Greater Patient Adherence with Point-of-Care Services in Medical Student-Run Multispecialty Free Clinics

We conducted a retrospective chart review of 210 patients seen at the multispecialty medical student run free clinics (MSRFCs) at Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC) over a one-year period. Completion rates and latency to completion of internal and external laboratory testing and specialty referrals were compared. Internal laboratory completion rates were found to be significantly higher (94/107, 88.0%) compared to external laboratory testing (26/64, 41.0%; p < 0.05). The median latency time until laboratory completion was significantly faster using point-of-care (POC) testing (0.6 days) compared to external lab testing (19.4 days; p < 0.05). Internal referral completion rates were also found to be significantly higher (23/45, 51.0%; p < 0.05) compared to external referrals (17/61, 28.0%; p < 0.05). The mean latency time until internal referral completion was significantly faster compared to external referrals (45.1 days vs. 132 days; p < 0.05). Our study shows higher patient adherence to POC lab testing and internal referral services, suggesting they are more effective methods of healthcare delivery than external services for patients served by MSRFCs.