and acceptable link between patients, providers, and community resources to address barriers to care and to instill the importance of addressing social determinants of health for health professional trainees. Expansion of this pilot program to other UTHealthRGV clinics awaits future implementation.