In February, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) President Wayne Forde, MD, FAAFP, sent a letter to the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) asking them to address a race-based medicine issue in its diabetes knowledge self-assessment (KSA) where the recommended screening guidelines were based on the race of a patient.
Although the guidelines listed in the ABFM’s diabetes KSA conform to recommendations of the American Diabetes Association, the OAFP and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) agree, through mutual policy, that race is not an appropriate factor to base screening decisions.
- Issue a statement against the use of race-based medicine
- Remove question #43 in the diabetes KSA and other questions from KSAs, Continuous KSA, Family Medicine Longitudinal Assessment, and board exams that use race-based screening or treatment recommendation
- Educate ABFM diplomats about the potential negative effects on health equity that is caused by race-based medicine.
On April 9, the ABFM responded with a letter detailing the steps it has taken, and will continue to take, to remove any race-based clinical questions in its self-assessment and summative assessment certifications activities.
The OAFP thanks the ABFM for its efforts and looks forward to our ongoing partnership!