Addressing social determinants of health in clinical practice and overcoming obstacles:
- melissakonat
- Oct 15, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 5, 2023
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the social determinants of health (SDH) are defined as “the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life” (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023). There is a complex interplay of systems including economic policies, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems. Common examples of SDH include income, social support, early childhood development, food insecurity, education, employment, social inclusion and non-discrimination, housing and gender (WHO, 2023). These examples can influence health equity in positive or negative ways. Carter et al. (2023) explain “at the individual level, the SDH account for 80% of the factors affecting health outcomes. At the population level, they cause disparities in health and mortality”.
Shifting the conversation:
In the article titled “Taking action on the social determinants of health in clinical practice: a framework for health professionals”, the authors discuss how clinicians can better understand and address causes of poor health. They provide concrete actions for addressing inequities which go beyond the traditional medical model of identifying risk factors (Andermann & Clear, 2016). I see the value in this perspective and agree we need to expand the conversation between health practitioners and patients to include social issues and disparities. Practical tools and resources are discussed to support practitioners in addressing SDH.
Addressing standardization:
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is a non-profit, global advisor and member-based society dedicated to reforming the global heath ecosystem through information and technology. HIMSS has outlined a means for overcoming obstacles to social determinants of health. One key issue is the lack of standardization in assessing the complexity of SDH (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, 2023).
“The most pressing obstacle to integrating SDOH is the lack of standardization—of screening questions, tools and even what factors count as SDOH. Before we change workflows, culture, or technology, we must agree on what we’re trying to accomplish and move forward collaboratively” (Mathews, 2019).
For more on this discussion, check out the following link to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society:
On this topic, here is an informative video highlighting the value of technology as a tool for addressing care and improving health outcomes related to social determinants of health.
References
Andermann, A., & CLEAR Collaboration (2016). Taking action on the social determinants of health in clinical practice: a framework for health professionals. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association
journal, 188(17-18), E474–E483. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.160177
Carter, B. J., Jafry, M. Z., Siddiqi, A. D., Rogova, A., Liaw, W., & Reitzel, L. R. (2023). Incorporation of Social Determinants of health into Health Care Practice: A strategy to address health disparities. Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences.
Hoffberg, I. E., & Valu, M. (2021, April 27). Overcoming obstacles to social determinants of health. HIMSS. https://www.himss.org/resources/overcoming-obstacles-social-determinants-health#:~:text=There%20are%20many%20issues%20around%20the%20social%20determinants%2C,as%20access%20to%20care%2C%20poverty%20and%20food%20insecurity
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Social determinants of health: Overview.
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