When people think of medical innovation they may think of minimally invasive surgical robots dramatically improving post op recovery or immunotherapy wiping out previously fatal cancers. Innovation seems to belong to the specialists with their cutting edge technologies and medications. Meanwhile, the image family medicine conjures up is one of the old fashioned general practitioner, the horse and buggy doc; an image more associated with the past than the future. Many, even family doctors themselves, fail to realize the vast amount of creative energy within family medicine. In fact, revolutionary ideas drove the creation of family medicine as the twentieth recognized specialty, and that spirit continues to animate the specialty today.
Lack of awareness underlies the discrepancy between the perception and reality of innovation within family medicine. For this reason, the AAFP is creating an innovation community to broadcast and share ideas. This community will not form yet another silo to house a subsection of people, but rather seeks to bring people from all different interests and act as a medium where everyone can engage new ideas from across the full, broad spectrum of family medicine. To kick it all off, the search begins for those whose ideas should be featured in this upcoming community. Fill out this form for yourself or someone you think deserves some recognition. Currently there are four categories, as described in detail below, which may change as the group evolves.
Clinical Practice
Any idea or practice which changes how family physicians practice medicine in the office. This can include cutting edge research which changes how something has been done for a long time, encourages doing something new, or stops an old ingrained practice. The cessation/reduction of prostate exams and obtaining routine PSAs is an example. New or easier ways a procedure can be done that many people may not know about. Facebook groups are full of people willing to share these. Even better ways to communicate sensitive or uncomfortable topics. Recently there was a great tweetorial on how to best talk with your patients about their sexual practices in a way much better than the awkward “men, women, or both” line most of us are taught in medical school. On the frontline, family physicians are always creating new ways to better heal their patients and this category will highlight best practices from all over and share them with the community at large.
Practice Management
Our current primary care reimbursement model in the middle of a broken healthcare system has led to much of the innovation in practice management. This category includes more business related innovations. Changes in how we see patients, such as group visits, advances in payment reform, such as in direct primary care, or working the system in a more efficient way as in the Peter Anderson model. And of course with COVID-19, all the advances surrounding how clinics have implemented telemedicine fit here. Since this category includes practice models used by many people, either a founder or leader in the specific area can be recognized, or the group/practice model as a whole can be put on the form.
Technology
Point of care ultrasound has gained lots of traction recently with cheap handheld probes hitting the market. The AAFP innovation lab has been working with voice automation software. Wearable devices are changing how family physicians interact with their patients. Any sort of technological innovation which changes how family physicians practice or will practice fits here. While there is overlap with clinical practice since technology changes clinical practice, this category focuses more on the gadgets/software itself rather than how it will change workflow. For this category, name a company or device, and, if possible, a contact person.
Academics
How we learn and teach continues to change. Innovations in this category include anything from medical school or residency education. Advances in research processes (i.e how research is done rather than specific research topics themselves) belong in this section as well.
Once again, here is the form. More information to come as the community builds up. The official launch will be in early 2021.
