The broad explanation of social determinants of health (SDH) and their relationship with the healthcare workforce is thought-provoking and valuable. Your emphasis on factors such as food insecurity, education, and access to health services goes hand in hand with the World Health Organization’s idea, and it explains SDH’s nature in broad view. Forchuk, Dickins, and Corring help contextualize SDH, which enriches the knowledge of economic and social factors that influence well-being on an individual and a community level. Your research on the correlation between lower life expectancies in underserved and poorer communities and limited access to higher education provides insightful perspectives into these complex determinants of social health. However, your graphical representation of the correlation between higher education and increased life expectancy — especially among women – is a powerful visual narrative emphasizing that addressing educational inequalities will help improve health outcomes.
In Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce, the argument that diverse staff bring different perspectives and insights into healthcare, illuminating differential access to resources among communities, is very much substantiated. Your inclusion based on race, religion, and gender presents a holistic approach to addressing healthcare disparities.
The job fairs at college campuses and the support of programs in Historically Black Colleges and Universities proposed by you indicate an active approach. Including the Health Informatics program at Norfolk State as a sample of offering opportunities to minority students is incredibly inspiring. The inclusion of Anne Andermann’s strategies for healthcare workers to impact social determinants of health at various levels is also a significant contribution, indicating the required multidimensionality in this process. Your proposals for educational organizations, including fair colleges in disadvantaged areas and financial incentives, further lead to a rich discussion of diversifying the medical workforce.
MHI 630-90 Health Data Management
Bria Dockery, your comprehensive analysis of the social determinants of health (SDH) and their complex interrelations with community healthcare outcomes demonstrates an advanced level of understanding. Your discussion focuses on the implication of SDH on health campaigns and programs. You also show how consideration necessitates better population outcomes, reduced morbidity and mortality, and eliminated disparities, especially targeting marginalized groups. The inclusion of companion animals into the conversation makes it more thrilling, paying tribute to the shared nature and conditions under which people and their pets live.
In discussing the role of Health informatics, you provided exciting examples. A future-looking approach becomes evident from the focus on SDH data integration into EHRs and building CDS systems. Your focus on incorporating the SDH data into primary care practices, implementation of clinical decision support systems, and assessment of the outcomes demonstrate a direct fit with overall goals aimed at improving patient satisfaction and population health while reducing costs. Using Cottrell et al. (2018) as your reference, you established a conceptual basis regarding the issues regarding the deployment of these technologies, thereby creating an initial background for strong and continued research.
The most exciting part was the discussion of diversity in the healthcare workforce. To address racial and ethnic healthcare disparities, you emphasize hiring practices that advocate for inclusivity. Your proposed strategies, such as reducing the financial barriers in the training and educational processes for students of color in health professional programs, creating and monitoring partnerships between educational institutions in this field of study, and assessing different ways of recruiting a diverse faculty, reflect a more comprehensive, socially fair approach to promoting diversity in the workforce.
References
Andermann, A. (2016). Taking action on the social determinants of Health in Clinical Practice: A Framework for Health Professionals. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 129(17–18). https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.160177
Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The Social Determinants of Health: It’s time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 129(1_suppl2), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549141291s206
Cottrell, E. K., Gold, R., Likumahuwa, S., Angier, H., Huguet, N., Cohen, D. J., Clark, K. D., Gottlieb, L. M., & DeVoe, J. E. (2018). Using health information technology to bring social determinants of health into primary care: A conceptual framework to guide research. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6779030/
Forchuk, C., Dickins, K., & Corring, D. (2016). Social Determinants of Health: Housing and Income. Healthcare Quarterly, 18, 27–31. https://doi.org/10.12927/hcq.2016.24479
McDowall, S., Hazel, S. J., Chittleborough, C., Hamilton-Bruce, A., Stuckey, R., & Howell, T. J. (2023, March 21). The impact of the Social Determinants of human health on Companion Animal Welfare. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1113
Wilbur , K. (2020, February 5). Developing workforce diversity in the Health Professions: A Social Justice Perspective. Health Professions Education. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245230112030016X
World Health Organization. (2024). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1.
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