Work

Characterizing primary care patient referrals and attendance patterns for virtual lifestyle medicine shared medical appointments

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective: To better understand patient engagement in a Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointment.(LMSMA) program with Health and Wellness Coaching (HWC). Methods: -test, Chi-squared, Fisher exact-test, and odds ratios. Results: In total, 1315 patients enrolled in LMSMAs and 947 (72.0 %) attended at least one session. Also, 151 patients (15.9 %) attended at least one HWC session. For LMSMAs, age was associated with higher enrollment (OR = 1.02, CI = 1.01-1.03) and attendance (OR = 1.02, CI = 1.01-1.02), male sex was associated with lower enrollment (OR = 0.64, CI = 0.48-0.87) but higher attendance (OR = 1.46, CI = 1.04-2.06). Lower education was associated with lower attendance (OR = 0.42, CI = 0.21-0.83). For HWC enrollment, male sex was associated with higher enrollment (OR = 1.96, CI = 1.19-3.41). Black race (OR = 2.90, CI = 1.36-7.60), Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 2.05, CI = 1.07-4.44), and lower education (OR = 1.71, CI = 1.20-2.46) were associated with higher HWC enrollment. Conclusions: Primary care provider- and self-referred patients both attend LMSMAs and HWC. Both LMSMAs and HWC may reach a racially and educationally diverse subset of patients. Research is needed to better understand the role that age, sex, race, and ethnicity play in LMSMA and HWC participation.

Source: Preventive Medicine Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103059

Authors: Dominique L. Popescu, Ryan A. Mace, Anna Baggett, Jacob B. Mirsky

Institutions: Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Healthcare Systems and Technology

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,610