Annals of Family Medicine

𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰! The January/February 2026 Issue of Annals of Family Medicine. 📽️Check out our video preview to learn more about what's inside our first issue of the year: annfammed.org/content/24/1?c…

Time is winding down ⏳ Apply by March 30 for the Annals of Family Medicine Editorial Fellowship and gain hands-on experience in editing, peer review, and journal publishing. Work with the editorial team, build your skills, and make an impact in #PrimaryCare, don’t miss out! Learn more & how to apply here: annfammed.org/content/editor…

This report explores how a #PrimaryCare team piloted an AI tool to draft responses to patient portal messages, helping reduce inbox burden. Read full report here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/78 After early challenges, the team improved responses by refining prompts to better guide tone, safety, and content through message categorization and symptom-based tailoring. The findings show AI can support patient messaging but only with adaptable prompt design, up-to-date resources, and ongoing clinician input.

The Annals of Family Medicine invites students, trainees, residents, and interns to join the Annals Journal Club, a space to explore research, discuss key issues in #PrimaryCare, and consider how these conversations can inform real-world practice. Each issue highlights one original research article with discussion tips, encouraging participants to share insights and reflections through our eLetters forum, building a collaborative learning community focused on improving health and health care. Read the full study here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/25 Learn more about sending an E-Letter here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/84

Continuity with a General Practitioner and Nurse Linked to Fewer Hospital Visits in Home Care Patients Read the full study: annfammed.org/content/24/1/17 A study of 1,207 older adults receiving home-based primary care found that patients who saw the same general practitioner for at least 75% of their visits experienced significantly lower use of acute care services. Higher continuity with a GP was associated with a 31% lower hazard of home ambulance use, a 39% lower hazard of emergency department visits, and a 35% lower hazard of hospital admissions.

📢 Don’t miss your chance to join our one-year Editorial Fellowship at Annals of Family Medicine! Learn more and apply here: annfammed.org/content/editor… This fellowship provides a hands-on opportunity to gain expertise in manuscript review, strategic planning, and editorial leadership. Fellows may also contribute to content such as guest editorials, E-letters, and the Annals Journal Club.

Check out the most popular episodes from the 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵, which has over 2,000 all-time downloads. The next episode is coming soon! The Annals of Family Medicine Podcast brings cutting-edge family medicine research to a broad audience, including researchers, scientists, practitioners, policymakers, and communities. Listen here: 🔗 annfammed.org/content/annals…

𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦: This study examined whether integrating social risk decision support tools into electronic health records could improve chronic disease management and increase social risk–informed care in community clinics. Full article here: doi.org/10.1370/afm.25… In a cluster randomized trial across a large primary care network, clinics using EHR-integrated social clinical decision support tools showed greater improvements in blood pressure control and increased social risk screening and documentation compared with control clinics. These findings support embedding social risk data into clinical workflows to enhance chronic disease management in primary care.

#𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: As the landscape of health care and medical education evolves, ADFM has introduced the REACH Committee (Representation, Engagement, Access, Community, and Health), focused on helping family medicine departments strengthen connections with patients, learners, and communities while advancing health and quality of life. Read more here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/80

This reflective essay describes how a medical intern diagnosed a woman’s long-standing dizziness simply by taking extra time for a careful bedside exam. Showing how easily diagnosable conditions can be missed in high-volume settings & how closer attention to patients’ symptoms, even within system constraints, can lead to more meaningful, effective care. annfammed.org/content/24/1/70

Quick Consult, the online mentoring platform developed by @STFM_FM , is expanding to serve faculty across all Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM) organizations. The platform connects faculty with experienced mentors for focused, short-term consultations. New enhancements include support for external letters for promotion and expanded research mentoring in qualitative and quantitative methods, grant writing, and dissemination. Its flexible model offers timely expertise without long-term commitments. Learn more here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/82

📢We are now accepting applications for our one-year Editorial Fellowship! To learn more and how to apply, visit: annfammed.org/content/editor… This fellowship offers individuals the opportunity to build expertise through active participation in manuscript decisions, strategic planning, and editorial leadership. Fellows may also contribute to features such as guest editorials, E-letters, and the Annals Journal Club.

A Black physician reflects on being urged during training to change how he dressed & introduced himself. Choosing authenticity, patients responded positively. The essay highlights pressures on marginalized clinicians & calls for supportive environments annfammed.org/content/24/1/65

In a controlled trial, researchers examined whether a financial incentive in the form of a contingent discount on medication expenses could help people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes better manage their blood sugar. More information & results: annfammed.org/content/24/1/28

𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: In 2025, @NAPCRG marked significant milestones in advancing #PrimaryCare research. From advocacy efforts that helped unfreeze @AHRQGov-funded projects to the launch of NAPCRG Plus and a transition to full organizational independence, the year reflected both resilience and growth. Learn more here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/7…

In this study, researchers from the @umfamilymed examined how patients value trade-offs between quick portal messaging, getting a visit sooner with any available physician, or waiting longer to see their own primary care physician Read full original research article here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/25 In a survey of 2,268 adults, most patients preferred a 3-day portal message from their own primary care physician over waiting longer for video or in-person visits. If messaging wasn’t selected, they chose a faster video visit with another physician.

This essay explores how physicians end patient encounters and why those moments matter. After a patient accidentally said “I love you” as she left the room, the author reflects on how clinicians are taught to begin visits, but rarely how to leave them. annfammed.org/content/24/1/75

Drawing on the five works of narrative reflection published in this issue of Annals of Family Medicine, this editorial explains why stories and reflective writing are an essential complement to scientific research. Read the full editorial here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/1

𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: With new competency attestation requirements from @TheABFM , residency programs face both challenges and opportunity. Procedural skills strengthen comprehensive, continuous, and trusted care, especially in rural and underserved communities. @TheAFMRD is supporting programs with curricula, mentorship, simulation, and faculty development to empower residents and ensure procedural competence remains a hallmark of family medicine. Learn more here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/81

This reflection discusses that medical trainees should be taught to write notes that are patient-centered, respectful, and mindful of bias. Read more of this article here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/72 Explaining that traditional documentation language can unintentionally harm trust when patients read their records. By teaching trainees to write with empathy & clarity can support stronger patient-clinician relationships and improve care in the era of open notes.

This qualitative study explored why family physicians in Ontario are leaving comprehensive care and what policy changes could help retain them. Check out the full study here: annfammed.org/content/24/1/52 The study identified financial strain, heavy administrative burdens, rising costs, and limited support as key reasons for leaving, and highlighted four priority areas for improvement to help retain physicians. @grady_colleen