Curriculum

Patient education, health promotion and disease prevention are an integral part of health care and essential components of residency training for family physicians.

Family physicians are in a unique position to be health educators and health promoters because they offer continuous comprehensive care and build long-term, trusting relationships with individuals and families. By providing patients with complete and current medical information the doctor-patient relationship is enhanced and patients are empowered to participate in their own health care.

Health promotion and disease prevention through patient education are defined here as the process of helping motivate patients to change behavior in order to maintain or improve physical and emotional well-being and increase length and quality of life.

An essential part of health promotion is the screening of asymptomatic patients for early detection of disease and providing appropriate immunizations for prevention of disease. Screening needs to be accompanied by patient education and intervention when indicated. Screening and immunization protocols should be age, sex and risk specific and regularly re-evaluated based on scientific evidence.

· Optimizing health as well as diagnosing and treating disease is an important part of health care.

· Patient education, health promotion, screening for asymptomatic disease and disease prevention are essential to family practice and should be an integral part of every patient encounter.

· Patient education, health promotion and disease prevention need to be tailored to the patient keeping in mind the patient’s readiness for learning, educational level, cultural background, readiness for change, family structure and support systems.

To encourage residents to make patient education, health promotion, screening for asymptomatic disease and disease prevention a part of every patient visit.

To teach residents to assess patients’ educational and health care needs with attention to their educational level, cultural background, receptiveness to learning, readiness for change and barriers to making behavioral changes.

To teach residents techniques they can use that will help motivate patients to change behavior.

To teach residents how to evaluate and use a variety of patient education materials to impart to patients the knowledge, attitudes and skills they will need to improve and maintain optimal physical and emotional health.

To teach residents the importance of acting as positive role models for patients by conducting their personal and professional lives so as to reinforce the concept of optimal health.

Patient education, health promotion and disease prevention is a longitudinal curriculum that is an essential part of almost all aspects of medical training. This curriculum is taught longitudinally throughout the 36 months of family practice residency training. Residents will develop the attitudes, knowledge and skills listed below by:

1. Observing faculty and preceptors acting as role models for residents by including patient education, health promotion and disease prevention as part of each patient and precepting encounter.

2. Participating in the development, updating and use of patient education materials* that are organized for easy access in patient examination rooms. These materials will cover the most common health topics and be appropriate for the reading and comprehension levels and the cultural and ethic diversity of the patient population.

3. Learning to access a list of up-to-date patient education materials on less frequently used topics from web sites that are easy to access, download and print from the Internet.

4. Participating in health promotion events at residency clinics on such topics as smoking cessation, safety, immunizations, exercise, nutrition, and stress management.

5. Participating in didactics on health screening protocols (Practice Management), assessing readiness for and motivating behavioral change in patients (Behavioral Science and Patient Education), and writing and assessing patient education materials.

6. Participating in the evaluation and updating of screening protocols** by continuing to review the scientific evidence (Journal Club and Practice Management).

7. Using chart flow sheets or a computerized reminder system*** to encourage appropriate screening and preventive care for patients.

8. Observing residency faculty and preceptors acting as role models, conducting their personal and professional affairs so as to reinforce the concepts of optimal health.

9. Organized activities for the residents and faculty that promote weight control, stress management, regular physical exercise and routinely recommended screening and prevention examination

· Take a thorough history from patients including their daily activity, health beliefs, level of understanding, educational level, cultural background, family structure and social supports.

· Explain screening tests, findings, health care and treatment plans clearly and concisely.

· Discuss health care and treatment plans in terms of specific behaviors and involve patients in making these plans.

· Have patients restate health care and treatment plans to help assess their understanding

· Encourage patients to ask questions and provide appropriate answers along with written and visual materials when appropriate.

· Incorporate assistance from other health care professional by making appropriate referrals.

Asthma	Birth-control Pills
Cholesterol Colds	Coughs and Sore Throats
Depression	Dermatitis and Eczema
Diabetes	Ear Infections
Emergency Contraception	Fever
Hay Fever and Allergic Rhinitis	Headaches
Healthy Diet	High Blood Pressure
Low Back Pain	Menopause and Estrogen Replacement
Panic Attacks	PAP Tests
Sinus Problems and Sinusitis	Urinary-tract Infection
Vomiting and Diarrhea	Vaginitis

Cholesterol	Colon Cancer
Hypertension	Immunizations
Mammograms	PAP Tests
Prenatal care	Geriatric Assessment