Development and Implementation of a Novel HIV Primary Care Track for Internal Medicine Residents

Background Declining mortality has led to a rising number of persons living with HIV (PLWH) and concerns about a future shortage of HIV practitioners. Aim To develop an HIV Primary Care Track for internal medicine residents. Setting Academic hospital and community health center with a history of car...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM 2017-03, Vol.32 (3), p.350-354
Main Authors: Fessler, David A., Huang, Grace C., Potter, Jennifer, Baker, Joseph J., Libman, Howard
Format: Article
Language:eng
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Summary:Background Declining mortality has led to a rising number of persons living with HIV (PLWH) and concerns about a future shortage of HIV practitioners. Aim To develop an HIV Primary Care Track for internal medicine residents. Setting Academic hospital and community health center with a history of caring for PLWH and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients. Participants Internal medicine residents. Program Description We enrolled four residents annually in a 3-year track with the goal of having each provide continuity care to at least 20 PLWH. The curriculum included small group learning sessions, outpatient electives, a global health opportunity, and the development of a scholarly project. Program Evaluation All residents successfully accrued 20 or more PLWH as continuity patients. Senior residents passed the American Academy of HIV Medicine certification exam, and 75 % of graduates took positions in primary care involving PLWH. Clinical performance of residents in HIV care quality measures was comparable to those reported in published cohorts. Discussion We developed and implemented a novel track to train medical residents in the care of PLWH and LGBT patients. Our results suggest that a designated residency track can serve as a model for training the next generation of HIV practitioners.
ISSN:0884-8734
1525-1497