Developing a men's health program

Abstract

Introduction: Many healthcare disparities exist between men and women due to differences in lifestyles and health seeking behaviors. Such differences lead to higher mortality and lower life expectancy in men. The field of urology has the unique opportunity of acting as a gateway to men's overall health, where a urologist can diagnose medical diseases in patients and refer them to the appropriate specialist. In this review article we discuss the need for men's health programs and our experience with creating such program in Philadelphia.

Methods and materials: In this review article we outline our experience with creating a men's health program to serve the diverse Philadelphia population. We discuss the healthcare needs and demographics of our geographical area.

Results: We identify factors essential for the success of our men's health program such as: developing a business model, drawing support from our institution, identifying key medical specialties to include in the program, assigning patient navigators and integration of electronic medical records.

Conclusion: Men's health program provide tailored care for male patients that best suits their needs and healthcare seeking behaviors. The success of such programs requires commitment from physicians from many medical specialties to provide holistic care.