Introduction
The topic of social determinants of health (SDoH) is the leading one in the research on inequalities in healthcare. This research program is popular among scholars, including political scientists, economists, and sociologists. However, such research is often associated with public policy, social inequalities, and political regime issues rather than healthcare facilities’ activity.
Main Body
The article “Social Determinants of Health 101 for Health Care: Five Plus Five” by Sanne Magnan raises the question of how clinicians may be involved in efforts to mitigate SDoH. It is constructed in an easy-to-read format with two distinctive parts: the summary of achieved understanding and a list of questions on the further development of the studies. This study is not intended to test hypotheses but shows the reflective work of the scholar who wants to introduce a new perspective for researching the phenomenon.
The article begins with five aspects that the author classifies as already known to the academic community. Firstly, improving SDoH is related to the multidimensional efforts of many actors and spheres, so healthcare cannot be the only one responsible for changes. To better understand this multi-actor model, the author calls to investigate the foreign experience.
Secondly, the main tool for influencing SDoH is the implementation of policies and programs. In other words, governmental actions are central to the model of better health outcomes. Thirdly, the author indicates that new payment models based on the quality of care and outcomes are considered the best option for reducing social determinants.
Fourthly, there is a strong call from the research community to incorporate large databases that summarize SDoH through community-driven and individual data. Through this measure, policymakers may eliminate possible ignorance of SDoH by healthcare facilities. Finally, academia agrees that the experimental design of SDoH studies is a useful way to gain new knowledge about best practices for enhancing the role of clinicians.
However, Sanne Magnan proposes five statements about possible improvements in the literature. The modern models of assessing the necessity of intervention do not usually provide measurements on prioritization. Hence, it is often the case that clinicians decide on which SDoH to address and which patient should receive treatment subjectively.
The second concern is that medical intervention may be costly and inefficient compared to community-based policing. Only by working in tandem can the greatest effect be achieved. Another question raised by Magnan is what new data should be collected to make interventions more effective. For example, new variables can be included in traditional ones for building unified indexes.
In addition, the author indicates that medical facilities cannot succeed by acting alone. Therefore, building multi-sectoral partnerships and incorporating stakeholders who may contribute to the process are important. Lastly, Magnan (2017) asks the basic question: “What else?” (p. 6). In other words, she suggests other scholars consider the issue broadly and investigate some other perspectives on the interconnection between SDoH and healthcare activity.
Conclusion
To improve understanding of SDoH among healthcare workers, healthcare managers should elaborate a comprehensive training session that will broaden the horizons of clinicians. Several seminars may be dedicated to discussing social, economic, and political determinants that exist beyond the scope of medical facilities. Such training will ensure that medical workers understand that SDoH has a multidimensional outlook that does not stop only in healthcare.
References
Magnan, S. (2017). Social determinants of health 101 for health care: Five plus five. National Academy of Medicine. Web.