An Experiential Resident Module for Understanding Social Determinants of Health at an Academic Safety-Net Hospital

Integrating the social determinants of health into graduate medical education training: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

The social determinants of health (SDH) play a key role in the health of individuals, communities, and populations. Academic institutions and clinical licensing bodies increasingly recognize the need for healthcare professionals to understand the importance of considering the SDH to engage with patients and manage their care effectively. However, incorporating relevant skills, knowledge, and attitudes relating to the SDH into curricula must be more consistent. This scoping review explores the integration of the SDH into graduate medical education training programs.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, ERIC, and Scopus databases for articles published between January 2010 and March 2023. A scoping review methodology was employed, and articles related to training in medical or surgical specialties for registrars and residents were included. Pilot programs, non-SDH-related programs, and studies published in languages other than English were excluded.

RESULTS

The initial search produced 829 articles after removing duplicates. The total number of articles included in the review was 24. Most articles were from developed countries such as the USA (22), one from Canada, and only one from a low- and middle-income country, Kenya. The most highly represented discipline was pediatrics. Five papers explored the inclusion of SDH in internal medicine training, with the remaining articles covering family medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, or a combination of disciplines. Longitudinal programs are the most effective and frequently employed educational method regarding SDH in graduate training. Most programs utilize combined teaching methods and rely on participant surveys to evaluate their curriculum.

CONCLUSION

Applying standardized educational and evaluation strategies for SDH training programs can pose a challenge due to the diversity of the techniques reported in the literature. Exploring the most effective educational strategy in delivering these concepts and evaluating the downstream impacts on patient care, particularly in surgical and non-clinical specialties and low- and middle-income countries, can be essential in integrating and creating a sustainable healthcare force.

Using Chronic Care Management Visits to Reduce the Number of Frequent Emergency Department Visits: A Pilot Study

Background Emergency department (ED) visits are increasing in number and cost and becoming a major way patients are interacting with the healthcare system. Patients who frequently visit the ED are deemed "super-utilizers" who visit for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, multiple chronic medical illnesses, homelessness, and substance use disorder, but fail to have an established long-term treatment plan. Methodology We enrolled our hospital's top 50 super-utilizing patients into the Chronic Care Management Program. These patients received monthly telehealth visits to discuss concerns, chronic medical conditions, barriers to care, and support systems unique to each patient's living and social situation (i.e., social determinants of health). Telehealth visits also connected patients to community resources and helped them initiate advanced care services. Results The t-test investigating the frequency of avoidable visits pre- and post-intervention revealed a statistically significant decrease in the number of avoidable visits between the pre-intervention and post-intervention. Results also revealed a non-statistically significant difference in the cost of avoidable visits before and after the intervention. Conclusions The findings revealed a statistically significant decrease in patients' frequency of avoidable visits before and after the intervention.

Training student volunteers as community resource navigators to address patients' social needs: A curriculum toolkit

Introduction

Few resources are available to train students to provide patients assistance for obtaining needed community-based services. This toolkit outlines a curriculum to train student volunteers to become "community resource navigators" to serve patients via telephone at partner health sites.

Methods

University students co-designed the Help Desk navigator program and training for volunteer navigators as part of an academic-community partnership with a local Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The multi-modal curricula consisted of five components: didactic instruction on social determinants of health and program logistics, mock patient calls and documentation, observation of experienced navigator interaction with patients, supervised calls with real patients, and homework assignments. In 2020, training materials were adapted for virtual delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trainees completed a survey after completion to provide qualitative feedback on the training and preparedness.

Results

The training was offered for the first cohort of 11 student volunteer navigators in 2019, revised and then offered for 13 undergraduate and nursing students over 6 weeks in 2020. In the training evaluation, trainees described the new knowledge and skills gained from the training, the long-term benefits toward their educational and professional career goals, and helpful interactive delivery of the training. Trainees also highlighted areas for improvement, including more time learning about community resources and practicing challenging patient conversations.

Conclusions

Our peer-to-peer, multi-modal training prepares student volunteers to become community resource navigators. Student, eager for meaningful clinical experiences, are an untapped resource that can help patients with their social needs.

Using simulation to increase resident comfort discussing social determinants of health

BACKGROUND

Social determinants of health (SDoH) play an important role in pediatric health outcomes. Trainees receive little to no training on how to identify, discuss and counsel families in a clinical setting. The aim of this study was to determine if a simulation-based SDoH training activity would improve pediatric resident comfort with these skills.

METHODS

We performed a prospective study of a curricular intervention involving simulation cases utilizing standardized patients focused on four social determinants (food insecurity, housing insecurity, barriers to accessing care, and adverse childhood experiences [ACEs]). Residents reported confidence levels with discussing each SDoH and satisfaction with the activity in a retrospective pre-post survey with five-point Likert style questions. Select residents were surveyed again 9-12 months after participation.

RESULTS

85% (33/39) of residents expressed satisfaction with the simulation activity. More residents expressed comfort discussing each SDoH after the activity (Δ% 38-47%; all p < .05), with the greatest effect noted in post-graduate-year-1 (PGY-1) participants. Improvements in comfort were sustained longitudinally during the academic year. More PGY-1 participants reported engaging in ≥ 2 conversations in a clinical setting related to food insecurity (43% vs. 5%; p = .04) and ACEs (71% vs. 20%; p = .02).

DISCUSSION

Simulation led to an increased resident comfort with discussing SDoH in a clinical setting. The greatest benefit from such a curriculum is likely realized early in training. Future efforts should investigate if exposure to the simulations and increased comfort level with each topic correlate with increased likelihood to engage in these conversations in the clinical setting.

Untold stories: Emergency medicine residents' experiences caring for diverse patient populations

OBJECTIVES

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education expects specialties to teach and assess proficiency in culturally competent care. However, little guidance has emerged to achieve these goals. Clinical training within socioeconomically disparate settings may provide an experiential learning opportunity. We sought to qualitatively explore resident experiences working in the generic clinical learning environments (i.e., exposure to socioeconomically diverse patients across different training sites) and how it shapes cultural competency-related skill development.

METHODS

Residents were recruited from emergency medicine (EM) programs. We used purposeful sampling across all postgraduate years and elicited experiences related to working at the different sites related to cultural identity, frustrating patient encounters, vulnerable populations, and development of health disparities/social determinants of health knowledge. Individual structured interviews were conducted via phone between May and December 2016. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed using systematic and iterative coding methods.

RESULTS

Twenty-four interviews revealed three main themes. EM residents' experiences caring for patients across sites shaped their understanding of: (1) potential patient attributes that affected the clinical encounter, (2) difficulties in building rapport had adverse effect on the clinical evaluation, and (3) residency program and training experiences shaped their clinical preparedness and willingness to work in underserved areas.

CONCLUSION

Assessing the impact disparate clinical setting exposures have on trainees' preparedness to care for socioeconomically diverse patients can provide valuable insight for medical educators into barriers and facilitators to delivering optimal learning and patient care. Participants provided a breadth of stories illuminating their real-world consciousness and competency with meeting the needs of diverse populations and their access to varied educational outlets to grapple with the disparities they observed. More research is needed to uncover effective strategies to help residents thrive and feel more prepared to care for diverse populations.

Teaching Family Medicine Residents How to Identify and Address Social Determinants of Health

Introduction

This educational program aimed to teach family medicine residents how to address social determinants of health. The literature reviewed suggested that curricula addressing social needs of patients were sporadic and failed to provide residents with practical ways to apply the knowledge. The program objectives were to provide residents with a thorough understanding of social determinants of health and to provide a practical experience where they could address social needs.

Methods

The program consisted of four didactic sessions in which the residents discussed why addressing social determinants of health is important, designed a screening tool, and were educated on how to assess and communicate with patients. As a longitudinal experience, the residents used the screening tool in their clinic and connected patients with resources. We performed a mixed-methods data analysis to determine if program goals were met.

Results

Survey data showed a statistically significant change in the comfort, understanding, and consistency of addressing social determinants of health. Reflections showed similar results. Residents recognized the importance of being aware of social needs, having conversations with patients about their needs, and considering cost when they implement treatment plans.

Conclusions

Family medicine residents are the future primary care providers for our communities. Therefore, it is important to equip them with the knowledge and ability to address all of the factors affecting their patients' health. Graduates will be able to apply this knowledge to their future patients, and educators can be assured family physicians have the skills to address social determinants of health.

A Case-Based Critical Care Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents Addressing Social Determinants of Health

INTRODUCTION

Graduate medical education on social determinants of health (SDOH) is limited. Residents often directly care for vulnerable populations at safety-net hospitals, yet curricula thus far are based in the ambulatory setting.

METHODS

We developed a case-based curriculum integrating SDOH with critical care topics to standardize knowledge and improve skills and attitudes of internal medicine residents working with these patients. We conducted a needs assessment, identified systematic social risk domains, and modified a published curriculum to develop the content. Case-based discussions were conducted weekly in the medical intensive care unit, while knowledge, attitudes, and skills were assessed daily during multidisciplinary rounds. A 360-degree assessment was completed with pre- and postcurriculum surveys and self-reflection.

RESULTS

Eleven residents completed postcurriculum surveys. Both pre- and postcurriculum, residents reported confidence in identifying and describing how SDOH affect care. After the curriculum, residents could name more resources for patients experiencing health disparities due to substance abuse (pre: 47%, post: 73%) and financial constraints (pre: 50%, post:64%). This curriculum was recognized as the first training many residents received (pre: 31%, post: 91%) with formal feedback (pre: 16%, post: 64%).

DISCUSSION

Implementing a curriculum of social risk assessment in critically ill patients was difficult due to competition with clinical care. Participating residents said they "loved the open dialogue" to reflect on their experiences; this became an avenue to "debrief on specific patient encounters and [how] SDOH brought [patients] to the ICU." Future directions include qualitative analysis of reflections and assessment of curricular impact on trainee resiliency.

A Role-Playing Activity for Medical Students Demonstrates Economic Factors Affecting Health in Underprivileged Communities

BACKGROUND

Innovative teaching-learning strategies are necessary to promote community orientation and foster awareness of the social determinants of health among millennial learners in the health professions.

METHODS

The authors designed a role-playing simulation activity that aims to highlight the multidimensional nature of health and develop in students an appreciation of the day-to-day experiences of underserved populations. The current investigation aimed to evaluate the utility of the role-playing activity and guided reflection in terms of the students' appreciation of economic factors that affect health and health-seeking behavior of patients and their recognition of the role of healthcare professionals with respect to issues related to poverty and health. Thematic analyses of the insights and observations of the students immediately after the activity and the anonymized reflection papers were done to identify recurring ideas that made an impression on them.

RESULTS

The students were able to identify that in a setting with limited employment opportunities and low-income potential, the residents prioritized food and shelter over everything else. They also chose cheaper products over healthier options. Practically everyone forewent out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure in order to minimize its disruptive consequences. In these settings, the students highlighted the role of society and government in the provision of services and in community development. The students also emphasized the necessity for competition among a number of providers of goods and services to reduce prices. When asked if healthcare professionals are contributing to the widening gap between rich and poor, 70% agreed, 9% disagreed, 14% did not give a direct answer, and 7% said that healthcare professionals contributed in some ways and alleviated in other ways. The most commonly cited behavior that contribute to this disparity are the decision to seek highly specialized training, the congregation of practitioners in highly urbanized centers, and inattention to the economic difficulties of most patients. Those who disagreed with the statement cited systemic problems as the driving force that widens the disparity. In particular, these students cited the commodification of healthcare and related services, inappropriate policies, and insufficient funding specifically for services and health human resources.

CONCLUSION

The evolving landscape in healthcare financing requires more preparation among our medical students and trainees. Innovative strategies such as role-playing activities and guided reflection are useful in demonstrating economic factors that influence health and promote better understanding of externalities that shape the health status of individuals and communities.

Structural Competency: Curriculum for Medical Students, Residents, and Interprofessional Teams on the Structural Factors That Produce Health Disparities

Introduction

Research on disparities in health and health care has demonstrated that social, economic, and political factors are key drivers of poor health outcomes. Yet the role of such structural forces on health and health care has been incorporated unevenly into medical training. The framework of structural competency offers a paradigm for training health professionals to recognize and respond to the impact of upstream, structural factors on patient health and health care.

Methods

We report on a brief, interprofessional structural competency curriculum implemented in 32 distinct instances between 2015 and 2017 throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In consultation with medical and interprofessional education experts, we developed open-ended, written-response surveys to qualitatively evaluate this curriculum's impact on participants. Qualitative data from 15 iterations were analyzed via directed thematic analysis, coding language, and concepts to identify key themes.

Results

Three core themes emerged from analysis of participants' comments. First, participants valued the curriculum's focus on the application of the structural competency framework in real-world clinical, community, and policy contexts. Second, participants with clinical experience (residents, fellows, and faculty) reported that the curriculum helped them reframe how they thought about patients. Third, participants reported feeling reconnected to their original motivations for entering the health professions.

Discussion

This structural competency curriculum fills a gap in health professional education by equipping learners to understand and respond to the role that social, economic, and political structural factors play in patient and community health.