Docs for Health: Considering Social and Structural Determinants in Medical Care
Docs for Health: Considering Social and Structural Determinants in Medical Care is organized by The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Program Release: March 17, 2022
Expiration Date: March 17, 2024
Description:
Although physicians are increasingly aware of the impact of social and structural determinants of health on their patients’ well-being, they may feel under-resourced and powerless to help, and constrained by the competing
demands that arise during a typical medical encounter. The societal-level causes of structural racism, poverty, and other drivers of inequity can leave the generalist feeling helpless and resigned to focusing on the narrowly
biomedical aspects of care. Failing to address contextual factors, however, can render strictly biomedical interventions ineffective. Physicians can, in fact, have an impact if they have the tools. Docs for Health (DFH) is a
website with prepared forms and letters in six categories for advocating for and assigning patients in areas related to criminalization, housing, immigration, income support and transportation. It empowers physicians to assist patients
in accessing resources and other sources of community support to address contextual factors complicating their care. This presentation is designed to provide participants with both a scaffold for identifying contextual factors during a
medical encounter and a practical resource that can aid in addressing them.
Objectives:
After completing this course, the learner should be better able to:
• Describe why providers are uniquely positioned to address particular social and structural determinants of health.
• Understand how to navigate Docs for Health, what resources are available, and how to find specific forms and letters.
• Identify applicable forms and letters through case examples and consider how to screen for relevant SDOH.
