UAMS Program to Expand in Five Arkansas Counties to Improve Doctor-Patient Communication
| April 23, 2018 | Organizations in five Arkansas counties are invited to participate in programs offered free of charge by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) designed to improve doctor-patient communication.
The How to Talk to Your Child’s Doctor program will be provided to clinics, hospitals, schools and other interested community organizations in Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, White and Van Buren counties thanks to a donation of $60,122 from BHP, an Australia-based global resources company with shale operations in Arkansas.
Offered by the UAMS Center for Health Literacy, the How to Talk to Your Child’s Doctor program was developed to help parents better prepare for visits with their children’s primary care doctors. A companion program for adult patients – How to Talk to Your Doctor, is being implemented in these communities now, and resources remain available at no charge, thanks to the BHP donation. This content can be delivered by UAMS or by lay persons at organizations such as churches, schools, hospitals, and clinics. Organizations interested in participating in either program may contact Alison Caballero at (501) 686-5463 or bacaballero@uams.edu.
After engaging in the original How to Talk to Your Doctor program, patients reported improved confidence in communicating with their doctor and understanding their doctor’s instructions. Benefits also may include increased patient satisfaction and engagement, such as improved adherence to preventive care, follow-up visits and immunization schedules.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###