Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a major impact on health outcomes, quality of care and healthcare costs – a person’s race, ethnicity, income level, or geographic location has more influence on that person’s physical and mental health than many clinical factors.

A recent report in Health Affairs showed that many accountable care organizations (ACOs) lack data on both their patients’ social needs and the capabilities of their potential community partners. ACOs also reported difficulties in determining how to best approach return on investment with social determinants initiatives.

A lack of standardization in data collection and sharing has significantly impacted the ability to address the SDOH. Within the SDOH data being collected there is a diverse array of definitions and terms for the various categories and metrics.

A 2018 survey from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) showed that 80% of family physicians feel they do not have the time to discuss social determinants during routine consults. 64% said they do not believe they have the staff or resources to do anything about social risk factors even if they can identify them.

Recognizing and understanding SDOH will lead to more comprehensive, holistic healthcare, but we must tackle some of these challenges. We must fully integrate social determinants information with clinical care delivery.