Dr. Victor Johnson Student Research Award recipient Rhythm Shah to present at London Health Research Day

Victor Johnson Student Research Award recipient Rhythm Shah presented his poster, "Type II Diabetes Mellitus Care for patients with Limited English Proficiency: Assessment of patient outcomes and barriers to optimum care" at London Health Research Day.

Shah worked with Dr. Natalie Lovesey on the project. The study is a retrospective chart review of 12 adult patients with T2DM and communication barriers, namely LEP who are immigrants/refugees and seen in the community family practice in the preceding twelve months in London, Ontario, Canada.

While there has been extensive research on the impact of social determinants of health on T2DM, patient outcomes and barriers to care in refugees/immigrants with T2DM and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) have yet to be assessed.The study aimed to assess patients' adherence to the recommended testing and treatment as outlined by the Canadian Diabetes Association - Clinical Practice Guidelines and analyse common barriers to care.

The study concluded that patients with Limited English Proficiency living in Canada face several challenges (language, social, and financial barriers) which prevent them from receiving optimal care and adhering to the management regime. The results highlighted the importance of effective communication and consideration of social determinants of health to improve overall therapeutic outcomes.

The Victor Johnson Student Research Award in Family Medicine is given to first or second year medical students who wish to pursue research interests in Family Medicine. The award allows the student to be paired with a family physician faculty member to pursue a research project in Family Medicine.

London Health Research Day is the largest research day of its kind in Ontario. The unique research event showcases the outstanding research from students, trainees and postdoctoral scholars from across the city of London. Each year, more than 600 attendees have the opportunity to learn more about nearly 400 research platform and poster presentations from trainees representing 14 distinct areas of research excellence.

London Health Research Day took place on April 1, 2015 at the London Convention Centre.
For more information visit www.londonhealthresearchday.ca.