Resource Details

Treating Global Health At Your Doorstep Starts with a Good Patient History

The most potent, cost-effective, and accurate diagnostic tool that we have even in our advanced age of technology remains an accurate and comprehensive linguistically and culturally appropriate patient history.

Year Developed: 2018

Resource Type: Archived Webinar.

Primary Audience: Clinicians, (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, COOs, CMOs, etc) Clinicians Outreach Staff
Secondary Audience: Board of Directors, Administrative Staff

Language(s): English

Developed by: Migrant Clinicians Network (See other resources developed by this organization).

Resource Summary: Technology is a vital part of our society. It has been critical in the advancement of medicine; however, in some cases there is an overdependence by clinicians on diagnostic technology which may impede a fuller understanding of the circumstances of patients in the exam room. The most potent, cost-effective, and accurate diagnostic tool that we have even in our advanced age of technology remains an accurate and comprehensive linguistically and culturally appropriate patient history. In this webinar, Dr. Ed Zuroweste and Dr. Laszlo Madaras, who collectively have over 50 years of practice in primary care, ask the question, “Has it become so normal to ask for tests for the most basic assessments that part of the art of medicine is being lost?” The presenters will explore the value of taking a culturally and linguistically appropriate history from the patient together with a thorough – and focused – physical exam. Spending a few minutes with the patient asking open-ended questions may save time and money by: getting the correct diagnosis and treatment plan; preventing expensive, unnecessary, and potentially harmful tests; reducing the number of specialists who may not need to see the patient; and even possibly improving patient satisfaction. The session will look at the impact of global health conditions on primary care practice in the United States and describe what primary care clinics can do to more systematically prepare for emerging diseases. At the conclusion of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Resource Details: At the conclusion of the webinar, participants will be able to: 1. Describe how lessons learned from recent health crises such as Ebola, Zika, and newer emerging issues like post-disaster relief can influence health system policies to avoid future mistakes. 2. Describe what primary care clinics in the United States can do to develop systems to identify, treat, and prevent infectious diseases. 3. Discuss the impact of good history taking as a tool in the clinical diagnostic toolbox. 4. Discuss strategies to effectively provide continuity of care to a mobile patient population.

Resource Topic: Clinical Issues, Promising/Best Practices, Health Equity

Resource Subtopic: Patient-Centered Health Outcomes, Patient Engagement, Quality Improvement, , Partnerships, Impact/Outcomes, , Operational Feasibility, Implementation Feasibility.

Keywords: Patient Satisfaction Migratory and Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAW), Agricultural Workers,.