Abstract
Introduction. This study surveyed the use of systematic strategies to address social determinants of health in the primary care clinical training environment. Methods. We designed a 51-item questionnaire targeting medical educators from internal medicine, pediatrics, and family practice to assess strategies to identify and mitigate social needs, the role of trainees in this process, and barriers/facilitators to systematic approaches. Results. The survey was completed by 104 medical educators from 77 institutions. Of the 104 respondents, 28% were not familiar with any standardized tools used for screening for social needs, 27% use geospatial (GIS) or geographic information system (GIG) data, and 35% reported that trainees were not involved in any part of assisting. Conclusion. Nearly one third of medical educators lack familiarity with standardized screening tools for social needs. More than one third reported that trainees are not involved with mitigating social needs. Geospatial and GIS data are not utilized frequently.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 306-319 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of health care for the poor and underserved |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - Nov 2020 |
Funding
This project was supported by the Health and Human Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UH1HP29963, Academic Units for Primary Care Training and Enhancement. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Keywords
- Geographic information systems
- Medical education
- Social determinants of health
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
