CanMEDS Health Advocate Role
As Health Advocates, physicians responsibly use their expertise and influence to advance the health and well-being of individual patients, communities, and populations.
Key Competencies for Physicians:
- Respond to individual patient health needs and issues as part of patient care
- Respond to the health needs of the communities that they serve
- Identify the determinants of health of the populations they serve
- Promote the health of individual patients, communities and populations
For more information on the Advocate role, including a detailed description of the enabling competencies:
Faculty Champion
Robert J. Sargeant MD, PhD, FRCPC
Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine
St. Michael’s Hospital
Suite 4-140, Cardinal Carter Wing
30 Bond Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 1W8
Tel: (416) 864-5361
Fax: (416) 864-5714
Email: sargeantr@smh.toronto.on.ca
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| Practical Tips to Teach & Evaluate the Health Advocate Role |
Ambulatory Teaching
Ask the trainee to identify one health need of an individual patient. He or she will then be asked to identify a potential plan to address that need. For example, a patient may not have a primary care physician. The resident or student could provide the patient with the telephone number of the family practice registry at the CPSO that might assist the patient in finding a family doctor in their geographic area. An alternative plan would be to have the trainee contact family practice clinics on behalf of the patient in an attempt to identify a family physician who is taking new patients.
In-Patient Medicine
Ask trainees to identify one or more health needs at the time of admission of the patient to hospital. He or she would then be asked to report back to the attending physician on the day following admission with a plan to address those needs. A workable plan would likely include communication with members of the multidisciplinary team (social worker, discharge planner, nutritionist, occupational therapist etc.) to access all available in-patient and out-patient resources.
What are “Determinants of Health”?
The determinants health as outlined in the Jakarta Declaration:
- Physical Environment
- Shelter
- Stable ecosystem
- Peace
- Sustainable resources
- Social Environment
- Income
- Education
- Social security
- Equity
- Social justice and respect for human rights
- Access to health care services
- Biological and behavioral determinants of health
- Genetic factors such as ethnicity
- Lifestyle factors such as immigration, smoking etc
Questions to Ponder
What is the relationship between being a Health Advocacy and Ethical Medical Practice? How are they similar? How do they differ? | |
Biography
Dr. Rob Sargeant graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in 2000. He completed his postgraduate training in General Internal Medicine at U of T in 2004 and the Master Teacher Program in the Department of Medicine in 2005. He is currently a staff internist and clinician teacher at St. Michael’s Hospital with special interests in undergraduate medical education and wound care. He is the Fitzgerald Academy coordinator of the second year Determinants of Community Health course and the clerkship coordinator for third year medical students at St. Michael's Hospital. His current education interests include projects to improve the effectiveness of bedside teaching and an integrated, multidisciplinary curriculum to teach the assessment and management of medical wounds. |
| CanMEDS Health Advocate Role Resources and Best Practices |
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