Spheres of Influence and Strategic Advocacy for Equity in Medicine

Kyle Karches; Matthew DeCamp; Maura George; Micah Prochaska; Milda Saunders; Bjorg Thorsteinsdottir; Elizabeth Dzeng

doi:10.1007/s11606-021-06893-4

Spheres of Influence and Strategic Advocacy for Equity in Medicine

Kyle Karches, Matthew DeCamp, Maura George, Micah Prochaska, Milda Saunders, Bjorg Thorsteinsdottir, Elizabeth Dzeng^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

As the extent of health disparities in the USA has been revealed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians have increasingly attended to their roles as advocates for their patients and communities. This article presents "spheres of influence" as a concept that can help physicians think strategically about how to build upon their clinical work and expertise to promote equity in medicine. The physician’s primary sphere of influence is in direct patient care. However, physicians today often have many other roles, especially within larger health care institutions in which physicians often occupy positions of authority. Physicians are therefore well-positioned to act within these spheres in ways that draw upon the ethical principles that guide patient care and contribute materially to the cause of equity for colleagues and patients alike. By making changes to the ways they already work within their clinical spaces, institutional leadership roles, and wider communities, physicians can counteract the structural problems that undermine the health of the patients they serve.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3537-3540
Number of pages	4
Journal	Journal of General Internal Medicine
Volume	36
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-06893-4
Publication status	Published - Nov 2021

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title = "Spheres of Influence and Strategic Advocacy for Equity in Medicine",

abstract = "As the extent of health disparities in the USA has been revealed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians have increasingly attended to their roles as advocates for their patients and communities. This article presents {"}spheres of influence{"} as a concept that can help physicians think strategically about how to build upon their clinical work and expertise to promote equity in medicine. The physician{\textquoteright}s primary sphere of influence is in direct patient care. However, physicians today often have many other roles, especially within larger health care institutions in which physicians often occupy positions of authority. Physicians are therefore well-positioned to act within these spheres in ways that draw upon the ethical principles that guide patient care and contribute materially to the cause of equity for colleagues and patients alike. By making changes to the ways they already work within their clinical spaces, institutional leadership roles, and wider communities, physicians can counteract the structural problems that undermine the health of the patients they serve.",

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AU - Karches, Kyle

AU - DeCamp, Matthew

AU - George, Maura

AU - Prochaska, Micah

AU - Saunders, Milda

AU - Thorsteinsdottir, Bjorg

AU - Dzeng, Elizabeth

N1 - Funding Information: The development of this manuscript was supported by the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Ethics Committee. We wish to acknowledge the members and staff of the SGIM Ethics Committee. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Society of General Internal Medicine.

PY - 2021/11

Y1 - 2021/11

N2 - As the extent of health disparities in the USA has been revealed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians have increasingly attended to their roles as advocates for their patients and communities. This article presents "spheres of influence" as a concept that can help physicians think strategically about how to build upon their clinical work and expertise to promote equity in medicine. The physician’s primary sphere of influence is in direct patient care. However, physicians today often have many other roles, especially within larger health care institutions in which physicians often occupy positions of authority. Physicians are therefore well-positioned to act within these spheres in ways that draw upon the ethical principles that guide patient care and contribute materially to the cause of equity for colleagues and patients alike. By making changes to the ways they already work within their clinical spaces, institutional leadership roles, and wider communities, physicians can counteract the structural problems that undermine the health of the patients they serve.

AB - As the extent of health disparities in the USA has been revealed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians have increasingly attended to their roles as advocates for their patients and communities. This article presents "spheres of influence" as a concept that can help physicians think strategically about how to build upon their clinical work and expertise to promote equity in medicine. The physician’s primary sphere of influence is in direct patient care. However, physicians today often have many other roles, especially within larger health care institutions in which physicians often occupy positions of authority. Physicians are therefore well-positioned to act within these spheres in ways that draw upon the ethical principles that guide patient care and contribute materially to the cause of equity for colleagues and patients alike. By making changes to the ways they already work within their clinical spaces, institutional leadership roles, and wider communities, physicians can counteract the structural problems that undermine the health of the patients they serve.

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Spheres of Influence and Strategic Advocacy for Equity in Medicine

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