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Volgograd/Little Rock Dissemination Conference Shares Best Practices in Family Medicine Reform
Originally published in AIHA's Connections, May 2004.The two AIHA Volgograd/Little Rock partnership institutions—Volgograd State Medical University (VSMU) and University of Arkansas Medical School (UAMS)—have collaborated in the area of family practice for more than a decade. In 1993, during the first year of the partnership, VSMU launched a new family medicine residency program drawing on UAMS's experience in training family physicians. It was a critical step in building a cadre of family medicine practitioners capable of providing high-quality, patient-oriented primary care services to people living in the city of Volgograd and its oblast. Thanks to the partnership's efforts, to date more than 100 healthcare providers have been trained in family medicine through partnership exchanges and the VSMU residency program.
Recently, the partners shared their accomplishments and lessons learned with 85 oblast- and city-level officials and healthcare providers and managers from Rostov, the Republic of Kalmykia, and Volgograd, at a two day Best Practice Dissemination Conference held March 16-17, 2004.
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| VSMU Rector Vladimir Petrov speaks about partnership development while Charles Cranford (far left), UAMS vice-chancellor for regional programs, Nikolay Maksyuta, Volgograd Oblast governor, and Evgeniy Anischenko, head of the Volgograd oblast HC Department look on. (Photo: Elena Zaitseva) |
In his conference address, VSMU Rector Vladimir Petrov acknowledged the critical role the partnership played in supporting regional health reform efforts. He noted that despite the lack of a generally-accepted family practice curriculum in Russia, VSMU faculty had been able to use the experiences of their US colleagues and train "a unique group of general practitioners capable of providing a broad spectrum of healthcare services, including general surgery and obstetrical care." He went on to conclude that "Our collaboration with UAMS contributed to the evolvement of a new medical specialty in Russia—family practice."
Talking about developing and integrating both a new teaching methodology and regional family practice guidelines into VSMU's family medicine curriculum, Sergey Nedogoda, vice-rector of the institute and chair of the Family Medicine Department established in 1994 as a result of the partnership's efforts, noted that there is still a need to address some crucial issues at the national level. He specifically cited the need to develop separate training programs for urban and rural family physicians, as well as a set of nation-wide standardized family medicine guidelines appropriate for the Russian healthcare system as its undergoing reform.
The progress of the newly-opened rural family medicine clinics in the towns of Dubovka, Mikhailovka, and Volzhsky—all located in the Volgograd Oblast—was also discussed. These sites were established by the regional administration and, in addition to providing primary care services, are used to train VSMU family medicine residents who choose to practice in rural areas; partners provided these clinics with funding for some supplies.
Other presentations and discussions delivered during the conference examined the issues of behavioral health in family medicine, the social impact of having family practitioners in a community, and the role of a family physician in promoting healthy lifestyles choices and chronic and occupational disease management.
In addition, conference participants had the chance to learn about the partnership's successful collaboration with the regional Poison Control Center with whom they worked to establish a "hot line." The call-in phone service is designed to provide accurate information regarding poisoning and poison antidotes to both medical providers and citizens; no such service has ever before been available in the oblast. Personnel at the newly established service uses the Toxicological and Drug Database provided by UAMS to assure quality and effectiveness of care.
Attributing the success of the partnership program to the concerted efforts of both healthcare providers and educators, Charles Cranford, UAMS vice-chancellor for regional programs, stressed the importance of having the support of the oblast administration, saying such support was instrumental to the partnership program's success. In turn, Volgograd Oblast Governor Nikolay Maksuta emphasized the crucial role the partnership played in increasing access to high-quality care, delivering social services, and improving the health status of persons living in the Volgograd Oblast.
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