Nav Persaud, a family physician and Canadian Research Chair in Health Justice, and Aisha Lofters, a family physician specializing in implementation science, delve into promoting health equity in primary care. They discuss cutting recommendations, like lowering the starting age for colon cancer screening to 45 and offering HPV self-testing to disadvantaged individuals. They also highlight the importance of mental health interventions and provide resources for families facing poverty, emphasizing a proactive approach to address systemic inequities in healthcare.
34:36
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Early Colon Cancer Screening
Begin colon cancer screening outreach at age 45 instead of 50.
Prioritize disadvantaged individuals, who are diagnosed younger, for screening.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
HPV Self-Testing
Offer publicly funded HPV self-testing for cervical cancer screening.
Prioritize it for disadvantaged individuals facing barriers to traditional methods.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Depression Screening and Treatment
Implement depression screening for disadvantaged individuals.
Offer online counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy if they screen positive.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Dr. Nav Persaud and Dr. Aisha Lofters explain the importance of embedding health equity into healthcare and discuss specific ways public policy and individual primary care physicians can work together to promote equity in their practices. The conversation highlighted some key recommendations such as:
Begin outreach at the age of 45 instead of at the age of 50 for colon cancer screening. This recommendation is based on the recognition that younger ages of diagnosis are being observed, particularly among people who are disadvantaged. The goal is to eliminate barriers for individuals ready to start screening and prioritize health equity during implementation.
Offering publicly funded HPV self-testing for cervical cancer screening, especially for disadvantaged individuals who may face barriers to traditional screening methods.
Implementing depression screening and offering online counseling programs or cognitive behavioral therapy for patients who screen positive.
Providing resources for families experiencing poverty, such as a one-page sheet detailing available support.
Prioritizing care for specific populations based on inequities in health outcomes, such as prioritizing cardiovascular disease screening in women due to discrimination and sexism within the healthcare system.
Overall, Drs. Persaud and Lofters advocate for a shift towards recognizing that inequities in health outcomes exist and that primary care physicians need to embed equity into their healthcare practices.
Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.
CMAJ Podcasts