Teaching Differential Diagnosis: Tool Box Techniques.

Differential diagnosis is one of the most challenging skills for a new clinician to learn. Typically, students are first exposed to the process of differential diagnosis in problem-based learning sessions. In general, techniques and tools to use in performing this important task are not universally or consistently taught, so successful clinicians learn this process largely from observing other more experienced clinicians.

Integrating the social determinants of health into two interprofessional courses: Findings from a pilot study.

Five colleges and universities in Upstate New York, United States, created the 'Route-90 Collaborative' to support faculty implementing the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health. The two courses described herein used a flipped classroom approach in which students from 14 different nations were responsible for facilitating individual classes. This descriptive study used an educational intervention in two interprofessional courses - reproductive health and global health - based on the IOM Framework into two courses.

Filling out the forms: Health literacy among the uninsured.

This study addresses health literacy among patients at a free clinic in Syracuse, NY. Researchers conducted chart reviews of 600 patients and qualitative interviews with 22 patients and 7 providers. Most clinic patients had a high school, or higher, level education and no difficulty with reading comprehension.

A description of patient characteristics, insurance status and travel distance at a free inner-city clinic.

This study was designed to investigate patient characteristics at Amaus Health Services at Cathedral, a free medical clinic in Syracuse, New York which provides interim primary health care to the underserved and uninsured populations in the downtown area of Syracuse. The mission of the clinic is to serve an inner-city population. This study found that the clinic sees equal numbers of men and women and half of the visits were for chronic disease management.