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October 8, 2014
The IHI Open School is an innovative learning community where you can take free online courses, earn certificates, network with peers and experts, and gain confidence and skills in quality improvement and patient safety to change health care.
October is Health Literacy Month, a time to improve people’s ability to find health information, understand it, and make decisions with it. That’s not easy for 9 out of 10 Americans, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. How can health care providers empower their patients to understand their health? Start by seeing care through the patient’s point of view. In our Resource of the Month, Anthony M. DiGioia, MD, a pioneer in patient- and family-centered care, explains why shadowing is the best tool to understand the patient perspective and become better caregivers. Watch the video and use the discussion questions to spark a conversation with your Chapter.
Medical student Mara Gordon has a rare condition: aspiring to become a primary care doctor. “Why do students at elite medical schools think primary care is boring?” asks Gordon, a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, in a new article in The Atlantic. After all, greater insurance coverage is creating more demand for primary care doctors than ever, and new incentives are leading health systems to focus on population health — meaning better prevention and management of conditions rather than care from specialists for patients who are already sick. Gordon wonders if she’s wasting her education by not choosing neurosurgery, or if she’ll end up burned out and underpaid. Check out her story, “Why I’m Becoming a Primary Care Doctor,” and learn more about the role of providers in improving the health of populations in TA101: Introduction to Population Health.
Community Updates
Welcome, New Chapters
National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
IHI is coming to Chi-town! We’re inviting all Chicago-area Chapter members to attend an exclusive networking event at Bar Novo in downtown Chicago on Thursday, October 23 from 5:30–7:00 PM. Munch on refreshments and have a drink on us as you meet other IHI Open School members and visiting IHI staff. Rachel Bissonnet, Project Coordinator with the IHI Open School, and Kathy Luther, RN, Vice President at IHI, are excited to see you there. RSVP here to let us know you’re coming.