@article{10.22454/FamMed.2019.320104, author = {Jacobs, Christine and Seehaver, Adam and Skiold-Hanlin, Sarah}, title = {A Longitudinal Underserved Community Curriculum for Family Medicine Residents}, journal = {Family Medicine}, volume = {51}, number = {1}, year = {2019}, month = {1}, pages = {48-54}, doi = {10.22454/FamMed.2019.320104}, abstract = {Background and Objectives: Postgraduate education in cultural competence and community health is a key strategy for eliminating health disparities in underserved populations. Evidence suggests that an experiential, rather than knowledge-based approach equips physicians with practical and effective communication tools that generalize to a greater diversity of patients and cultures. However, there is limited data about the efficacy of a longitudinal, experiential residency curriculum. This study details the results of a longitudinal underserved community curriculum for family medicine residents training in a federally qualified health center. Methods: All residents in the first 5 years of a new residency participated in a longitudinal curriculum of workshops and seminars focused on social determinants of health and cultural competency for underserved patients. Pre- and postcurriculum surveys assessed knowledge gain. Self-reported Likert scale ratings assessed attitudes and confidence related to underserved care. Results: Pre/post learning evaluations after each seminar documented average knowledge increase of 31.0% and 28.8%, respectively. At the end of the 3-year curriculum, 81.8% of residents reported confidence in their ability to incorporate culturally relevant information into a treatment plan and 57.1% of residents reported feeling very aware of obstacles faced by underserved populations seeking health care and of the relationship between sociocultural background, health, and medicine. Conclusions: A longitudinal, experiential curriculum in underserved community health and cultural competence can improve resident knowledge and attitudes with respect to health disparities and delivering health care to diverse patient populations.}, URL = {https://journals.stfm.org//familymedicine/2019/january/jacobs-2018-0327/}, eprint = {https://journals.stfm.org//media/1987/jacobs-2018-0327.pdf}, }