Utilizing a Qualitative Needs Assessment With Multiple Stakeholders to Design a New Family Medicine Student-Run Clinic

Shanna Tucker; Jana Jarolimova; Nida Naushad; Vidya Viswanathan; Barbara Ogur; Steven R Simon; Monica DeMasi

doi:10.59586/jsrc.v5i1.75

Shanna Tucker, MD New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Jana Jarolimova, MD, MPH Massachusetts General Hospital
Nida Naushad Yale School of Medicine
Vidya Viswanathan Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Barbara Ogur, MD Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
Steven R Simon, MD, MPH Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care
Monica DeMasi, MD Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59586/jsrc.v5i1.75

Keywords: student-run clinic, family medicine, needs assessment, community health, primary care

Abstract

Student-faculty clinics have played an important role in caring for underserved populations over the last several decades. In 2013, a multi-site student-faculty primary care practice expanded to a family medicine clinic in Somerville, Massachusetts. A needs assessment was conducted to tailor the design of the new student-faculty clinic to the unmet needs of the patient population. Semi-structured interviews were performed with key stakeholders, including current patients at the health center, clinic staff, and representatives of community organizations. Interviews elucidated such themes as: a desire for lengthened patient visits, interest in more advice on nutrition and weight loss, a need for increased mental health services, and assistance with navigation of the healthcare system. The results of this needs assessment were then incorporated into the design of the new student-faculty clinic, featuring longer appointment times, health education, and close connections to mental health services. This article describes a systematic approach to conducting a comprehensive needs assessment for health professional programs interested in developing student-faculty clinics, and the incorporation of needs assessment results into the design of such a clinic.