DGIM Generally Speaking

Provenzano’s ‘Review of Systems’ Podcast Explores Landscape of Primary Care

	Dr. Audrey Provenzano

During Fall 2016 Audrey Provenzano, MD, was looking for ways to stay sharp while she waited to complete her credentialing process and join the team at Chelsea HealthCare Center. As an avid podcast listener, it was only natural that Dr. Provenzano would look there to help fill the void. When Dr. Provenzano couldn’t find any podcasts focusing on the landscape of primary care, she took matters into her own hands, launching her own podcast: “Review of Systems.”

“Once I had the idea I couldn’t let it go, and I had to try it,” said Dr. Provenzano.

Beginning in January 2017, new episodes of “Review of Systems” (RoS) have been released weekly. The podcast, which is produced and hosted by Dr. Provenzano, covers a wide range of topics related to primary care. “The goal of “Review of Systems” is to explore the changing world of primary care”, said Dr. Provenzano. “There is so much going on right now in primary care…it is a dynamic landscape and we hope to spotlight and promote interesting and innovative work to help spur on more change.”

On “Review of Systems”, Dr. Provenzano is typically joined by a guest for a discussion focused on innovative work that the guest is doing or important current events in primary care that relate to the guest’s expertise.  About one show per month is dedicated to a health policy oriented topic. Additionally, one show per month is a journal club where Dr. Provenzano is joined by co-hosts, Dr. Thomas Kim, a family practice physician in Chicago, and David Rosenthal, an internist in Connecticut, to discuss a recently published manuscript that would be of interest to primary care professionals.

Despite the relative novelty of “Review of Systems”, the podcast has featured an impressive collection of guests with a variety of areas of expertise. Dr. Provenzano and her colleagues have been joined by experts on topics such as burnout, primary care delivery, payment reform, and many others. Among the guests that have been featured on RoS are DGIMers Sarah Wakeman and Seth Berkowitz.

For Dr. Provenzano, creating “Review of Systems” has been personally and professionally rewarding. Preparation for each episode has required constant learning and reading about a myriad of topics. Dr. Provenzano’s discussions with various experts have introduced her to new concepts and made her think about problems in new and different ways. She believes this has made her a better clinician.

In a similar sense, Dr. Provenzano hopes that “Review of Systems” can help others to improve. She sees podcasts as a tool that can be used to supplement traditional learning activities such as Grand Rounds and seminars. The nature of podcasts, which are light-touch and don’t require heavy engagement, is well suited to this type of supplemental learning.

“I have heard from a few people that they appreciate the medium – that for some people, it’s really hard to come home and read an article from the computer, but listening to a journal club on the commute or while unloading the dishwasher helps make the information enjoyable and digestible,” said Dr. Provenzano.

Above all else, Dr. Provenzano, whose zeal for learning and primary care are unmistakable, thoroughly enjoys doing “Review of Systems.” “…there is so much fascinating work going on out there, so much to learn – I love reading about it and talking with all these exceptional people. It gives me hope for primary care, that we can and are making it better for our patients and for us” said Dr. Provenzano.

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For more information on “Review of Systems” check out rospod.org New episodes are released each Tuesday. Episodes of RoS can be found on the RoS website and can be downloaded to your mobile device. RoS welcomes feedback and suggestions for guests, topics, and journal club articles. These can be emailed directly to Dr. Provenzano or sent through any of the contact channels below.

Listen to Review of Systems

rospod.org

iTunes

Android

Contact Review of Systems

contact@rospod.org

Twitter

Facebook

Read more articles from the Fall 2017 edition of Generally Speaking