Promoting health equity in primary care

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In this episode, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole speak with two co-authors of a new guideline published in CMAJ entitled "Preventive care recommendations to promote health equity".

Dr. Nav Persaud and Dr. Aisha Lofters explain the importance of embedding health equity into healthcare and discuss specific ways public policy and individual primary care physicians can work together to promote equity in their practices. The conversation highlighted some key recommendations such as:

• Begin outreach at the age of 45 instead of at the age of 50 for colon cancer screening. This recommendation is based on the recognition that younger ages of diagnosis are being observed, particularly among people who are disadvantaged. The goal is to eliminate barriers for individuals ready to start screening and prioritize health equity during implementation.
• Offering publicly funded HPV self-testing for cervical cancer screening, especially for disadvantaged individuals who may face barriers to traditional screening methods.
• Implementing depression screening and offering online counseling programs or cognitive behavioral therapy for patients who screen positive.
• Providing resources for families experiencing poverty, such as a one-page sheet detailing available support.
• Prioritizing care for specific populations based on inequities in health outcomes, such as prioritizing cardiovascular disease screening in women due to discrimination and sexism within the healthcare system.

Overall, Drs. Persaud and Lofters advocate for a shift towards recognizing that inequities in health outcomes exist and that primary care physicians need to embed equity into their healthcare practices.

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