Key themes of community-oriented primary care projects from a longitudinal, rural interprofessional health professions curriculum (1997-2023)

• Published in: BMC medical education Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 1215 - 8
• Main Authors: Hinkle, Hana E, Sheppard, A Brianna, Fess, Kara, Olson, Heidi R, Squires, Elizabeth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 25.10.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Advisors; Allied Health Occupations; Capstone Experiences; Care and treatment; College Faculty; Community; Community Attitudes; Community Health Services - organization & administration; Community Involvement; Community Needs; Community oriented primary care; Curricula; Curriculum; Data Analysis; Delivery Systems; Educational Experience; Faculty Advisers; Health Needs; Health Occupations; Humans; Interprofessional education; Longitudinal Studies; Medical care; Medical education; Medical Evaluation; Medical schools; Medical students; Medicine; Needs Assessment; Pharmaceutical Education; Pharmacy; Physicians; Place Based Education; Planning; Primary care; Primary Health Care; Public health; Quality management; Research methodology; Research Projects; Researchers; Rural areas; Rural health; Rural Health Services; Site Selection; Substance abuse; United States; United States > US; Illinois; Community oriented primary care; Rural health; Interprofessional education
• ISSN: 1472-6920; 1472-6920
• DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-06190-8

The Community Oriented Primary Care Project Model (COPC) has been well studied globally as well as in the United States as a way to provide both community-centered primary care and to engage in community based research. Rural trainees through the University of Illinois College of Medicine's Rural Medical Education Program (RMED) and Rural Pharmacy Education Program (RPHARM) students through the University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy have participated in a COPC project as a capstone to a four month longitudinal, immersive community-based experience in a rural primary care setting. The purpose of this study was to assess the type of projects implemented through a rural health professions curriculum over a 30 year project period. . A research team reviewed projects on 30 elements; including topic and demographics. Patterns in COPC topics and rurality of the location in which the COPC project were also examined by using 2021 U.S. Census Bureau population data and Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Code. COPC projects were categorized into 31 main topic areas with mental health being the most prevalent topic area covered by projects (n = 67, 15.7%) followed by 43 (10.1%) projects that focused on nutrition/exercise, and 41 (9.6%) focused on substance use (presented as a separate category from mental health in this analysis). For three decades, COPC themes reflect priority health issues in rural communities while providing a scholarly activity for health profession student trainees Past projects have also been implemented in highly rural areas where research is not often conducted. The COPC research process can be easily replicated in other trainee models such as to fulfill ACGME requirements of scholarly activity and can provide a template for trainees of this model to implement community-engaged research in the future.