Swimming ‘upstream’ to tackle the social determinants of health

"The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of a Health Leads intervention in two urban adult primary care practices. Social needs were identified and then addressed by advocates based in the practices. They found that 15% of patients seen had an unmet resource need, most commonly food insecurity or a health resource need such as difficulty obtaining health insurance or affording medications. Patients with unmet resource needs were less healthy, had more ‘no-show’ appointments, more emergency department visits and were less likely to meet care targets."

Swimming ‘upstream’ to tackle the social determinants of health
T Kiran, AD Pinto
BMJ Quality and Safety, 2016, 25:138-140

Read more here.

Addressing basic resource needs to improve primary care quality

"Difficulty affording healthcare and food are particularly common needs among patients with priority conditions. Strategies to identify and address unmet needs as part of routine care may be an important way to improve healthcare quality."

Addressing basic resource needs to improve primary care quality: a community collaboration programme
SA Berkowitz, et al
BMJ Quality and Safety, 2016, 25:164-72

Read more here.

Redefining health care systems

"This book provides a scientific and personal perspective on health services research over the last half-century. Its purpose is to suggest how that science base, constructed over decades of sustained effort, can stimulate innovative thinking about how to make health care systems safer, more efficient, more cost-effective, and more patient-centered even as they respond to the needs of diverse communities."

Redefining health care systems
RH Brook
RAND Corporation
2015

Read more here.

Understanding the upstream social determinants of health

"This paper describes and categorizes three types of approaches used to examine upstream Social Determinants of Health:

• Social disadvantage
• Life course approaches
• Health equity approaches"

Understanding the upstream social determinants of health
N Bharmal, K Pitkin Derose, M Felician, M Weden
RAND Health
May 2015

Read more here.

Local action on health inequalities

"IHE have written a series of evidence reports and briefings about practical, local actions to tackle health inequalities through the social determinants of health."

Local action on health inequalities
UCL Institute of Health Equity
September 2014

Find out more here.

Review of social determinants and the health divide in the WHO European Region

"The review has collected new evidence on the magnitude and pathways related to health inequalities in the European Region and the most effective interventions and policy approaches to address them."

Review of social determinants and the health divide in the WHO European Region: final report
World Health Organization: Regional Office for Europe
UCL Institute of Health Equity
Updated reprint 2014

Read more here.

Social determinants of health - what doctors can do

This paper will sets out some of the evidence and examples of actions that doctors can take to affect the social determinants of health and reduce the social gradient.

Social determinants of health - what doctors can do
British Medical Association
October 2011

Read more here.