Research and practice wisdom demonstrate that health outcomes require more than simply prescribing the right medication for a disease. A wide variety of patient, family, caregiver, and community factors ranging from medication costs to high risk home situations may hinder desired outcomes and even lead to premature death. A pilot project was developed by health professions faculty from two schools to teach social determinants of health outcomes. Programs involved included pharmacy (PharmD), medical (PA, DO), nursing (FNP), social work (BSSW), and physical therapy (DPT). The pilot utilized interprofessional teams of medicine (DO, PA), pharmacy (PharmD), and nursing (FNP) students. Foundational knowledge and application was taught via asynchronous modules which contained explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the interprofessional team and focused education about socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors that impact health outcomes. Student teams collaborated on a free Blackboard site using discussion boards with longitudinal formative assessment. The project culminated in a live simulation in which students were required to construct a healthcare plan which included analysis of social determinants impacting the simulated patient’s health outcomes. Interdisciplinary teams were evaluated on their plan as well as how well they utilized healthcare team strengths. Student feedback, assessed through a Qualtrics survey indicated that of the 12 students who completed the entire program, 92% strongly agreed that they were aware of the differing professional roles that contributed to effective patient care and 92% strongly agreed that they were aware of the impact of social determinants of health on health. Promising results of this pilot warrant further testing with a larger sample. This educational model can help broaden the exposure of students who may otherwise have limited exposure to diverse patient populations in regards to social determinants of health.
Disclosures:
In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Standards for Commercial Support, adopted by the Joint Accreditors for Interprofessional Continuing Education, the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education has a conflict of interest policy that requires that all individuals involved in the development of activity content disclose their relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. All potential conflicts of interest that arise based upon these financial relationships are resolved prior to the educational activity.
Alicia Williams, Kristen McHenry, Anita Airee, Paula Miksa, Kate Kiser, Jennifer Savage, Kellee Harper-Hanigan, Sherry Jimenez, Veronica Young, John Luk, Barbara Jones, Kenny Nguyen, Michael Akwari
declare no vested interest in or affiliation with any commercial interest offering financial support for this interprofessional continuing education activity, or any affiliation with a commercial interest whose philosophy could potentially bias their presentation.
