New AAFP Resources Help Members Address Racism, Bias Title
Learners Eligible for More Than a Dozen CME Credits
July 25, 2023, News Staff — The AAFP recently published two new resources as part of an ongoing effort to promote health equity: “Anti-Racism: Tools for Change,” an on-demand online CME activity; and “It’s Time: Six Steps to Creating an Anti-Racist Clinic,” an article in the July/August issue of FPM.
Both resources help members deliver high-quality patient care, develop rapport with patients of various backgrounds, overcome biases and establish a foundation for long-term practice changes. Those who complete the activity and a quiz that accompanies the FPM article can earn more than a dozen CME credits, with the option of claiming more credits through additional exercises.
Each resource includes a Translation to Practice® exercise that offers participants the opportunity to document how they apply what they learn into practice for up to an additional 2.00 Prescribed credits.
Inside the Activity
Christen Johnson, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, a practicing family physician at Heart of Ohio Family Health, a federally qualified health center based in Columbus, is the faculty presenter for the on-demand activity. She explained its significance in a conversation with AAFP News.
“Public health officials and medical associations alike have described racism as a public health issue that impacts outcomes and disparities for millions,” said Johnson, who also is an inaugural member of the AAFP Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness in Family Medicine, and served as a 2021 AAFP Health Equity Fellow.
“Physicians are often ill-prepared to address these needs,” she continued. “Physicians may not have awareness of their biases or the impact of these biases on patient care and health outcomes. Likewise, physicians may not be aware of the common practices in medicine that perpetuate racial health disparities and disenfranchise patients. This activity can assist physicians in meeting these needs for their patients.”
Story Highlights
The activity uses interactive and didactic approaches, as well as real-world examples, to address topics in sessions including
- Anti-Racism: A Lifestyle,
- Awareness Is Key: Biases in the Medical Team,
- It’s All of Us: Racism and Health Disparities,
- Learning the Basics: What Is Racism?,
- Medical Experiences of Racism, and
- Race and Medicine: An Intersection or Crossroads.
After completing the activity, learners will be able to
- determine how physicians can gain a better understanding of how patients and their health outcomes are impacted by racism in medicine today;
- identify personal biases, recognize the social categorization of medicine and better connect with patients of different identities; and
- reflect on a framework that can help in coping with difficult conversations, new ideas and material, and the uncomfortable work of addressing personal biases.
Those who complete the activity are eligible to claim up to 7.50 enduring materials, self-study AAFP Prescribed credits. The activity is also designated for a maximum of 7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credits.
To complement the Prescribed credits, the activity includes a Translation to Practice® exercise that offers participants the opportunity to document how they apply what they learn into practice for up to an additional 2.00 Prescribed credits.
Article at a Glance
The FPM article offers evidence-based steps to help clinicians and staff improve health outcomes and reduce disparities that individuals may be perpetuating, even unintentionally.
Actions include:
- See each patient as an individual. Focus on a patient’s individual attributes and establish rapport by sharing information they can relate to.
- Educate staff on the causes of health disparities. Resources such as the AAFP’s EveryONE Project™ help raise awareness and equip clinicians to address the needs of their patients.
- Reevaluate the use of race-based algorithms and treatment calculators. Because many race-based clinical recommendations are not grounded in fundamental physiological differences, they should be thoroughly examined before being used in clinical decision making.
The FPM article conforms to AAFP criteria for CME as part of a quiz that pertains to all content in the July/August issue. Those who pass the quiz can earn up to 5.00 medical journal, self-study AAFP Prescribed credits, and the quiz has also been designated for a maximum of 5.00 AMA PRA Category 1 credits.
More From the AAFP
The AAFP rapidly expanded its educational portfolio on health equity this year. It now features more than a dozen CME activities on topics such as LGBTQ+ health, population-based medical care and street medicine. Additional activities will be available later this year, including sessions on the care of seasonal migrant workers, and climate change and global health.
The EveryONE Project™ is the Academy’s signature initiative aimed at addressing the impact of social determinants of health and health disparities on individuals, families and communities. The project’s wide variety of tools includes the Neighborhood Navigator, as well as educational materials and practice-based resources, and more are being developed.
The AAFP also continues to advocate for health equity at the federal level, both as an individual entity and in coordination with other health care organizations, and has established an ongoing Health Equity Fellowship to create family physician leaders who can address health inequities and work for change at the system and community levels.
The AAFP also offers members article collections in American Family Physician and FPM, as well as an extensive list of policies on health equity issues, and has gathered a series of health equity resources for use by the media.