RESUMO

The Brooklyn Free Clinic (BFC) is a popular program for medical students that adds to their academic training. As one of many student-operated clinics across the nation, the BFC runs under a pro bono cost structure, offering care to underserved populations. Due to its limited resources, the BFC tends to run overcapacity. Patients generally make an appointment; however, walk-ins are also accepted. Currently, there are no effective means with which walk-ins are handled. This venture implements a new secondary (parallel) workflow system in which a dedicated entity triages all walk-ins. The walk-ins are prioritized and are either seen that day or given an appointment. A pilot study was conducted to test this concept. The Triage Pilot Program showed promising findings; most of the patients were seen that day or were given appointments accordingly so that they did not return with the same issues. This program reduced the burden on the clinical officers while allowing more students to partake in the BFC initiative. At the same time, it also allowed the students to consider their ethical duties regarding the prioritization of walk-in visits..